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Paul Hughes (fighter)

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Paul Hughes
Born (1997-03-27) 27 March 1997 (age 28)
Sydney, Australia
Other namesBig News
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight
Lightweight
Reach70 in (178 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofBelfast, Northern Ireland
TeamFight Academy Ireland
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total16
Wins14
By knockout7
By submission3
By decision4
Losses2
By decision2
Amateur record
Total10
Wins8
By submission3
Losses2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Paul Hughes (born 27 March 1997) is a professional mixed martial artist from Northern Ireland who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional since 2017, Hughes is a former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion.

Background

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Born on March 27, 1997, in Sydney, Australia, Hughes grew up in Lavey, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, where he initially participated in sports like Gaelic football and hurling before transitioning to MMA.[2] His professional MMA career began in 2017, debuting at BAMMA 28 and winning in 92 seconds.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

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Cage Warriors

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Hughes first gained attention in the European MMA scene with Cage Warriors, where he won the Interim Featherweight Championship by defeating Morgan Charrière via majority decision at Cage Warriors 128.[4][5] He later unified the title by winning a rematch against Jordan Vucenic by unanimous decision at Cage Warriors 145.[6] This bout avenged his only career loss, which he suffered in a close split decision to Vucenic in 2020. Hughes was the first Irish fighter since Conor McGregor to become Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion.[7] Following a first-round knockout win over Fabiano Silva at Cage Warriors 170, Hughes left the promotion and became a free agent. He eventually signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).[8]

Professional Fighters League / Bellator MMA

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Hughes made his debut by defeating Bobby King via technical knockout in the second round at Bellator Champions Series 3 on June 22, 2024.[9] This victory set the stage for a significant challenge against A.J. McKee, a former Bellator Featherweight Champion, at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants on October 19, 2024.[10] He won the fight by split decision.[11][12]

Hughes challenged Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship on January 25, 2025 in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1.[13] He lost the fight via majority decision.[14]

Hughes faced Bruno Miranda in the main event on May 10, 2025, at PFL Europe 1.[15][16] He won the fight via TKO 42 seconds into the first round.[17]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
16 matches 14 wins 2 losses
By knockout 7 0
By submission 3 0
By decision 4 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–2 Bruno Miranda TKO (punches) PFL Europe 1 (2025) May 10, 2025 1 0:42 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Loss 13–2 Usman Nurmagomedov Decision (majority) PFL Champions Series 1 January 25, 2025 5 5:00 Dubai, United Arab Emirates For the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Nurmagomedov was deducted one point in round 3 due to repeated groin kicks.
Win 13–1 A. J. McKee Decision (split) PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants October 19, 2024 3 5:00 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Win 12–1 Bobby King TKO (punches and elbows) Bellator Champions Series 3 June 22, 2024 2 4:50 Dublin, Ireland
Win 11–1 Fabiano Silva TKO (knee and elbows) Cage Warriors 170 April 6, 2024 1 4:37 Dublin, Ireland Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 10–1 Jan Quaeyhaegens KO (punches) Cage Warriors 161 October 14, 2023 1 2:47 Dublin, Ireland Return to Lightweight.
Win 9–1 Jordan Vucenic Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors 145 November 4, 2022 5 5:00 London, England Won and unified the Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Morgan Charrière Decision (majority) Cage Warriors 128 October 1, 2021 5 5:00 London, England Won the interim Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship.
Win 7–1 James Hendin Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors 120 March 18, 2021 3 5:00 London, England
Loss 6–1 Jordan Vucenic Decision (split) Cage Warriors 119 December 12, 2020 3 5:00 London, England
Win 6–0 Aidan Stephen Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Warriors 116 August 11, 2020 3 4:21 Manchester, England Return to Featherweight.
Win 5–0 Youri Panada KO (head kick) Cage Warriors 112 March 7, 2020 2 2:33 Manchester, England Catchweight (150 lb) bout.
Win 4–0 Kalifa Seydi Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Conflict 2 October 26, 2019 1 1:43 Belfast, Northern Ireland Lightweight debut. Won the inaugural Cage Conflict Lightweight Championship.
Win 3–0 Mateusz Makarowski Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Warriors: Unplugged 2 September 6, 2019 1 2:34 London, England Catchweight (164 lb) bout.
Win 2–0 Stephen O'Neill TKO (punches) Cage Conflict 1 March 9, 2019 1 3:00 Belfast, Northern Ireland Won the inaugural Cage Conflict Featherweight Championship.
Win 1–0 Adam Gustab TKO (punches) BAMMA 28 February 24, 2017 1 1:32 Belfast, Northern Ireland Featherweight debut.

[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Paul Hughes ("Big News") - MMA Fighter Page - Tapology". Tapology.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ Fullerton, Gareth (16 January 2025). "Paul Hughes: Irish MMA star explains role Gaelic football and hurling played in fight career". Belfast Live. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  3. ^ Carroll, Petesy (17 October 2024). "Time waits for no man, and Paul Hughes is impatient". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  4. ^ Bohn, Mike (1 October 2021). "Cage Warriors 128 results: Paul Hughes claims interim belt in classic with Morgan Charriere". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Paul Hughes crowned Cage Warriors interim featherweight world champion". BBC Sport. 2 October 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  6. ^ Wells, Matthew (4 November 2022). "Cage Warriors 145 results: Paul Hughes bloodies Jordan Vucenic to unify featherweight title". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. ^ Markey, Michael (5 November 2022). "Cage Warriors: 'It's hard to celebrate' - Paul Hughes becomes champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  8. ^ Martin, Damon (16 January 2025). "Top prospect Paul Hughes ends free agency, signs with PFL". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Hughes defeats King on Bellator debut in Dublin". BBC Sport. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  10. ^ Danny Segura (13 August 2024). "Reports: A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes targeted for PFL pay-per-view on Oct. 19". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  11. ^ Staff (19 October 2024). "PFL Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact Results". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  12. ^ Bailie, Keith (19 October 2024). "Lavey's MMA star Paul Hughes stuns AJ McKee in Saudi Arabia: 'Judging by his face, I clearly won'". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  13. ^ Farah Hannoun (20 November 2024). "Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes for Bellator title set for Jan. 25 in Dubai". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  14. ^ Jay Anderson (25 January 2025). "Usman Nurmagomedov Squeaks Past Paul Hughes In PFL Road to Dubai Thriller". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Paul Hughes: MMA fighter to headline Belfast bill at SSE Arena". BBC Sport. 10 March 2025.
  16. ^ Guilherme Cruz (12 March 2025). "Paul Hughes vs. Bruno Miranda announced for PFL Belfast main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  17. ^ Meshew, Jed (10 May 2025). "Paul Hughes demolishes Bruno Miranda in 42 seconds at PFL Belfast, calls out Usman Nurmagomedov". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  18. ^ a b "MMA Awards". Fight Matrix. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Paul "Big News" Hughes". Sherdog. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
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