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Tag: Road to Dubai

  • ‘Did What McGregor Couldn’t’ – Jake Paul, Belal Muhammad, Dustin Poirier & Others React As Paul Hughes Pushes Usman Nurmagomedov To The Limit

    ‘Did What McGregor Couldn’t’ – Jake Paul, Belal Muhammad, Dustin Poirier & Others React As Paul Hughes Pushes Usman Nurmagomedov To The Limit

    In what is certainly going to be an early nominee for the 2025 Fight of the Year in MMA, Usman Nurmagomedov will likely end up as the final defending Bellator champion in the brand’s history.

    Nurmagomedov narrowly retained the Bellator lightweight title in a five-round war with Paul Hughes in the main event of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event at the Coca-Cola Arena on Jan. 25.

    The Dagestani started aggressively, utilizing a variety of kicks to test his range before putting his striking on full display. Hughes found his rhythm and picked up his pace in the second, mixing initial strikes and counters. The champ kept up his kicks and clinch attempts, but he struggled to secure a takedown early. Both fighters traded combinations, with Nurmagomedov focused on knees and elbows as the challenger ripped to the body. The second round proved to arguably be the most difficult to score.

    The fight was marred a bit by groin strikes during the third round, which resulted in the defending champion being docked a point. The Russian, however, rebounded with a takedown and controlling the action against the fence. Hughes kept active before both men’s output increased in a big way during the fourth round, including a ferocious exchanging in the final minute.

    Nurmagomedov looked to use his grappling more in the final round, while simultaneously landing hard with knees on Hughes’ body. But the Irishman continued to push forward, landing combinations when possible before swinging wildly and taking over in the fight’s final, dramatic 30 seconds.

    One judge scored the fight a 47-47 draw, while the other two gave 48-46 scorecards, giving Nurmagomedov the win.

    Usman Nurmagomedov Defeats Paul Hughes In Early Fight Of The Year War

    Nurmagomedov became champion initially with a win over Patricky Pitbull at Bellator 288. His title defenses prior to tonight included a win over Benson Henderson, a no contest against Brent Primus, and a victory over Alexander Shabliy.

    The result in Dubai snaps a seven-fight win streak for Hughes. He earned a title shot off wins over Bobby King last summer and AJ McKee at the PFL: Battle of the Giants card in October.

  • PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series Results & Highlights: Usman Nurmagomedov Outlasts Paul Hughes

    PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series Results & Highlights: Usman Nurmagomedov Outlasts Paul Hughes

    The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event took place on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action.

    After announcing a slew of changes to its organization for 2025, including the elimination of the Bellator brand, the Professional Fighters League kicked things off for this year with a Bellator champion defending their gold.

    In the main event of today’s event at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov faced the challenge of highly regarded Irishman Paul Hughes โ€” a headliner branded ‘Dagestani vs. Ireland 2’ promotionally in reference to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor’s heated rivalry from a number of years ago.

    The gold stayed put by narrow margins, with Nurmagomedov getting the nod on two of the three scorecards for the majority decision win following five rounds of competitive and enthralling action.

    Two other clashes between Dagestani and Irish fighters went down on the main card, with Nathan Kelly battling Akhmed Magomedov and Kenny Mokhonoana meeting Ibragim Ibragimov.

    And just before the main attraction, former Bellator light heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov faced his next heavyweight challenge in the co-main event, sharing the SmartCage with ex-UFC contender and 2024 PFL heavyweight season semifinalist Tim Johnson. In what marked the final fight of his contract, the Russian netted a quick first-round submission.

    With the event concluded, see below for the full results and all the best highlights!

