Paul Hughes expected Usman Nurmagomedov to delay rematch as long as possible: 'He was almost broken in there'

05/08/2025 10:00 AM

Paul Hughes has no doubt that he's going to cross paths with Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov again but he's not the least bit surprised he didn't get an immediate rematch.

Back in January, Hughes battled Nurmagomedov to a razor-close majority decision but came away on the losing end of the scorecards. It didn't take long for Hughes to ask about running it back sooner than later but Nurmagomedov shot that down while saying the Belfast, Ireland native needed to win at least one more fight before getting another shot at his title.

While he's anxiously awaiting the chance to get a second crack at Nurmagomedov in the future, Hughes wasn't shocked at how it all played out and now he'll hopefully earn that rematch with his fight booked against Bruno Miranda on Saturday.

"Look, he's always going to try to extend that as long as he can because he got very, very close to losing his belt," Hughes told MMA Fighting. "It didn't surprise me that much considering I believe I won the fight, as everyone knows. I do believe that he was almost broken in there. Had the head clash not happened at the end of the fourth [round]. Of course, he's going to try to delay it.

"Fair enough. He still has the belt. He's the champ. He can say these things. But at the end of the day, my day will come again and it's coming soon. Another win over Bruno Miranda here, there's absolutely no question that Usman is next. Whenever that is, I'm not sure, but it's coming."

In theory, Hughes could have potentially refused to fight again and just waited for the PFL to book him against Nurmagomedov but that thought never actually crossed his mind.

Hughes has always wanted to stay as active as possible but there was an added bonus with the Miranda fight because now he gets the chance to headline a card at home in Belfast.

"There was never a thought of sitting out that long," Hughes said. "At the end of the day as fighters, we don't get paid unless we fight and at the end of the day, I'm young, I'm healthy, I'm ready to go. I've been very active. I want to continue to be active. Why not? I will continue to get better and fighting and fight camps are where you get better.

"That fight [against Usman Nurmagomedov is] going to happen. We all know it's going to happen. When that it is, I'm not sure, probably end of the year so of course, I'm going to take the opportunity to fight at home in the meantime. Of course, I am. It means literally I'm taking off No. 1 on my MMA bucket list and also improving. Another fight camp and also of course you make money when you fight so everything's positive."

As much as the conversation continues about the Nurmagomedov rematch, Hughes refuses to get caught in a trap by looking past his next opponent.

Despite the odds saying he should essentially walk through Miranda in their upcoming fight, Hughes knows looking past anybody is a very dangerous game to play in combat sports.

Boxer Ryan Garcia found that out the hard way this past weekend when he was gunning for a rematch against Devin Haney and ended up losing a shocking decision to Rolly Romero instead.

Hughes has seen those kinds of situations happen to other fighters in the past and he won't allow himself to fall prey to looking ahead without realizing the risk standing directly in front of him.

"Look, Bruno is a very dangerous guy," Hughes said. "I knew that before we signed the fight. Obviously, I study everybody that's in my kind of bracket. Very dangerous guy. Big puncher. Has been in there with a lot of world champions. Someone that is not being taken lightly in any regard. I've had to treat this as another world title fight, essentially. With this added pressure of being at home and delivering there, there's a lot on the line here and Bruno is the type of guy if you slip up, he can knock you clean out. He has the capabilities to do that.

"So I have to take the fight unbelievably serious. Any fight in mixed martial arts there is risk but without risk there is no reward. At the end of the day, I get to live my dream and fight at the SSE Arena in Belfast and bring the company, bring the PFL here and show them what we can do. So incredible opportunity."

Fighting at home also presents unique issues because Hughes is going to enjoy being the biggest star on the entire card but the expectations for him to perform are also higher than ever before.

Hughes embraces that pressure, especially knowing that headlining a card in Belfast is a dream come true and there's always the chance this is the only time he'll get the opportunity.

"There's pressure every time I fight now," Hughes said. "I'm f*cking used to it. I'm the f*cking best. So I always deal with it well. Pressure creates diamonds.

"I am a competitor that always shows up. You've never seen me through any night of my career not show up on fight night and that will not change."