5 Things You Might Not Know About Paul Hughes

"I am ready to smash Usman" 🇮🇪🇷🇺@paulhughesmma plans on evening the score in the second chapter of the Dagestan and Ireland Rivalry #RoadToDubai | Sat Jan 25 | Coca-Cola Arena | Dubai, UAE | 11AM ET | Streaming on @SportsonMax pic.twitter.com/KrLA26NXlK

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 22, 2025

Paul Hughes leans into the tasks placed before him, no matter how difficult they may seem.

The surging 27-year-old contender will answer the Professional Fighters League’s call to arms when he challenges an undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator MMA lightweight title in the PFL Champions Series 1 headliner on Saturday at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Hughes steps back into the spotlight with a seven-fight winning streak in tow. The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder last saw action at PFL Super Fights “Battle of the Giants,” where he was awarded a split decision over A.J. McKee in their three-round battle on Oct. 19.

As Hughes makes final preparations for his “Road to Dubai” main event opposite Nurmagomedov, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He traveled non-traditional routes to martial arts.

Hughes was born on March 27, 1997 in Sydney—a whopping 10,628 miles from his current base of operations—but grew up in Lavey, Northern Ireland. He flirted with Gaelic football and hurling before he transitioned to mixed martial arts.

2. Youth was served in his case.

“Big News” made his professional MMA debut at the age of 19, when he needed just 92 seconds to put away Adam Gustab with punches under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner on Feb. 24, 2017. Hughes finished his first six opponents, four of them inside one round, and established himself as on of Europe’s top prospects in short order.

3. Adversity did nothing to quench his fire.

Hughes suffered his first setback at Cage Warriors 119, where he wound up on the wrong side of split scorecards against Jordan Vucenic. A little less than two years later, he took a unanimous decision from Vucenic in their Cage Warriors 145 rematch, cementing himself as the superior fighter.

4. He backed up his promise with achievement.

The once-beaten Irishman remains one of only 14 men who have captured the undisputed Cage Warriors featherweight championship. Vucenic, Paul McVeigh, Emmanuel Fernandez, Danny Batten, Conor McGregor, Jim Alers, Alex Enlund, Paddy Pimblett, Nad Narimani, Dean Trueman, Mads Burnell, Morgan Charriere and Harry Hardwick complete the list. Hughes held the title for less than a year before he decided to move up to 155 pounds.

5. Loyalty has not been an issue.

Hughes operates out of the Fight Academy Ireland in Belfast, where he provides the under-the-radar gym with a true cornerstone and trains under longtime coach Liam Shannon.