Hughes takes on PFL lightweight world champion Usman Nurmagomedov in a hotly-anticipated title rematch after their epic first encounter in Dubai earlier this year ended in a majority decision victory for the Russian.
Despite Nurmagomedov claiming the victory on the scorecards to retain his title, the momentum appeared to be with Hughes as the fight entered the later rounds, and the Belfast native was adamant in his immediate post-fight verdict that he’d defeat Nurmagomedov if they ever faced off again.
And, after Nurmagomedov batted away any possibility of a rematch in Hughes’ home town, Hughes instead faced Bruno Miranda in Belfast, and demolished his opponent in 42 seconds before grabbing the microphone and sending a warning straight down the camera to Nurmagomedov.
“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is f*****g coming!” he declared.
Now the pair are officially set to face off again, with the title rematch booked for the PFL Champions Series event in Dubai on October 3. And, in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Hughes made clear his intentions as he prepares to put things right in the rematch.
“I’m going to break him,” Hughes stated, confidently.
“I will break him towards the end of this fight. Maybe I’ll clip him before that. You saw my last fight: a (42-second) knockout. Of course, I have that capability. But what I truly really want to happen is break that man.”
Hughes has always been confident of his abilities, without veering into the realm of the cocky. His confidence is a matter-of-fact, steely mindset that has seen him take his performances progressively skyward since rising to championship level in Cage Warriors, where he took part in memorable battles with the likes of Jordan Vucenic, James Hendin and Morgan Charriere.
He signed with PFL in 2023 and defeated Bobby King on his debut at Bellator Champions Series in Dublin, then edged former featherweight champion AJ McKee by split decision at the PFL Super Fights event in Riyadh last October.
That led to his memorable title fight with Nurmagomedov in Dubai in January, then his May knockout of Miranda in Belfast. Now he’s ready for his third fight of the calendar year as he prepares to face Nurmagomedov once again. And he said that one victory over the Russian won’t be enough for him. He’ll want to do it again.
“As soon as I win, I’m calling for the trilogy,” he said.
“You know that that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Come on, lads: I’m a competitor. There will be no questions asked.
“Once I get him out of there this time, it’s one each, and I need to make sure that I put it to bed once and for all. I’ll be calling for the trilogy.”
The build-up to the first fight saw Hughes respectfully, but confidently, promising he’ll deliver on fight night, while Nurmagomedov appeared to publicly dismiss his opponent’s chances.
Following the highly-competitive nature of their first fight, and Hughes’ active pursuit of the rematch, the build-up to the return bout could look very different. But Hughes said he’ll keep it respectful for as long as his opponent does the same.
“I guess time will tell. I always approach it in a respectful way. That’s how I do business,” he said.
“But if someone comes at me, you best believe I’m coming back at them, and you’ve seen that with his management recently. There were some tweets that came back my way from his manager, and if you come at an Irishman with some insults, you best believe you’re going to hear something back. I’m always going to be respectful unless someone disrespects me.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjA8UM52QvY
