Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Paul Hughes criticized the judges’ scoring of his majority decision defeat to Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series, and demanded a rematch, saying “I deserve to have that belt.”Irish contender Hughes entered his main event bout with undefeated Russian champion Nurmagomedov as a huge underdog with the sportsbooks, but he made light of those odds with a performance that pushed Nurmagomedov to the limit through five closely-contested rounds at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.More news: How Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes Gave PFL The Perfect Rivalry for 2025 | Opinion
Paul Hughes gestures to the crowd during his bout with Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai.
Paul Hughes gestures to the crowd during his bout with Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai.
PFL MMA
Nurmagomedov picked up a point deduction in the third round for a second successive low blow, and that moment, combined with Hughes seemingly growing into the fight while Nurmagomedov started to struggle, gave the Irishman cause for optimism after the bout made it all the way to the judges’ scorecards.But, when the final score totals were announced, it was Nurmagomedov whose hand was raised, with the judges scoring the fight 47-47, 48-46, 48-46 in his favor. After taking into account the point deduction for Nurmagomedov, it meant that all three judges saw Nurmagomedov winning more rounds during the fight, with two of them only giving Hughes a solitary round.That left Hughes incredulous, and in a video posted to his Instagram backstage at the arena after the fight, “Big News” shared his thoughts on the final verdict.”Look, as always, I’m gonna have to watch it back to get a good assessment, a clear-minded assessment. But, as we know, we all thought I won that one,” he said.”I think the judges’ scorecards were pretty ridiculous. But, as I say, I’ll watch it back with a clear mind.”I’m just judging from the energy of the arena and everyone surrounding the cage. I thought it was mine.”I’m not going to make excuses, though. I should have pushed harder. And I will the next time. I know we’ll fight again.”
Hughes then talked about the moment in the fight that he felt was the turning point in the contest, when, with Nurmagomedov really starting to feel the pace, a nasty accidental clash of heads in Round 4 caused a stop in the action, and gave Nurmagomedov time to recover, not just from the head clash, but also from the high pace Hughes had been pushing on him during the round.”It felt like the stoppage in the fourth round with the head clash changed the momentum of the fight,” he explained.”I feel like I was breaking him. I was ripping him so hard to the body, and I felt him wheezing, and I knew my momentum was coming up and I would have emptied the tank.”But that changed the kind of the flow, and he got good recovery. Which, look, the headbutt was a headbutt – it was accidental. He has all the right to take that recovery.”
More news: Usman Nurmagomedov Remains Undefeated With Majority Decision WinBut with the result now in the record books, Hughes turned his attention to the future, with his clear focus already on a rematch with Nurmagomedov, and a chance to put things right the second time around.”I’m obviously disappointed. I’m gutted, I really am,” he said.”I’m proud of myself, but I need to get that back. I deserve to have that belt, soon.”More MMA:Conor McGregor Says UFC is Blocking Him From Fighting Logan Paul: ReportOlympic Star Claims 12-Second Knockout at Karate Combat 52For more PFL and MMA, head to Newsweek Sports.
