Hughes was left heartbroken by the scorecards when the pair first locked horns. \u201cI feel like I definitely did enough to win, and I feel like I should have got my hand raised,\u201d he told The Independent. He isn\u2019t letting old wounds dominate his psyche, however. \u201cAt this point, I don\u2019t give a flying f***. I get to fight him in a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Usman admitted that he underestimated Hughes going into the first fight, saying, \u201cThat was almost a big mistake,\u201d but keeping hold of his belt by the skin of his teeth \u2013 despite being deducted a point for an accidental headbutt. The cousin of former UFC<\/a> lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov<\/a> is still oozing with confidence, stating that the Russian entering the cage in Dubai will be unrecognisable to the fighter that fought eight months ago. \u201cFor this fight, I can only say one thing. He will have to be ready because I\u2019m coming. This is not the same Usman who was in January. This is a different Usman.\u201d<\/p>\n Hughes, conversely, is the same man with the same heart \u2013 he\u2019s just far more equipped to reach his mountain top. \u201c\u200aHe’s not fighting a different Paul, but he’s fighting a way better prepared Paul with a way better gameplan.\u201d<\/p>\n The 28-year-old from County Derry is leading something of a second Irish revolution in MMA. With the fitting nickname of \u201cBig News\u201d, one that was bestowed upon him by Conor McGregor<\/a> before their relationship soured<\/a>, Hughes is garnering reactions akin to those seen during the earth-shattering era of \u201cMystic Mac\u201d. His 42-second knockout in Belfast back in May<\/a> produced one of the most deafening explosions of noise you could ever experience \u2013 one that gave the PFL no choice but to nail down this rematch.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be carrying the torch for Irish MMA is a great privilege and great honour, something I don\u2019t take lightly,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cWhat I want to do is create these big nights for not only myself, but also for my teammates, for my fellow countrymen to bring big time MMA back to Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Paul Hughes (left) took undefeated champion Usman Nurmagomedov to the limit in their first fight (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Having stepped into the pro-Nurmagomedov lion\u2019s den of Dubai at the beginning of the year, Hughes\u2019s one post-fight wish was indeed to run it back in his homeland, in Belfast. That wish was not granted by the PFL. \u200a\u201cI just need to make sure that the trilogy fight is in Belfast,\u201d he said, only now thinking on a greater scale. After Lewis Crocker and Paddy Donavon threw down for IBF gold at the city\u2019s iconic 18,500-capacity stadium, Windsor Park, Hughes wants to follow suit. \u201cHundred per cent [that\u2019s the dream], why the f*** not?\u201d<\/p>\n And so, on Friday night, the pride of Ireland will take on one of Dagestan\u2019s many immovable objects. We\u2019ve been here before; there is an obvious comparison to make with one of the biggest bouts in the sport\u2019s history. <\/p>\n Khabib vs McGregor<\/a>, and the chaos that surrounded it<\/a>, emerges from fans\u2019 collective memory whenever fighters from these two nations square off. However, this is not a continuation of that rivalry. In fact, that narrative borderline infuriates Hughes and Usman.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t talk about this guy,\u201d was Usman\u2019s blunt response when I asked him if he saw parallels between his rivalry and the one that consumed his cousin seven years ago. It was unequivocal and admittedly fair. They are not fighting someone else\u2019s battle; this is their own war. And in many ways, they are repairing the damage done in 2018.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Both Hughes and Usman do not draw any parallels to the volatile rivalry that consumed Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov (Getty Images) open image in gallery<\/p>\n McGregor and Khabib fought in one of the biggest bouts in the sport\u2019s history in 2018 (Getty Images)<\/p>\n Class has prevailed throughout the story written by Hughes and Usman \u2013 a far cry from the volatility between Khabib and McGregor. \u201c\u200aI think whenever you fight somebody, especially over five rounds, you garner a certain level of respect,\u201d Hughes said. It\u2019s a sentiment echoed by his opponent. \u200a\u201cI really respect him,\u201d Usman added. \u201cI respect his skills. He\u2019s a good fighter \u2013 the first time, I underestimated him.\u201d But the impact of their rivalry goes beyond the two fighters.<\/p>\n After pushing the undefeated champion to his absolute limits the first time around, Hughes won the adulation of a partisan crowd. Khabib later invited him to train in Dagestan, an offer Hughes accepted on the condition he got his rematch. That condition has since changed, with Hughes not content with leaving the score at one apiece. \u201cWe need the trilogy.\u201d Regardless of when such a trip comes to fruition, this rivalry has catalysed the healing of what was previously a fractured relationship between the MMA communities of Ireland and Russia.<\/p>\n Yet in the interest of writing their own history, Hughes has played this down. \u201cI think it\u2019s not that deep to be honest. That\u2019s just two people that had their own beef. It was certainly a good marketing angle to take for the first fight, and it definitely added to the whole build-up, but ultimately now this about Paul Hughes vs Usman Nurmagomedov. And that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Hughes is intent on writing his own history (PFL)<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2195930533.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Both](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2195930583.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"McGregor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1046918408.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Hughes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PFL-Dubai-_-Paul-Hughes-Images_Paul-Hughes-vs-Bruno-Miranda_20250510225526-_85A1383.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n