Paul Hughes will lock horns with undefeated PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in one of MMA’s most anticipated rematches on Friday.
The pair put on an early fight-of-the-year contender back in January, with Nurmagomedov – the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib – narrowly edging “Big News” by majority decision, despite being docked a point for an accidental headbutt.
Northern Ireland sensation Hughes is now out for revenge as he returns to Dubai for the biggest fight of his career so far, harbouring dreams of bringing the gold back to Belfast for a mammoth title fight at Windsor Park.
The co-main event sees former Bellator champion Corey Anderson battle Dovlet Yagshimuradov (25-7-1) for the PFL light heavyweight belt, while the undercard sees Conor McGregor’s former training partner Artem Lobov return to the cage for a match seven years in the making against Zubaira Tukhugov, renewing a rivalry with the Khabib ally.
Here’s everything you need to know:
When is Paul Hughes vs Usman Nurmagomedov 2?
Hughes vs Nurmagomedov 2 will take place on Friday 3 October at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The main card will begin at 4:30pm BST (11:30am ET, 10:30am CT, 8:30am PT), with main event ringwalks expected at 6pm BST (1pm ET, 12pm CT, 10am PT).
How can I watch it?
Viewers can stream the fight live on DAZN, with the card available to watch for subscribers. Purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month.
Odds
Paul Hughes 5/4
Usman Nurmagomedov 8/13
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Fight card in full
Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion
Main card
Usman Nurmagomedov (C) vs Paul Hughes (lightweight title)
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (C) vs Corey Anderson (light heavyweight title)
Magomed Magomedov vs Sergio Pettis (bantamweight)
Archie Colgan vs Jay-Jay Wilson (catchweight)
Jack Cartwright vs Caolan Loughran (catchweight)
Prelims
Pouya Rahmani vs Slim Trabelsi (heavyweight)
Zubaira Tukhugov vs Artem Lobov (catchweight)
Omar El Dafrawy vs Florim Zendeli (welterweight)
Takeshi Izumi vs Vinicius Cenci (lightweight)
Abael Adjoudj vs Mirafzal Akhtamov (lightweight)
Makkasharip Zaynukov vs John Mitchell (lightweight)
Jarrah Al-Selawe vs Gregory Babene (middleweight)
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