PBP PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes ***Sherdog Discussion*** 1/25 11AM ET (MAX)

[DrRodentia]

Well yeah, in a general sense. But there’s more nuance to it, it depends how big the moments are. Is one good punch that doesn’t wobble or drop the opponent better than 10 solid but maybe not quite as impactful blows? Not necessarily. It’s up to the observer to determine that.

In this fight, they weren’t knockdowns or something massive like that. They were moments of success where he’d land a couple good shots while getting picked apart with solid shots for the rest of the fight.

Usman also had several of those "big moments" while also being the more overall consistent.

 

[Superzorro]

Man I like this guy and I hate Irish fighters, that was the only fight worth watching on the card but wow it was really good. That might of been closer to a draw with the point (which was well deserved and they need to take it every-time in championship fights as the top guys from both leagues are using nuts/eyes as a way to get rest I think or eek the the advantage and its bullshit) so Usman might lose the rematch with the determination and drive the Irish dude seems to have. Crazy stuff

It looked to me like that determination and drive left him when the decision was announced. But I could be wrong; we'll have to see in his next fight. With that being said, I think Usman would win the rematch. It's usually easier for the type of fighter that Usman is to improve on his performance than the type that Hughes is. All Usman has to do is find more spots to hold him down and run down the clock and avoid the areas that were shown to be dangerous in the first fight (mostly backing into the cage). And not get a point deducted...

 

[sdpdude9]

Usman also had several of those "big moments" while also being the more overall consistent.

Well exactly. But for argument’s sake, say Hughes had bigger (but not way bigger) moments but Usman wasn’t devoid of good moments either while maintaining a more consistent effort in between. Then blanket statements like “big moments” win is not necessarily true.

There’s context and nuance. How big of moments are we talking? How far behind were they outside of those moments? Did that big moment exceed all the other work? All up to the observer. But I think some confuse and think even a slightly bigger moment is an auto round win, disregarding the round as a whole.

 

[maximus__]

Well yeah, in a general sense. But there’s more nuance to it, it depends how big the moments are. Is one good punch that doesn’t wobble or drop the opponent better than 10 solid but maybe not quite as impactful blows? Not necessarily. It’s up to the observer to determine that.

In this fight, they weren’t knockdowns or something massive like that. They were moments of success where he’d land a couple good shots while getting picked apart with solid shots for the rest of the fight.

It's meant to be all about what contributes to finishing the fight or has impact. Impact isn't just immediate damage.
If someone covers up, retreats or doesn't continue their own offence those are impactful moments.

It biases the fight towards striking because for some reason judges ignore sub attempts. It's better than a takedown winning rounds back in the day though.

If he was landing solid shots whilst getting picked apart, then was he really getting picked apart?
Light shots aren't meant to score highly.

Damn I am annoyed I missed this fight.

 

[RonDante]

Gave hughes 4 and 5

 

[Necrocrawler]

And i ended up on 208th... This is how fair those bouts were.
Also, my only miss was because dude literally broke the other dude's arm with a push kick? Was that it?

 

[Thesnake101]

And i ended up on 208th... This is how fair those bouts were.
Also, my only miss was because dude literally broke the other dude's arm with a push kick? Was that it?

I made a mistake in believing in that Irish bum who got tapped. Would've ended in the top 3 otherwise.

 

[usernamee]

Think he knew it wasn't worth trying to get up with a min to go, not with Usman settling right down on him like that. Might have been different if Usman was trying to advance position and create openings for Paul, but he wasn't. He was just trying to get some top time.

Yeah it sure looked like it

 

[Croaker]

Nemkov is the best LHW and HW on the planet

 

[Necrocrawler]

I made a mistake in believing in that Irish bum who got tapped. Would've ended in the top 3 otherwise.

Can't complain about that, honestly. Even sherdog believed on him (yeah i read prime picks articles lol)
GJ though!

 

[neandertal]

Usman won by volume and the leg kicks, and kicks in general to keep distance. Great fight though and Paul is a major problem for anyone in the world.

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

When it came to Dagestan vs. Ireland, to paraphrase the great Tito Ortiz, there was never no rivalry.

The Professional Fighters League introduced itself to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with a showcase event pitting competitors from Dagestan against their Irish counterparts. The Russians largely ran through their opposition, culminating with a Bellator MMA lightweight championship defense. Usman Nurmagomedov (19-0, 1 NC; 1-0 PFL) carried the weight of the defunct league on his shoulders, and he approached that challenge with a stoic intensity. In the face of the toughest test of his professional career, Nurmagomedov held on and secured the victory by majority verdict.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW
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OKKO pic.twitter.com/6evoCG5cgl

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 25, 2025

The champ and Paul Hughes (13-2, 1-1 PFL) chewed up the lead legs of one another with kicks in the opening round when not connecting with a groin shot on either side. As Hughes overcommitted on strikes in the second period, Nurmagomedov nearly scooped him off his feet, but the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder rebuffed his first takedown effort. While multiple successive shots came from various angles, Hughes remained upright and hurled heavy counters at the huge betting favorite. The two enjoyed one another’s company in close, exciting exchanges on the feet, grinning and celebrating their handiwork.

