BELFAST — Paul Hughes underlined his claims to a rematch with PFL/Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov on Saturday night with a 42-second demolition of Bruno Miranda in front of an adoring hometown crowd at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
After being welcomed to the cage in uproarious fashion by the thousands in attendance, Hughes (14-2) found the climactic moment of the lightweight tussle when he caught one of the Brazilian’s kick then uncorked a brutal left hook that downed Miranda (17-6) and brought an end to the night’s action.
Hughes, who fought Nurmagomedov to a close decision loss in January, immediately took aim at the Russian champion in his post-fight interview:
“Usman Nurmagomedov!