Usman Nurmagomedov Survives Paul Hughes Rally, Remains Unbeaten in Instant Classic

Thanks to a furious rally in the final round, Usman Nurmagomedov remained unbeaten on Saturday by narrowly edging Irish upstart Paul Hughes in an instant classic of a five-round lightweight title bout.

Bellator titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov remained unbeaten on Saturday thanks to a furious rally in the final round to edge Irish upstart Paul Hughes in an instant classic of a five-round lightweight title bout.

Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC), who had shot down any belief coming in that their 155-pound title bout inside Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena would be competitive, took back his words following a thrilling majority decision that felt so close, it could've been decided by a coin flip.

In the main event of the first PFL: Road to Dubai Championship Series, Nurmagomedov took identical scores of 48-46 while the third judge had it even, 47-47. CBS Sports also scored the bout, which included a point deduction against Nurmagomedov in Round 3 for low blows, a 47-47 draw.

"Paul Hughes, you were the man, brother," Nurmagomedov said. "You really were the man. Brother, you are tough. I underestimated this guy. It was my little mistake but still undefeated, undisputed Bellator lightweight champion."

Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of his coach and UFC Hall of Famer, Khabib Nurmagomedov, made the third defense of the Bellator title he captured in 2022. HIs slim decision over Hughes is expected to be the final time Bellator branding would be used by PFL, which acquired the promotion in 2023.

The 27-year-old Hughes, a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion, was visibly devastated after a star-making performance just one bout removed from his upset of former Bellator champion AJ McKee.

"It really did play out how I expected. I'm so gutted, I'm so disappointed," Hughes said. "I really thought I won that one. I should have pushed harder. We are definitely going to fight again. Thanks so much to Usman. I really need to dig even deeper in the future.

"I really thought I was going to win. I'm f---ing gutted, to be honest."

Hughes (13-2) looked as if he was outclassed in a very technical Round 1 before amping up his pressure and succeeding in dragging Nurmagomedov into a physical clinch battle. Not only did each fighter produce extreme swelling and redness on the legs of each other, Hughes relied on steady body work to slow Nurmagomedov down.

Ultimately, it was the maturity with which Hughes fought and his stubborn takedown defense that turned this high-speed chess match into such a competitive and entertaining affair. The two fighters, who exchanged heated trash talk in recent weeks, went on to gain each other's respect, but it only came after accidental fouls from both created multiple issues, including a head clash in Round 4 that left Hughes bleeding from his forehead and Nurmagomedov down and nearly out.

"His wrestling defense and takedown defense was very well," Nurmagomedov said. "I didn't think you would be very strong but brother, you were very strong. This was my mistake. You were right, brother.

"I have never taken this [amount of] damage in a fight. I have a lot of pain on my body but thank you for this fight. I think I jumped to the next level because of him and I'm sure he got better, too. Thank you so much, Paul. I really respect you, brother."

Even though it looked as if Nurmagomedov caught the worst of their head clash in Round 4, the break in the action allowed him to recharge his battery in a big way. The 26-year-old native of Dagestan, Russia, scored a key takedown late in the round that led to elbows from top position.

But it took a championship stand from Nurmagomedov in Round 5 to secure the disputed victory and he did so with grappling control and a higher pace with the fight on the line.

Nurmagomedov was 4-for-9 in takedowns while Hughes failed to attempt a single one. Nurmagomedov also had the slight edge in total strikes landed, per PFL, by a margin of 128 to 120.