Paul Hughes made a spectacular return to victory with a dominant performance. On Saturday, Hughes headlined PFL Belfast at the SSE Arena, facing Bruno Miranda. This marked his first fight since a controversial close decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in their Bellator lightweight title bout back in January. Fighting in his hometown, the Belfast native known as “Big News” certainly delivered, finishing Miranda in less than a minute.
The SSE Arena crowd was buzzing from the start, amplified by a special walkout for Hughes featuring a live introduction. Hughes channeled this immense energy into a rapid start against Miranda. He quickly pressed forward, catching a somewhat telegraphed kick from Miranda. Capitalizing instantly, Hughes landed a sharp left hook that sent the Brazilian fighter crashing to the canvas. Hughes wasted no time following up with powerful ground strikes, forcing the referee to intervene just 42 seconds into the bout.
Following the swift and decisive victory, Hughes had a direct message for his previous opponent, and the fighter he clearly wants to face again.
“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is coming!”
Neville Woodall 
Duncan Priestley