Usman Nurmagomedov is set to defend his Bellator Lightweight Title against Paul Hughes on January 25th in Dubai. Announced earlier today, the fight is being billed as Dagestan vs Ireland 2 after Conor McGregor’s bitter rivalry with cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC.
Nurmagomedov vs Hughes Announced For Bellator Lightweight Title
Although the UFC is by far and away the biggest brand in MMA, millions of fans still tune in to watch both Bellator and the PFL. PFL’s acquisition of Bellator in 2023 has helped both brands grow, with millions of people tuning in on a regular basis to watch world class MMA.
January 25th will be one of those nights, as it has been confirmed today that Usman Nurmagomedov will defend his Bellator Lightweight Title against Irishman Paul Hughes. The fight is set for the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE in the new year in what is the first time in history MMA will be showcased in Dubai.
Usman Nurmagomedov has been nothing short of incredible in his MMA career so far. He boasts a perfect record of 18-0 (1 NC), and aims to defend his 155-pound world title belt for the third time against Ireland’s Paul Hughes.
Hughes was a huge underdog in has last fight with the best UFC betting sites in the UK against AJ McKee, but defied those odds by claiming the biggest win of his career, thus earning this shot for the Bellator Lightweight Title early next year.
The former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion will look to become the first man to defeat Usman Nurmagomedov in the MMA cage. Should he do so, he would undoubtedly break out as one of the biggest stars in all of MMA. However, he will have to defy his underdog tag with the best UK betting sites to do so.
𝗗𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡 𝗩𝗦. 𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝟮!
👑🇷🇺 Usman Nurmagomedov 🆚 Paul Hughes 🇮🇪
Undefeated Bellator Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will look to defend his belt for the third time on January 25th when he takes on Ireland’s top contender Paul Hughes.
Paul Hughes… pic.twitter.com/b3MiBufNYw
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 20, 2024
Dagestan vs Ireland 2 Confirmed For January 25th
The confirmation of Nurmagomedov vs Hughes means that the Dagestan vs Ireland MMA rivalry will be re-ignited on January 25th. The PFL and Bellator are billing the fight as Dagestan vs Ireland 2, making reference to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bitter rivalry with Conor McGregor in the UFC several years ago.
the UFC just released the audio of Khabib spitting on Conor McGregor and saying “I f**ked you up, b*tch” after submitting him pic.twitter.com/5HurI5w1Pq
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) July 15, 2024
Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman’s cousin, shared the octagon with the popular Irishman Conor McGregor back in 2018 for the UFC Lightweight Title. Khabib won the fight with relative ease, submitting McGregor in Round 4 of their 155-pound title fight.
However, the pre-fight build-up was something else. The rivalry was fierce between the two mixed martial artists, with McGregor insulting Nurmagomedov’s religion on numerous occasions, as well as plenty of other crazy moments pre-fight.
Hence why this fight is being billed as part two of the Dagestan vs Ireland rivalry. That being said, there is no hatred this time around between Usman and Hughes, like there was between Khabib and Conor McGregor. At least for the meantime anyway!
𝙁𝘼𝘾𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙊𝙁𝙁 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀! 👀
Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes go face-to-face for the first time at the @DubaiFrame!
🎟️ Tickets on sale Friday 22 November at https://t.co/oFrjnurYYz – stay tuned for further updates#RoadtoDubai | Sat Jan 25 |… pic.twitter.com/eMKopK801o
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 20, 2024
MMA fans are in for a treat on January 25th, as Usman Nurmagomedov vs Paul Hughes headlines at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai for the Bellator Lightweight Title. Time will tell how the fight plays out, but Dagestan vs Ireland 2 is now official!
Be sure to claim the various MMA betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of this Dagestan vs Ireland 2 contest in Dubai in 2025.
