Rising Irish contender Paul Hughes has his biggest assignment yet just around the corner.
The former Cage Warriors champ has been matched up against Bellator Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov for a January 25th show at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, per a press release issued by the PFL on Wednesday.
The show, while not branded as a Bellator event, will see Nurmagomedov put his Bellator title on the line in a five-round clash. The event is running with the “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2” tagline, making a reference to the 2018 UFC title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
For Hughes, he’s stepping into a world title shot less than a year after joining PFL’s roster.
The 27-year-old Belfast-based fighter struck a deal with the PFL in April, shortly after wrapping up a successful nine-fight run in European regional promotion Cage Warriors.
Hughes scored a stoppage win as part of a Bellator card in June, getting rid of Bobby King in the second round with strikes. Just a few months after that successful promotional debut, he got past former Bellator champ AJ McKee Jr. as part of a split decision result.
The next matchup sees Hughes attempt to do what nobody else has achieved before: Beat Nurmagomedov.
26-year-old Nurmagomedov has held Bellator’s lightweight title since 2022 when he went five rounds to defeat Patricky Pitbull on scorecards. He has since earned a quick submission win over Benson Henderson and out-worked fellow rising Russian Alexander Shabliy earlier this year in a five-round result.
Through 18 appearances, nobody has been able to get by Nurmagomedov. This has made him easily one of the most accomplished lightweights outside of the UFC roster, with FightMatrix ranking him 14th in the world.
The upcoming event is the start of PFL’s “multi-year partnership” with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), which was announced this week.
While the card includes a Bellator title being wagered, other details surrounding the card call into question how much the promotion will be utilized by the PFL going forward.
The card is referred to as part of the “Champions Series,” a Bellator tour that the promotion launched early this year. However, Bellator isn’t mentioned in any of the promotional material that has been released.
Last month, PFL’s Donn Davis mentioned that the promotion was considering distancing themselves from the Bellator brand.
“The Bellator brand is not resonating,” Davis said as part of an MMA Fighting Town Hall. “It’s not resonating with fans, with commercial partners. So we have to look at that … We think it’s likely we’re going to make a change and everything will be PFL branded. But, we haven’t determined that yet. We’re still evaluating that.”
Bellator hasn’t run a show since September, having cancelled cards in Chicago and Paris since then. As of Thursday morning, a previously promoted New Year’s Eve card has also been removed from their schedule.
No broadcast details for the upcoming title fight have been announced yet.
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