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 — 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)