Paul Hughes is growing increasingly fed up with what he sees as Usman Nurmagomedov constantly shifting the requirements for their potential rematch.
Their initial bout in January was widely regarded as one of the best fights of the year, with Nurmagomedov narrowly securing a majority decision after Hughes pushed him closer to defeat than anyone before. The fight immediately sparked calls for a second meeting, but Nurmagomedov insisted that Hughes needed to earn another victory first. Hughes did exactly that.
In May, Hughes delivered a spectacular performance, knocking out veteran lightweight Bruno Miranda in just 42 seconds in a homecoming fight in Belfast. This dominant win seemingly cemented his status as the clear No. 1 contender. Instead of waiting for the promotion, PFL, to make the fight, Hughes took matters into his own hands, contacting Nurmagomedov directly. He was not pleased with the response.
Hughes revealed the details of their text conversation:
“I know for a fact now that this guy is trying to delay this rematch,” Hughes stated. “Because I went straight to the fucking source. I texted him myself last week and I was just like what is going on? Rematch now.”
He continued:
“He said once again ‘you have to win one more fight, brother.’ So look, straight from the source right there, he’s trying to delay this.”
Following their first fight, Hughes had shown respect towards Nurmagomedov and his team, which included UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who himself had spoken highly of the Irish fighter`s efforts against his cousin.
While Hughes doesn`t regret his respectful approach on fight night, he admits that the subsequent demands for a second win before the rematch have ignited his frustration with the entire situation.
Expressing his exasperation, Hughes said:
“I was fed up. I’m fed up with all his bullshit. I may as well go straight to the source. From what he said last week, he said ‘you’ve got to win one more fight, brother’ and at the end of the day, he’s not the fucking boss. This fight’s happening.”
Despite Nurmagomedov`s apparent desire for him to get another win, Hughes knows his quick finish of Miranda should be more than enough. While he would have preferred the immediate rematch, the 28-year-old didn`t hesitate when PFL booked him in a different fight, especially given the opportunity to headline a card at home in Ireland.
Hughes is confident that his recent victory is sufficient to set up what many anticipate will be one of the most significant rematches in PFL history, regardless of Nurmagomedov`s personal stance.
He firmly believes the fight is necessary:
“The fight obviously has to happen,” Hughes asserted. “Everybody wants this fight to happen. PFL wants this fight to happen. Dubai wants this to happen. The only person that does not want this to happen, very, very clearly right now, is Usman Nurmagomedov.”
Hughes added:
“If the fight does not happen, you know why. But I don’t believe that is the case. I think it will happen. I think the PFL and the Dubai government have more leverage than one man. So the fight must happen and it will happen in September or October this year.”
Days after sharing details of his text exchange with Nurmagomedov, Hughes saw PFL announce Mansour Barnaoui vs. Archie Colgan for June 20, explicitly stating, “the winner of this fight becomes the No. 1 contender for the PFL lightweight world title and will be next in line to face current champion Usman Nurmagomedov.”
This announcement, predictably, did not please Hughes.
He responded on social media, tweeting:
“Hey, quit with the rage bait.”
Regardless of promotional messaging, Hughes remains convinced that PFL will schedule the rematch and that Nurmagomedov`s efforts to avoid it will fail.
Hughes reiterated his perspective:
“He’s trying to delay this fight. It’s that clear… He probably shouldn’t have texted me back to be honest. He is going to delay this fight for a very clear reason. That is that he knows I’m going get him next time. He’s felt my energy in there. He knows I’m coming for him. He knows this is everything to me. I’m not sure if this is everything to him, to be completely honest with you, and his day is coming. As I said in the post-fight interview, he can try to delay this as long as he wants, but his day is coming.”
Hughes has consistently felt he deserved the victory in their first fight but accepted the judges` decision, which is why he didn`t object when PFL booked him for a different bout instead of an immediate rematch.
However, Hughes now openly questions if Nurmagomedov is simply attempting to postpone an inevitable second encounter by creating new obstacles.
Hughes concluded with a strong warning:
“Look, the guy’s fucked… He’s fucked when I get my hands on him. Let’s put it like that. I am in the gym every single day preparing for this. He has absolutely no idea what is coming for him.”