    PFL Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes Results & Highlights

    Main Card:

    • Bellator Lightweight Championship Main Event: Usman Nurmagomedov def. Paul Hughes via majority decision (47-47, 48-46, 48-46)
    • Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Vadim Nemkov def. Tim Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 3:08
    • Featherweight: Akhmed Magomedov def. Nathan Kelly via submission (rear-naked choke): R2, 4:22
    • Featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov def. Kenny Mokhonoana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    • Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov def. Cleiver Fernandes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
    • Catchweight (199lbs): Ahmed Samy def. Tarek Suleiman via TKO (punches & elbows): R1, 5:00
    • Lightweight: Mirafzal Akhtamov def. Mike Thompson via technical submission (arm-triangle choke): R2, 2:50
    • Flyweight: Hadi Omar Al Hussaini def. Ruel Panales via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
    • Lightweight: John Mitchell def. Souhil Tairi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    • Middleweight: Haider Khan def. Mostafa Nada via TKO (arm injury): R1, 3:18
    • Amateur Lightweight: Talal Alqallaf def. Saeed Alhosani via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 30-27)

    Talal Alqallaf Def. Saeed Alhosani

    Haider Khan Def. Mostafa Nada

    John Mitchell Def. Souhil Tairi

    Hadi Omar Al Hussaini Def. Ruel Panales

    Mirafzal Akhtamov Def. Mike Thompson

    Ahmed Samy Def. Tarek Suleiman

    Renat Khavalov Def. Cleiver Fernandes

    Ibragim Ibragimov Def. Kenny Mokhonoana

    Akhmed Magomedov Def. Nathan Kelly

    Vadim Nemkov Def. Tim Johnson

    Usman Nurmagomedov Def. Paul Hughes

  • ‘We Need Him vs. Ngannou’ – Fans React As Ex-Bellator Champ Vadim Nemkov Submits Tim Johnson In Final Fight Of PFL Contract

    ‘We Need Him vs. Ngannou’ – Fans React As Ex-Bellator Champ Vadim Nemkov Submits Tim Johnson In Final Fight Of PFL Contract

    What comes next for Vadim Nemkov is uncertain, but it can still include great opportunities following a win over Tim Johnson in the co-main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai on Jan. 25.

    Nemkov made things look easily, landing several head kicks on Johnson that busted him open across the center of his head. The Russian was able to get a takedown and worked over his American foe against the fence. After dragging him away from the fence, Johnson attempted to power up.

    The former Bellator light heavyweight champion, however, answered by wrapping his legs around Johnson and bringing him back down, flattening the UFC veteran and scoring the rear-naked choke victory.

    Vadim Nemkov Easily Submits Late-Notice Opponent Tim Johnson, Fans Ponder Ngannou Showdown

    Nemkov is now 2-0 at heavyweight after defeating Bruno Cappelozza last February at the PFL vs. Bellator card. Nemkov is now a free agent after fighting out his PFL (formerly Bellator) contract.

    Jonhson, meanwhile, has now lost back-to-back fights after three straight wins.

  • ‘I Have Never Seen That’ – Brutal Injury At PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series Event Has Fans Grimacing

    ‘I Have Never Seen That’ – Brutal Injury At PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series Event Has Fans Grimacing

    Just two fights into the PFL’s 2025 campaign and we may have had our first nominee for Gruesome Injury of the Year in this sport, seen in Haider Khan’s first-round victory over Mostafa Nada.

    The two did plenty of circling around the cage during the fight, with Khan keeping distance to avoid Nada’s power and setup kicks. One shot, however, brought the fight to a screeching halt.

    Khan threw a front kick, which Nada looked to block low. When he did this, one could see the impact of Khan’s shin landing causing Nada’s arm to break. The Saudi Arabian immediately felt the injury and the referee quickly stepped in to stop the fight, giving the Englishman the win.

    Haider Khan Gets Win At PFL Champions Series Event After Kick Breaks Opponent’s Arm

    This snaps a five-fight win streak Nada had coming into this fight, which included starting his PFL run at 2-0.

    Khan, who made his PFL debut in this fight, now moves to 9-1.

  • Former Bellator Champ Vadim Nemkov Outlines What PFL Must Do To Keep Him

    Former Bellator Champ Vadim Nemkov Outlines What PFL Must Do To Keep Him

    Vadim Nemkov isn’t entirely satisfied with how he has been treated since becoming a PFL fighter but he isn’t looking for the exit door either. In fact, despite having the last fight on his current contract this weekend, he is happy to stay with the promotion if they’re able to give him what he was initially promised.

