Highlights! Nurmagomedov Escapes Dubai With Close Decision Win

01/25/2025 04:34 PM

Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes squared off earlier today (Sat., Jan. 25, 2025) in the main event of PFL's "Road to Dubai" event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it was an absolute war as both men brought their "A" game in what proved to be a highly-contested bout.

Early on it was pretty much a feeling out process, which eventually led to them exchanging low blows. Nurmagomedov tried to implement his takedowns, but Hughes defended well. In the process, "Big News" showed that he wasn't going to back down an inch, landing several good shots of his own.

Rounds 2 and 3 were much of the same, though Nurmagomedov started to find his range and landed a couple of takedowns. Once on the ground, however, Hughes managed to get up rather quickly. In the third round, Nurmagomedov was deducted a point after he hit his foe with another low blow.

In Round 4, Hughes suffered a huge cut in the middle of his forehead due to an inadvertent clash of heads, though "Big News" was far from phased as he was ramping up the crowd as the blood trickled down his face. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, seemed to be stunned by the head shot and needed all five minutes to recover.

In Round 5, Hughes tried to walk Nurmagomedov down with pressure, but missing two huge swings cost him position and allowed the champion to take his back. Nurmagomedov then proceeded to land several knees to the thighs, scoring some points — and cheers from the crowd — in the process.

In the final minutes of the fight, both men started letting it all go, exchanging shots in the middle of the cage in a fight that was easily tied going into the final frame. Hughes landed huge body shots as Nurmagomedov went in for one final takedown, which was instantly reversed by Hughes. With seconds remaining Hughes started to tee off on the champion as time ran out.

Check out some of the highlights:

In the end, the judges scored in favor of Nurmagomedov, giving him the majority decision to keep his undefeated 19-0-1 record and lightweight title in the process. Despite the defeat, Hughes' stock shot way up as a result of his gutsy performance, as evident by Team Nurmagomedov — Khabib Nurmagomedov included — giving him his just dues and respect.

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