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Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes fought an epic battle at PFL Champions Series 1 with the Bellator lightweight title on the line. After five rounds, Nurmagomedov was declared the winner by a majority decision, evoking "robbery" accusations from some MMA fans. Aljamain Sterling responded to one such claim by giving a detailed explanation.
The bout between the duo saw multiple groin strikes to Hughes by Nurmagomedov, leading to a point deduction for the 26-year-old Dagestani. In the fourth round of the bout, 'Big News' and the Bellator lightweight champion ended up in an unintentional head clash, prompting the latter to take a long timeout.
Despite losing a point and witnessing cut-throat competition from Hughes, some MMA fans called foul in the scoring. Responding to one such post on X, Sterling quoted it:
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"Maybe I need to watch it again but I leaned towards Usman. The rounds were super close and you’d think that the point deduction would’ve warranted a draw. I don’t understand the scoring criteria. They constantly change things on us. "
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Usman Nurmagomedov praises Paul Hughes after their fight
Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes had a lot of heat in the build-up to their fight at PFL Champions Series 1. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were involved in an online back-and-forth after the UFC Hall of Famer rated Dagestani fighters higher than Irish fighters. The Bellator lightweight champion even offered the 27-year-old Irishman a fight at a face-off before the real fight.
The duo stepped inside the cage and fought it through the five rounds in a closely contested showdown. After winning the fight by a majority decision, Nurmagomedov admitted to underestimating Hughes in his post-fight interview:
"Paul Hughes, brother, you are the man, brother, you are really the man, brother, you're tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy, it was my little mistake."
Watch Usman Nurmagomedov's comments on Paul Hughes below (0:18):
