'Khabib was pretending to choke people' - how Hughes beats Nurmagomedov

Dan Hardy saw something in Paul Hughes during the build-up to his epic first fight with Usman Nurmagomedov in January which he knew would define the fight.

Confidence.

Former British welterweight Hardy, who was on commentary duty for the PFL that night in Dubai, knew that would be key because he'd seen Hughes use it to his advantage before.

Just three months earlier the Northern Irishman had proved his doubters wrong by beating former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee, despite being the underdog.

"This won him 50% of the fight with McKee, he rattled him. And I saw it in Usman - he was trying to figure out why Paul was so confident and that can be very unnerving," Hardy told BBC Sport.

"Usman probably isn't used to that type of confidence. That was a defining factor for the whole fight week."

Hughes took that belief into the lightweight title bout with the undefeated Nurmagomedov in January, where he pushed the Russian further than he had been in any of his previous 19 bouts.

Hughes, 28, was on the losing end of a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth bout Hardy described as "having everything".

"There was so much drama. The atmosphere in the arena, it felt very much 50-50 in there for Usman and Paul," he added.

"The corner teams were tense as well - you could see Khabib [Nurmagomedov] pretending to choke people out in the corner. We had the groin strikes and clash of heads that played into it as well, it gave you everything you want from a first fight."

Now the stage is set for a rematch, with the 27-year-old Nurmagomedov defending his PFL lightweight title against Hughes in Dubai again on Friday.

"This feels like a legitimate world-class lightweight battle between two guys who can step seamlessly into the top 10 in the world right now," said Hardy.

"This is a special fight. It just feels so much bigger and more important than everything else. I personally think it's the biggest fight PFL have ever put on."

'Hughes rises to the occasion every time'

Hughes, who is a former featherweight champion in UK-based promotion Cage Warriors, joined the PFL in 2024 and has looked at home in the promotion.

As well as the win over McKee, he has earned stoppage victories over Bobby King and Bruno Miranda in May.

Nurmagomedov, who was making the third defence of his belt, represented a step up in difficulty but Hughes impressed throughout as he embraced the underdog tag.

"His footwork and his striking were incredible, his takedown defence was outstanding and I think he surprised Usman," said Hardy.

"Paul surprises me every time, he rises to the occasion every time. If he's going to beat Usman then he's going to have to surpass his own potential, but I can't see why Paul can't do that."

The first fight had some close rounds which could have gone either way, with the pair engaging in a number of exciting striking exchanges.

There were also three stoppages in the bout - two for accidental groin shots, which Nurmagomedov was deducted a point for, and one for a clash of heads which split Hughes' forehead open.

Hardy said Hughes will need to be busier if he wants to be victorious in the rematch.

"I think Hughes' volume will increase, he lost on volume in the rounds he lost," added the 43-year-old.

"Even though Usman's kicks weren't as impactful, it's racking up points on the scorecard and a smart team around Paul, which I know he has, will be thinking we have to do more on the scorecards this time around."

Nurmagomedov's team includes former UFC lightweight champion and cousin Khabib, who retired having won all 29 of his fights, and ex-UFC lightweight title holder Islam Makhachev.

The team have built success around world-class grappling, but Hughes was able to nullify much of Nurmagomedov's takedown threat in their first fight.

Hardy is expecting a different narrative in the rematch, however.

"I don't think Usman will have a choice. I think Khabib will have taken him back to the mountains in Dagestan after that first fight and absolutely put him through the ringer," he said.

"This camp is known for tremendous conditioning, their wrestling pace and ability to completely dominate people. I think Usman is going to wrestle a lot more and I think his conditioning will be a lot better for it."