Paul Hughes successfully returned to the win column, securing a victory in undeniably spectacular fashion.
Competing on Saturday night, Hughes headlined the PFL Belfast event at the SSE Arena in his hometown. This bout was his first appearance since a highly contested decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in their Bellator lightweight championship match in January. The entire event was heavily promoted around the Belfast fighter`s return home, and “Big News” certainly capitalized on the opportunity, finishing Bruno Miranda in less than a minute.
The atmosphere inside the SSE Arena was electric from the moment Hughes made his way to the cage. He had a special walkout introduction performed live by Irish musician Foy Vance, which ignited the crowd. Hughes immediately channeled that energy into a fast-paced start against Miranda, pressing forward relentlessly. He managed to catch a somewhat casual kick thrown by Miranda and quickly countered with a sharp left hook. The precise strike sent the Brazilian fighter to the canvas. Hughes wasted no time, swiftly following up with ground-and-pound, compelling the referee to intervene and stop the contest after merely 42 seconds.
In the moments immediately following his decisive win, Hughes delivered a straightforward message directed at his past, and potentially future, opponent.
“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is f*cking coming!”
