Paul Hughes says 'PFL has changed my life' ahead of Usman Nurmagomedov rematch

Paul Hughes (14-2) is set to face PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC) at PFL Dubai on October 3, giving Hughes another chance to achieve his goal after losing to Nurmagomedov by majority decision last January.

Hughes, 28, stated his intentions for the rematch at the launch press conference.

"What I need to do is bring them to the depths of hell, of course," Hughes said. "It's five rounds. This is a drilling game. But this is what I enjoy.

"Of course, as you've seen from my last fight, I can knock anybody out if I connect right. So of course, that could also happen. But whatever happens, I'm ready."

After his victory in 42 seconds at PFL Europe in Belfast against Bruno Miranda in May, Hughes is now ready to try his luck against Nurmagomedov again, and he explained what has changed since their first meeting in January.

"Minor things," Hughes said. "Obviously, having fought five rounds already, there is a lot that you can take from this, but I'm under no illusion that he is going to have a different game plan and a better game plan this time as well as I.

"So I'm interested to see how that will clash on the night and who will perform better."

"When you're special, you can do special things."

A former Cage Warriors champion, who was quickly propelled onto the world stage and earned his shot at the PFL belt within six months of joining the organisation, Hughes expressed gratitude for the opportunity he's been given.  

"The PFL has changed my life," he said. "They've given me a platform to show my skills to the world. They've allowed me to change my life financially as well. So it's been a great move.

"It was a great career decision for me to go down this path because look at what I have done, look at the big nights that I have created for the organization and also for myself. So yeah, it's been a great thing. What I see for the future is myself being a champion for a long time."

In their January fight, Nurmagomedov was in the cage alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov, Javier Mendez and Islam Makhachev, with all three in his corner.

Hughes praised his opponent's set-up while also giving himself credit for getting to that level.

" Of course, it does matter who you train with," he said. "That's very important. You're only as good as your training partners. But also, when you're special, you can do special things. That's what I am.  »

The first bout between the two was voted the GOAT fight, and this rivalry could lead to a trilogy in the event of a Hughes victory, he said. 

"I like rivalries," he said. "I think that having an adversary is a good thing because it brings out the best in you. As mentioned earlier in the call, I had that in my Cage Warriors days and it really elevated me to be a new fighter.

"So it's good to have an adversary and a very good adversary at that. So it's making me reach my highest level."