Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes’ rematch main card has taken a massive hit as one of the most notable stars has been forced out of action.
Former UFC bantamweight Caolan Loughran was due to make his PFL debut against 2024 European Champion Lewis McGrillen in one of the showcase bouts of the evening. However, McGrillen has been forced out of the event with illness, and will be replaced by another fighter shortly.
Loughran is a rare case of a fighter who left the sport’s top promotion after winning their final contracted bout. He put Paddy Pimblett’s protege Nathan Fletcher to the sword at UFC London, but decided to test out free agency before signing with PFL.
Usman Nurmagomedov vs Paul Hughes 2 PFL card loses key fight
With just three weeks to go until the biggest rematch in PFL history between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, the undercard has lost one of its most exciting fights. Loughran released a video on Instagram explaining that he was told McGrillen was ill and unable to compete.
“My fight vs Lewis McGrillen is no longer happening,” Loughran said, before confirming that he has booked a new, and arguably more difficult, opponent for the October 3 date. “It’s s—… The reason we’ve been given for Lewis not showing up is that he’s sick, he’s got the flu.
“The fight is in three weeks, Saturday morning we found out and this fight is three weeks out. Is there no antibiotic cycle you can go through for the next 7-10 days? No sauna, no steam room or teas or anything you can try?
“It’s different if you bust your knee ligaments or on the Wednesday [for a Friday fight night] you get a bad staph infection. I get it, injuries happen in this sport but three weeks out pulling out sick? Feeble excuse.”