    The Russian is one of the big names and talents that the PFL acquired when they bought Bellator towards the end of 2023 but embedding that huge influx of new fighters have been far less than seamless. Several fighters have been very vocal about this with major names like Gegard Mousasi and Patrรญcio Pitbull being granted their releases from their contracts as a result.

    The promotion is seemingly looking to address this in 2025 by re-shaping their format and Nemkov is seemingly optimistic about the future. One problem did arise when he wasn’t happy with the way that the promotion went about announcing a fight between him and Corey Anderson, who he beat in 2022, without him agreeing to this matchup.

    His bout at this weekend’s Road to Dubai event was then changed to be a clash with Tim Johnson who Nemkov believes is a viable opponent for him as he continues to progress as a heavyweight having previously been the Bellator light heavyweight champion. With this settled, the former titleholder’s main complaint, as he detailed in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, is the same issue that the other fighters have had and that’s activity.

    Nemkov says that having not fought since February last year where he submitted Bruno Cappelozza, he’s open to the idea of committing his future to the PFL if they’re going to honor their claims of how many fights he will be offered over a set amount of time. At 32-years old, he just wants to be able to regularly compete.

    โ€œItโ€™s the last fight on my contract,โ€ Nemkov said through an interpreter. โ€œI was supposed to have four fights during the two years, and I only had one. This is going to be the second fight. โ€ฆ Honestly speaking, Iโ€™m OK with the PFL. The thing is Iโ€™m at the peak of my fighting career. I feel great. If theyโ€™re able to provide what we were supposed to do from the beginning, with three or four fights a year, I would be fine with that. But as of right now, Iโ€™m just concentrating on this fight.โ€

  • Ireland’s Paul Hughes Plans To Tell Khabib ‘I Told You So’ After Beating Dagestan’s Usman Nurmagomedov

    Ireland’s Paul Hughes Plans To Tell Khabib ‘I Told You So’ After Beating Dagestan’s Usman Nurmagomedov

    PFL star Paul Hughes is excited for Khabib Nurmagomedov to have a cageside view to his recent claim about Ireland being proved emphatically wrong later this month.

    Khabib, a former UFC lightweight champion, has put considerable time into coaching since ending his career as a 29-0 professional. And after cornering Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov in Los Angeles on Jan. 18, “The Eagle” will head to Dubai for Usman Nurmagomedov’s Bellator title defense.

    Ahead of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event on Jan. 25, the Dagestani has been doing some promotional work on social media by claiming his region’s superiority over that of his cousin’s opponent, Ireland’s Hughes.

    During a recent interview with BBC Sport NI, Hughes recalled his first time seeing Khabib suggest that Ireland ‘doesn’t have fighters’, a remark that brought back memories of his crushing triumph over Conor McGregor in 2018.

    The 27-year-old expects to prove the UFC legend wrong come fight night in Dubai, and he’s got some words ready to tell “The Eagle” in the aftermath.

    “I was out with a friend, and I saw it and thought, ‘I don’t really care.’ It’s just fight stuff but it’s good for marketing, it’s good he’s doing that, but I don’t really care,” Hughes said. “I respect him as a fighter, but I don’t care what his opinion is.

    “Knowing he’ll be in Usman’s corner, I think when I win, I’ll be like, ‘I told you so,’ and that will be pleasurable but that is the competitor in me,” Hughes added.

    Hughes has also reacted plenty of times on social media, first telling Khabib that McGregor ‘made him famous’, before most recently taking a dig at Usman’s failed drug test in 2023.

  • Paul Hughes Gives 4-Word Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Claiming ‘Ireland Don’t Have Fighters’

    Paul Hughes Gives 4-Word Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Claiming ‘Ireland Don’t Have Fighters’

    In a recent social media video posted by the PFL, Khabib Nurmagomedov criticized the credibility of Irish fighters. The former UFC lightweight champion has his own well-documented history with one fighter in particular from this region which led to the biggest fight in the history of the sport seven years ago.

