Nine months later, Nurmagomedov and Hughes<\/a> would cross paths yet again in the main event of PFL Champion Series on Friday, this time with the vacant PFL lightweight title on the line.<\/p>\n The headliners both had their moments across five rounds, leaving the fight in the hands of the judges after going the distance.<\/p>\n Many fans thought Hughes had done enough to win the decision, but all three judges at cageside had the fight for Nurmagomedov<\/a>, with the scorecards all over the place.<\/p>\n The official scorecards read 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47, all for Nurmagomedov to win.<\/p>\n Judge Bryan Miner\u2019s scorecard has come under fire from fans and media alike, as he gave Nurmagomedov every round against Hughes, who has an argument for winning rounds 2, 3, and 5.<\/p>\n \u201cThe judge who had it 50-45 should never be allowed to judge MMA again,\u201d MMA reporter Ariel Helwani wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say Paul Hughes wasn\u2019t playing with the same deck as Usman Nurmagomedov. 50-45 Usman is quite possibly the worst singular scorecard in the history [of] MMA. Despicable,\u201d Helwani added.<\/p>\n It’s safe to say Paul Hughes wasn’t playing with the same deck as Usman Nurmagomedov.<\/p>\n 50-45 Usman is quite possibly the worst singular scorecard in the history MMA. Despicable. pic.twitter.com\/GPsa9t1kG5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 3, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n \u201cThis is one of the most embarrassing moments in MMA history,\u201d one fan wrote of the Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes result.<\/p>\n \u201c50-45 is unbelievable. Hughes needs to leave the PFL after this. I watched the tournaments and the Champions Series. But after that I made a point of never watching the PFL again,\u201d the fan added.<\/p>\n This is one of the most embarrassing moments in MMA history. 50-45 is unbelievable. Hughes needs to leave the PFL after this. I watched the tournaments and the Champions Series, But after that I made a point of never watching the PFL again.<\/p>\n \u2014 Riko (1-3) (@rikoNFL) October 3, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n \u201c50-45, 49-46 are egregious. [Rounds] 2 and 3 were definitely Hughes and 5 could have gone either but I gave it to Usman. Crazy scorecards,\u201d another fan wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the worst judging ever,\u201d another fan voiced.<\/p>\n \u201cWorst scorecard ever, closely followed by one of the worst ref performances ever \u2013 something stinks when that happens in such a close fight,\u201d a fan added.<\/p>\n PFL posted incorrect scorecards online post-fight<\/p>\n The PFL released the round-by-round scorecards following the controversial result.<\/p>\n In now-deleted posts, the PFL\u2019s PR department shared incorrect round-by-round scores that equaled to 50-44, 50-46, and 48-46. Their initial scorecard had Nurmagomedov winning round 5 with a 10-8 score.<\/p>\n All sorts of math errors here, too.<\/p>\n If the individual round scores are correct, Miner had it 50-44, Ali had it 50-46, and Ransom had it 48-46.<\/p>\n \u2014 Nolan King (@mma_kings) October 3, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n View Tweet<\/p>\n PFL PR tweeted and deleted two scorecards before coming up with the correct scorecards (see below).<\/p>\n Judge Hadi Ali gave Nurmagomedov rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4, while judge Darryl Ransom gave Nurmagomedov rounds 1, 3, and 4.<\/p>\n ![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PFL_20251003_CK-8413-scaled.jpg\")
One judge scored Usman Nurmagomedov vs Paul Hughes 2 50-45. Credit: PFL MMAFans react to 50-45 score in Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes 2<\/p>\n