Paul Hughes is set to headline another major PFL event in his adopted hometown of Belfast, the promotion has announced.
Hughes (14–3) is scheduled to face Jay Jay Wilson (11–2) at the SSE Arena on April 16, the same venue where he secured a first-round knockout victory over Bruno Miranda in May of last year.
“Big News” has taken the PFL by storm since signing with the promotion in 2024. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion earned wins over Bobby King and former Bellator titleholder A.J. McKee Jr. to announce his arrival in style, before falling agonizingly short over five rounds against Usman Nurmagomedov in January 2025 in what has become widely regarded as the greatest fight in the organization’s history.
Hughes's win over Miranda in front of a raucous Belfast crowd last summer earned him another shot at Nurmagomedov, but he once again came up short on the scorecards in Dubai last October.
Jay Jay Wilson returns to competition for the first time since suffering a decision loss to Archie Colgan at that same event last October. Prior to that, “The Maori Kid” had won six of his previous seven fights under the Bellator banner, including victories over notable names such as Mansour Barnaoui and Mads Burnell.
With Usman Nurmagomedov’s future with the promotion uncertain, a win for either fighter on April 16 could prove pivotal in the PFL’s ultra-competitive 155-pound division.