    For team Khabib, they’ve got an extremely busy start to 2025 as after UFC 311 takes place, where Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov will feature at the top of the card, it’s Usman Nurmagomedov’s turn at the PFL’s Road to Dubai event on January 25. At the Coca-Cola Arena, the undefeated Bellator lightweight champion will defend his title against Ireland’s Paul Hughes in a highly anticipated showdown.

    Following Hughes’ prompt, the promotion has marketed the main event as the next instalment in the MMA rivalry between Ireland and Dagestan but Khabib doesn’t think that this is any kind of competition. Despite the amount of success that Ireland has had in combat sports despite its population, “The Eagle” is yet to be impressed by what the emerald isle has to offer, especially in regards to comparisons with Dagestan.

    โ€œIreland donโ€™t have fighters, brother,โ€ Nurmagomedov said in anย interview with PFL. โ€œLetโ€™s be honest: How many fighters from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. Who else? There is no fighters, brother. You come to Dagestan, you can understand. So many organizations, they donโ€™t even want to sign Dagestan fighters because they worry about like, everybody can become champion.

    โ€œLetโ€™s be honest: Dagestan level of MMA here (up high),โ€ Nurmagomedov said. โ€œBut Ireland level, like not even half of Dagestan level.โ€

    Hughes’ response was simple and to the point. With coach Khabib seemingly having a front row seat for January 25 from the corner of the defending champion, “Big News” is excited to prove him wrong.

  • PFL Announces Full Undercard For Road To Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes

    PFL Announces Full Undercard For Road To Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes

    The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will look to kick off the new year in style when it touches down in Dubai for the first Champions Series event of 2025.

    After completing its 2024 schedule with the PFL Europe Championship event in Lyon, France last week, the PFL’s attention will turn to a year that looks set to be key in its pursuit of building a fanbase and becoming legitimate competition to the UFC.

    There remains a lot of uncertainty entering 2025, especially regarding the status of a host of Bellator fighters who have made their frustration with their new employers known publicly.

    While there hasn’t been much in response to the likes of Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix’s complaints, founder Donn Davis has surfaced on social media to promise that the PFL will stage more cards than ever in the new year.

    That starts on Jan. 25 at UAE’s Coca-Cola Arena, where a seemingly revamped version of this year’s Bellator Champions Series will debut. While the Bellator brand is no longer mentioned in the event name, one of its champions will be in action as lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov defends his gold against Paul Hughes.

    And this week, the PFL has rolled out the full undercard, mostly made up of rising names from the Middle East.

    The organization is reportedly looking to put a late-notice co-headliner together after two matchups announced for Vadim Nemkov fell through. After a clash with Ante Delija was announced despite the Croatian being injured, a heavyweight trilogy versus Corey Anderson was set instead.

    That evidently was announced prematurely, too, with the Russian seemingly turning down another battle with the current Bellator light heavyweight titleholder.

    Main Card:

    • Bellator Lightweight Title: Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0) vs. Paul Hughes (13-1)
    • Featherweight: Khasan Magomedsharipov (10-0) vs. Nathan Kelly (11-2)
    • Featherweight: Ibragim Ibragimov (8-0) vs. Kenny Mokhonoana (5-1)
    • Bantamweight: Renat Khavalov (8-0) vs. Cleiver Fernandes (9-1)

    Preliminary Card:

    • Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (13-8) vs. Ahmed Samy (11-4)
    • Flyweight: Hadi Omar Al Hussaini (5-1-1) vs. Ruel Paรฑales (5-2)
    • Middleweight: Yakub Sulimanov (7-0) vs. Jarrah Al-Selawe (20-7)
    • Lightweight: John Mitchell (9-2) vs. Souhil Tairi (7-5-1)
    • Featherweight: Youssef Al Housani (4-1) vs. Assem Ghanem (4-0)
    • Middleweight: Mostafa Nada (9-3) vs. Haider Khan (8-1)
    • Lightweight: Mirafzal Akhtamov (7-0-1) vs. Mike Thompson (7-2)
    Ibragim Ibragimov
    Ibragim Ibragimov (image: PFL MMA)
  • Paul Hughes Willing To Go To ‘Depths Of Hell’ To Knock Out Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov

    Paul Hughes Willing To Go To ‘Depths Of Hell’ To Knock Out Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov

    MMA fans, specifically those in the UK, have been hearing a lot about Paul Hughes and his potential for some time now. After he signed to the PFL earlier this year, he would now have the platform to really progress up the ladder and show what he is truly capable of.