As the fight waged on, Hughes found himself trying to win a battle of attrition. The Irishman took it to the champion, attacking with volume, ferocity and an exhausting pace. Nurmagomedov matched him every step of the way, only for two more of his kicks to land below the belt. After the third overall groin strike landed by the beltholder, referee Mike Beltran was forced to deduct a point for the fouls. This lit a fire in the belly of the unbeaten man, who immediately chained wrestling attempts together and found success he had not seen thus far. Hughes bounced back and gained confidence in his hands and feet, working the body and chopping down the calf of his adversary to place momentum on his side entering the championship frames.

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The challenger picked his shots in Round 4 rather than going for broke, chasing Nurmagomedov around the cage while the Russian potshotted him with jabs and calf kicks. As Nurmagomedov showed signs of fatigue in the face of Hughes’ power strikes, the two lunged towards one another at the same time and clacked their domes together to slash open Hughes’ forehead while a compromised Nurmagomedov stumbled away. Witnessing the damage sustained by their head clash, Hughes stood in his corner for minutes wearing a wry grin, staring down a recovering Nurmagomedov. Still wide-eyed and shaken up after taking ample time to get his bearings, Nurmagomedov hit his safety valve of wrestling and planted Hughes on his back for the remainder of the stanza.

Picking up where he left off, Nurmagomedov engaged in heavy grappling to nullify the accurate striker in the final frame. Hughes never found himself stuck in the bad side of a dominant position, but control time added up fast in the Russian’s corner. Hughes gained a full head of steam and ripped into Nurmagomedov, battering the body and shucking off desperate attempts to put him on the canvas one more time to seal the fight. The duelists concluded their sensational battle slugging it out right to the buzzer, leaving everything in the hands of the judges. One scored it a draw due to the point deduction, while the other two issued 48-46 scores in favor of the defending champion.

Nurmagomedov may have claimed the majority decision and kept his flawless record intact, but Hughes might have been the biggest winner of the evening by putting himself on the map with his stellar performance. A rematch somewhere down the line would be ideal for both combatants and the fans as well.

Dominant performance from Vadim Nemkov at Heavyweight!#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW
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OKKO pic.twitter.com/l2DccvOK04

— PFL (@PFLMMA) January 25, 2025

Vadim Nemkov (18-2, 1 NC; 2-0 PFL) made it look easy against powerful brawler Tim Johnson (18-11, 1-2 PFL), tapping out the North Dakotan a little after three minutes into the first round. From the outset, Nemkov busted open a cut on the top of Johnson’s head with a sharp kick, sending a message he was not here to play. Although Johnson tanked a few additional powerful blows, his choice to storm towards the Russian worked against him as Nemkov retaliated with smooth, efficient grappling. After wrestling Johnson to the mat, Nemkov climbed onto Johnson’s back and snared the rear-naked choke, flattening the grizzled vet out and forcing him to say “Matte” at 3:08 into the heavyweight contest.

Nemkov’s campaign back up at heavyweight took another step forward with the one-sided victory, and with his PFL contract completed, a move elsewhere may loom for the 32-year-old ex-champ.

Akhmed Magomedov snaps Kelly's win streak with the finish!#RoadToDubai | LIVE

Usman Nurmagomedov Completes Dagestani Sweep at PFL ‘Road to Dubai’

When it came to Dagestan vs. Ireland, to paraphrase the great Tito Ortiz, there was never no rivalry.

www.sherdog.com

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Matches to Make After PFL ‘Road to Dubai’

Featuring a lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series was an important card for the mixed martial arts organization.

www.sherdog.com

 

[wrb]

It looked to me like that determination and drive left him when the decision was announced. But I could be wrong; we'll have to see in his next fight. With that being said, I think Usman would win the rematch. It's usually easier for the type of fighter that Usman is to improve on his performance than the type that Hughes is. All Usman has to do is find more spots to hold him down and run down the clock and avoid the areas that were shown to be dangerous in the first fight (mostly backing into the cage). And not get a point deducted...

Yeah but he is going watch the replay and realize that it could of easily gone his way and Usman is touted as the best lightweight in the world. Take out the fouls and I think Usman would of lost but I still need to re-watch and try to score it somehow. (I mean he was defending every take down until that nut shot) Either way Usman is good but where the fuck did that Irish guy come from, was this really his 2nd PFL fight? (Ahh he had 1 bellator before and only 2 PFL, crazy )

 

[Versez]

Fights nothing like Garry. You're only saying that because they are vaguely similar looking and Irish.

He did nothing impressive in round 4-5 , dude was gazed. Islam would smoke him easily. Tier b league

 

[wrb]

He did nothing impressive in round 4-5 , dude was gazed. Islam would smoke him easily. Tier b league

Islam would also smoke Usman easily

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Usman Nurmagomedov Rejects Possibility of Immediate Rematch with Paul Hughes

While Usman Nurmagomedov gives credit to Paul Hughes for pushing him in the Road to Dubai headliner, he isn’t interested in giving the Irishman an immediate rematch.

www.sherdog.com

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

Paul Hughes on Narrow Defeat at Road to Dubai: 'I Deserve to Have That Belt'

Paul Hughes’ first championship opportunity in Professional Fighters League resulted in a near miss.

www.sherdog.com