Usman Nurmagomedov now knows firsthand just how formidable Paul Hughes is.
Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Hughes in the main event of PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai, held at the Coca-Cola Arena in the UAE on Saturday night.
The undefeated Dagestani went the full five rounds with "Big News," with several instances where it was clear he was struggling to match the intensity of the determined challenger, even with his renowned, wrestling-heavy style.
However, following the tightly contested fight, Nurmagomedov managed to impress two judges with his performance, earning 48-46 scores, even after a point was deducted for groin strikes in the third round. The third judge scored the bout a 47-47 draw.
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Ahead of their clash, the 155-pound champion consistently downplayed Hughes as a legitimate threat, undermining the Irishman by claiming he wasn't worthy of the title shot. But after 25 minutes in the cage with him, Nurmagomedov now realizes just how misguided his assumptions were.
In his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov openly admitted his mistake in overlooking "Big News" and gave credit where it was due.
Paul Hughes, brother, you are the man, brother," Nurmagomedov said. "You’re really the man. Brother, you are tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy. Whew. It was my little mistake, but still undefeated, undisputed, Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov.
The Russian went on to heap further praise on Hughes, commending his versatile game plan and acknowledging his opponent's incredible resilience in the face of adversity.
His wrestling defense, takedown defense [was] very well. He’s tough, he’s strong. I didn’t think he would be this strong. Brother, you are really strong. You tell me in the face to face, this was my mistake, you were right, brother. Thank you so much. I never take this damage, what I take with him in this fight. I have a lot of pain on my body. Brother, thank you for this fight. I think I jumped to next level because of him. He make me better than I was today. And I think, for sure, he got better, too. Thank you so much, Paul. I really respect you brother.
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