Photo Credit: PFL MMA

Close fights are not robberies. Both fights between Paul Hughes and Usman Nurmagomedov were extremely close and competitive. Yet following the rematch that took place on Friday, October 3rd in Dubai, where Nurmagomedov won via unanimous decision (50-45,49-46, 48-47), it is hard to feel Paul Hughes was not robbed. I cannot say he was robbed of a victory. In a highly competitive match that I scored 48-47 for Hughes, I cannot be upset over judge Darryl Ransom’s 48-47 scorecard for Usman Nurmagomedov. However, I am furious over Bryan Miner’s 50-45 scorecard, as it is perhaps the worst scorecard, I have seen in all the MMA fights I have watched. 

“I can tell you, as soon as the announcers started reading out the scorecards, I just left the room cause I knew it wasn’t going to be 50-45 Paul Hughes. I knew it was not going to be 49-46 Paul Hughes. And the reason why I have an issue with that is because in the lead up to this fight, this was the conversation everybody was having in Irish MMA. He cannot go the distance with this guy; he has to stop him. He will not get anything going his way in Dubai. And unfortunately, this fight perpetuates that exact opinion because I don’t know what you are watching if you don’t have Paul Hughes winning a single round of that fight.” MMA Journalist Petsey Caroll stated on the Ariel Helwani Show following the fight.

To make matters more frustrating, referee Keith Peterson had an abysmal night at the office. In fact, it may be one of the worst performances by a referee in a title fight in combat sports history. Usman Nurmagomedov committed four fouls throughout the five-round fight, with three low blows; the second of which did not lead to a break in the action, forcing Hughes to fight through the pain of a direct low blow. 

“If we went and we had to critique each ref’s performance the way we get critiqued, that guy would have been fired months ago. Months. He’s been late, too early to stoppages – like, what are you watching? I don’t know. All nonsense.” Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz criticized MMA referee Keith Peterson. 

Then there’s a headbutt at the conclusion of the first round. Is it a light headbutt? Yes. Does it at least deserve a warning? Absolutely. However, there was no warning.

The Legacy of the Hughes vs Nurmagomedov Rivalry 

Regardless of the results and controversy, the fights between Paul Hughes and Usman Nurmagomedov are among the closest and most competitive MMA fights I have ever seen. Both these fighters deserve Immense credit for putting on incredible entertainment in two action-packed back-and-forth affairs. However, like Canelo Alvarez and GGG in boxing, the legacy of these fights will not be their high quality and competitiveness but the controversy surrounding them. 

Over 10 rounds, Nurmagomedov committed seven fouls and six low blows. Even with the logic that they’re all accidental, at what number of low blows do you start to hinder your opponent by illegal means significantly? Especially in the second fight, where no points were deducted. What’s really telling, though, is the number of people who believe Paul Hughes won the rematch. Pulling up data from MMA judging, you begin to see how popular the opinion of Hughes winning rounds 2, 3, and 5 really is. 

71.1% of the fans scoring the fight believe Hughes won round 3; no judge gave it to him. 77.3% believe Hughes won round two; only one judge scored it that way. 58.6% of the fans believe Hughes was the winner of the fight. Five members of the media scored the fight for Paul Hughes, compared to three for Nurmagomedov. The last thing worth noting here is that 72.6% of fans scoring the fight believe it was 48-47 either way. This data has flaws, but it does reveal a significant discrepancy between what the fans and media watched and what the judges scored.  

A Third Fight Feels Inevitable

Heading into this fight, Usman Nurmagomedov stated that he would prove that Paul Hughes was not on his level. He failed to prove that. Regardless of Nurmagomedov’s victory, Hughes competed with him in every round, won rounds, and further solidified the consensus that he is an elite fighter. Unfortunately, following two losses to Nurmagomedov for the title in less than a year, it is safe to say Paul Hughes will not be fighting for the PFL lightweight title in the near future. That said, Usman’s time in the PFL is limited, and a move to the UFC is on the horizon. It is undoubtedly the plan for him to succeed Islam Makhachev as the lightweight division king.

“I’m waiting for Islam to finish his career and then I will [go after the UFC title], I think if we get it right, we’ll be fighting in the UFC at 28. I’m 26 years old right now.” Nurmagomedov stated in an interview last year.

The PFL’s Failure

I hope a move to the UFC is in Paul Hughes’s future. I believe the PFL has treated Hughes well, allowing him to earn more money than the UFC pays its fighters on their first contracts. However, I think the PFL has dropped the ball when it comes to creating an international superstar and the face of their promotion. Hughes has fought three times in 2025 on three different streaming platforms. The first fight between Hughes and Nurmagomedov was free with an HBO Max subscription. Hughes became a bona fide star for the PFL with his gutsy performance against Usman Nurmagomedov. The potential for him to become a global superstar was born.

Then, his second fight of the year, against Bruno Miranda, was not even available to watch in the United States, and the rematch between Hughes and Nurmagomedov was on the new ESPN Unlimited app on a Friday afternoon. The rematch of the greatest fight in the history of the PFL promotion was on a Friday afternoon. I think for Paul Hughes to reach his full star potential, he needs to go to the UFC, and once he’s there, he can build towards a third fight with Nurmagomedov. I think a third meeting between these two fighters is inevitable. I currently believe that Hughes and Nurmagomedov are already top ten lightweights in all of MMA right now, and they’re both just 28 and 27, respectively. So, there’s plenty of room to grow.  Right now, there are only four UFC lightweights in the top fifteen under the age of 30. Hughes and Nurmagomedov are the future of the lightweight division in the UFC. They will meet again, and hopefully the UFC can install the proper judges and referees.