Paul Hughes is undoubtedly unsure that he will once again cross the road with Usman Nurmagomedov of Bellator Lightweight Champion, but he is not surprised he didn’t get a rematch anytime soon.
In January, Hughes fought Nurmagomedov and fought for the razor majority decision, but left at the losing end of the scorecard. It didn’t take long for Hughes to ask about running faster than delaying it, but Nürmagomedov shot it when he said Belfast, the Irish native had to win at least one fight before getting another shot in his title.
He was worried about the opportunity to get a second crack at Nurmagomedov in the future, but Hughes is not shocked by how it unfolds and hopes to win that rematch in his fight against Bruno Miranda on Saturday.
“Look, he’s always been so close to losing his belt, so I’m going to try and expand it as much as I can,” Hughes told MMA Fighting. “It wasn’t too surprising to think of me, as everyone knows, that I believe I won the fight. I believe he was pretty much broken there. I don’t think there was a head collision in the fourth (round). Of course, he tries to delay it.
“He still has the belt. He’s a champion. He can say these things, but at the end of the day, my day comes again and comes as soon as it comes again.
In theory, Hughes may have refused to fight again, and although he was only waiting for the PFL to book him against Nurmagomedov, the idea actually didn’t go beyond his mind.
Hughes always wanted to be as active as possible, but there was an extra bonus to the Battle of Miranda.
“I never thought about sitting that long,” Hughes said. “At the end of the day as a fighter, we won’t get paid unless we fight. At the end of the day, I’m young, I’m healthy. I’m very active. I want to stay active.
“The battle with Usman Nurmagomedov will happen. We all know that it will happen. Even though it will be the end of the year, of course, I will, of course, take the opportunity to fight at home. Of course, I am.
Just as the conversation continues about Nurmagomedov’s rematch, Hughes refuses to be caught up in the trap when he sees his next opponent.
Hughes knows that, despite him saying he should essentially walk Miranda in future battles, it is a very dangerous game for everyone to play in combat sports.
Boxer Ryan Garcia discovered it in a difficult way last weekend when he was shelling for a rematch with Devin Haney, losing his shocking decision to Rory Romero instead.
Hughes has seen such kinds of situations occur in other fighters in the past, and he does not allow him to look at his prey and show his way ahead, without realizing the risk of standing directly in front of him.
“Look, Bruno is a very dangerous guy,” Hughes said. “We knew that before signing the fight. Obviously, I study everyone in my kind of bracket. A very dangerous guy. A big puncher. A big puncher. I was with many world champions. There is the ability to do that.
“So I have to fight incredibly serious. Fighting in mixed martial arts is risky, but not risky.
Hughes enjoys being the biggest star on the entire card, which creates unique issues in his home fights, but expectations for him to play are also higher than ever.
Hughes accepts the pressure. In particular, I know that the headlines on Belfast cards will make your dreams come true. It is always possible that this is the only time he gets a chance.
“Every time I fight now there’s pressure,” Hughes said. “I’m used to it. I’m the best. So I always handle it a lot. Pressure makes diamonds.
“I’m always a competitor who appears. I don’t appear on the night of my career, on the night of my fight, and that doesn’t change.”