By Charlie Oxtoby, sports aficionado (the-sports-buff.com)
The Professional Fighters League hosts an exciting event in Dubai which features an intriguing Lightweight title bout.
This championship matchup features a five-round fight between the champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, and the challenger, Paul Hughes.
In their first meeting, which did also take place at the Coca-Cola Arena, the Russian just managed to retain the belt in a close battle, winning by majority decision.
Now that they square off again, here are some vital facts you need to know before witnessing this anticipating rematch.
Nurmagomedov’s championship run
The AKA fighter first became champion at Bellator 288 when he defeated Patricky Pitbull by unanimous decision in November 2022.
Since then, he has been a dominant champion until his first struggle which did come against Hughes earlier this year.
The 27-year-old earned a first-round submission win over former UFC Champion, Benson Henderson before claiming convincing decision wins over Brent Primus and Alexander Shabliy.
Although, Nurmagomedov had failed a drug test against Primus at Bellator 300 which was overturned to a No Contest.
A threat on the feet and ground
The Kizilyurt-born mixed martial artist is a well-balanced fighter who makes problem for his opposition when striking or grappling.
The PFL Lightweight Champion holds eight KO/TKO victories and six submission with the 19 wins on his perfect MMA record.
Most of the Russian’s knockout wins came before his arrival to Bellator, often ending in the first or second round.
Nurmagomedov’s submission success was mainly beneficial towards his title shot, especially after earning back-to-back first-round tap out wins over Patrik Pietilla and Chris Gonzalez.
A heavily active Northern Irishman
‘Big News’ will be fighting for a seventh time over a two-year spell as he made a quick rise from Cage Warriors to PFL.
In that space of time, four of his battles have successfully ended by KO/TKO, three of those occurring in the first round.
Hughes fought just under four months after his Lightweight title loss, earning a statement knockout win against Bruno Miranda in just 42 seconds in Belfast.
Not to forget that the 28-year-old did defeat former Bellator Lightweight Champion, AJ McKee by split decision to earn the title shot, becoming only the second fighter to defeat ‘The Mercenary’.
No Stranger to Vengeance
The Sydney-born fighter has a great opportunity to claim revenge against Nurmagomedov, but it’s not the first time he has been in this position.
Hughes received his first professional loss against recently cut UFC fighter, Jordan Vucenic, at Cage Warriors 119, losing by split decision.
After almost two years, the Northern Irish mixed martial artist faced Vucenic again at Cage Warriors 145 this time for the undisputed Featherweight title.
The rematch went the distance and Hughes won by unanimous decision, avenging the only loss of his career at the time.
The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈 
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