    Hughes has always been incredibly confident in his own ability and he’s not afraid to put himself out there but even with that in mind, his last fight came as a shock. Many believed that taking on A.J. McKee in his second fight with the promotion would be an instance of too much, too soon for the Irishman.

    At PFL’s Battle of the Giants, he rose to the occasion by putting on a great performance to beat McKee in Riyadh and after defeating such a high-level opponent, there was only one logical next step for “Big News” and that’s the world championship. At the Road to Dubai Champions Series on January 25, Hughes will take on the undefeated Bellator lightweight champ, Usman Nurmagomedov.

    The 27-year old knows that this is a huge test for him but he believes that even the win over McKee was only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. He expects Nurmagomedov to really push him in this fight but just like in October, that pressure will bring the best out of him.

    Hughes spoke about the fight in a recent interview with the Belfast Telegraph where he explained where he’s at mentally going into the biggest fight of his career.

    “I see a knockout, 100 per cent. I may have to go to the depths of hell to beat this guy, and I will be prepared for that but I trust in my fight IQ, instincts and killer ability to find a way to get Usman out of there. I said I would knock out AJ and came within millimetres of doing it.

    “I still beat him up, but I was close to knocking him out with the exact shot I called. I definitely see a knockout against Usman. There is a lot more to come from me. My last performance was a six out of ten, for many reasons. I have to be a ten out of ten to beat Usman, he is that good.”

  • Two More Ireland vs. Dagestan Fights Added To Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes PFL Card

    Two More Ireland vs. Dagestan Fights Added To Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes PFL Card

    On January 25, the PFL is set to host its first event in Dubai with the Road To Dubai Champions Series at the Coca-Cola Arena. In the main event, the undefeated Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will face the rising star Paul Hughes in a highly anticipated title fight.

    Following Hughes’ win over A.J. McKee at Battle of the Giants, he called for this fight and immediately attached the perfect tagline to it. When the event was announced, it was promoted as Ireland vs Dagestan 2 in reference to the biggest fight in the history of the sport between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

    As the cousin of Khabib, we know that the defending champion will have his family involved for this fight though it seems unlikely that the same can be said for McGregor linking up with Hughes right now. However, PFL appears to be doubling down on this particular theme for the card following the announcement of two more matchups that pit Ireland against Dagestan.

    A fantastic featherweight clash will see the undefeated Khasan Magomedsharipov take on Nate Kelly. Khasan, who is the younger brother of the former UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov, has won five consecutive fights under the Bellator banner and was recently named in the top 10 of ESPN’s 25 under 25 list for 2024.

    Ireland’s Kelly trains out of the same gym as McGregor, SBG Dublin, and has gone 10-0 since losing the first two pro fights of his career, having fought in both Bellator and the PFL in recent years.

    A second bout sees another undefeated fighter with Dagestani origins facing one of the emerald isle’s finest. 20-year old Ibragim Ibragimov also represents the English flag having been born in Dagestan before moving at a young age. The 8-0 featherweight out of Manchester Top Team recently earned a decision win over Nacho Campos at Battle of the Giants. His opponent will be another SBG Ireland fighter, Kenny Mokhonoana.

    The 27-year old has amassed a 5-1 record with two first-round finishes already under his belt in Bellator. His last fight in September last year saw him suffer his first pro loss to the highly regarded undefeated Welsh fighter Josh O’Connor.

    A trilogy fight between Vadim Nemkov and Bellator light heavyweight champion Corey Anderson at heavyweight was also recently confirmed for the card.