Paul Hughes is one of the biggest stars in MMA outside of the UFC – but his career almost came to a shuddering halt after his pro debut.
The Irishman’s war with Usman Nurmagomedov back in January catapulted him to fame around the world. Now, after a brief pitstop back in Belfast for a 42-second homecoming KO, he is back in Dubai hoping to right the wrongs of their first meeting and hand the Russian his first ever defeat.
But before PFL fame came knocking, there was a period in which Hughes feared that he would never fight again. Doctors even told him that a recurring hand injury would force him to retire after just one fight, but he persevered and is now on the precipice of his crowning moment.
Paul Hughes was told his career was over after multiple broken hands
When a 19-year-old Paul Hughes made his debut under the BAMMA banner back in 2017, it was one of the most exciting moments in domestic Irish MMA. A well-touted amateur, he was matched tough against the unbeaten Adam Gustab and dispatched him within 92 seconds in Belfast.
However, his quick return that was planned for July was cancelled over an injury, which ultimately led to him losing two years of his career. Doctors even told him that he would never fight again after breaking and re-breaking his hand four times.
“I broke the same hand three times, and the other once,” Hughes recalled in an exclusive chat with Bloody Elbow in Dubai. “After the third break I was like, ‘that’s it, there’s zero chance I can come back from this’.
“Doctors, specialists, everyone I was seeing said I need to pack this in because it’s going to keep breaking. It’s funny reflecting on that actually because I truly thought at times that it was over, and that’s everything.
“This is my entire being, it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of and it was ripped away from me. But now I’m here.”
Paul Hughes’ mother shared emotional moment at doctor’s meeting
After the latest of the breaks, the news was official; Hughes must retire from fighting. Just weeks into his twenties, the news devastated him and he would later relocate to Australia to begin forming another life.
The moment he was told about the injury, his mother surprised him at the doctor’s office to console him about the news. He still thinks about it to this day, helping to fuel his success and relentless activity over the past two years.
“I had a very, very vivid memory this week when I was reflecting one morning,” he explained. “I remember it was the third time I broke the hand and I drove to the hospital by myself and I remember just crying my absolute f—ing eyes out.
“I called my mum and was like ‘look, I’ll be home late, I think I’ve hurt my hand’. But I played it down. So I remember getting the news and sitting out in the waiting room dead to the f—ing world and she walked in the door to console me.
“I had a very vivid memory of that this week and it caused me to reflect a lot and it makes me very happy to be where I’m at.”
Hughes was eventually able to get help from a “very good surgeon,” but needed lengthy recovery, at which point he moved to Sydney. He ended up returning to action in 2019 and rose to Cage Warriors title glory, before landing with PFL amid an intense bidding war at the beginning of last year.