One of the biggest and best fights that could possibly happen across the PFL and Bellator rosters is booked for January 25 next year.
At the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Usman Nurmagomedov will put his Bellator lightweight title on the line against Paul Hughes.
The PFL recently announced the fight with the tagline of "Dagestan vs. Ireland 2", comparing the bout to the biggest clash in the history of the sport between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Khabib's cousin Usman is undefeated at 18-0 and after winning the title back in 2022 where he defeated Patricky Pitbull, he's defended the belt twice with his latest victory coming against Alexander Shabliy in September.
Nurmagomedov may not have the same profile as his family or teammates but ask anyone in that circle how good he is and many believe that he will dominate the lightweight division for many years to come.
Going up against the 26-year old champion is a challenger that despite being older than Nurmagomedov, is considered to be one of the most exciting rising talents in the sport.
Ireland's Paul Hughes has been one of the most talked about fighters in Europe for several years and earlier in 2024, he finally earned a big contract to sign with the PFL.
A debut win over Bobby King in June showed that "Big News" was going to have an exciting climb up the ladder but his next fight totally bypassed multiple steps of his career.
The former Cage Warriors champion defeated one of the top fighters on the roster, AJ McKee, at last month's Battle of the Giants card in Riyadh to pass the biggest test of his career with flying colours.
He immediately called for this fight, claiming that it would be the next chapter of Dagestan vs. Ireland and stating that he wants Conor McGregor in his corner for it.
Titled as the Road To Dubai Champions Series, this is set to be the first event in a new multi-year partnership which will see the PFL regularly return to Dubai in a restructure of the Bellator Champions Series that we saw in 2024.
