While it’s Paul Hughes who is competing in the headline slot of PFL Belfast, another Hughes, Connor, may have stolen the show with a brutal finish.
Hughes scored a second-round knockout of Sebastien Di Franco in a featured bout of the event, which featured the first round of the PFL Europe lightweight tournament.
Hughes busted up Di Franco’s leg badly in the opening frame with a series of leg kicks. Hughes dominated the opening frame with check hooks, left punches, and working combinations. Di Franco had his own fair success with strikes, but he was unable to handle Hughes’ timing and accuracy.
Di Franco started to get into a groove in the second round, getting his hands going. But one powerful right hand from Hughes changed all that, flooring Di Franco and knocking him out cold.
Connor Hughes Puts Sebastien Di Franco To Sleep With Walk-Off KO At PFL Belfast
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Hughes has competed in the previous two seasons of PFL Europe, falling in the opening round of the 2023 tournament to Dylan Tuke (making Hughes’ first pro loss) and losing in last year’s final to two-time champion Jakub Kaszuba.
Hughes now moves on to the 2025 PFL Europe lightweight tournament semifinals, where he will face Gino van Steenis. The younger brother of Costello van Steenis defeated Decky McAleenan.
Di Franco has now lost three of his last four.
