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Paul Hughes – MMA Fighter Profile

Known by his nickname ‘Big News’, Paul Hughes is a rising MMA star, captivating the attention of fighting fans in the UK and across the world. Although he was born in Sydney, on March 27, 1997, Paul Hughes fights out of Northern Ireland. 

He’s a former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion, currently competing in the Lightweight division of PFL. Standing at 5’9″ (175 cm) with a 70″ reach, ‘Big News’ fights from an orthodox stance. His knockout win against Bruno Miranda in PFL Europe 1 earned him a title rematch opportunity against Usman Nurmagomedov (Khabib’s cousin). Let’s get to know Paul Hughes better!

Biography

Paul ‘Big News’ Hughes grew up in Lavey County, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Currently 28 years old, he’s in his prime, being one of the top lightweights in PFL as of 2025

From an early age, Hughes showed an affinity towards sports. He played Gaelic football and hurling, but fell in love with martial arts not long after. Improving at Fight Academy Ireland, he was a very successful young fighter, having the blessing of turning professional at age 19 in 2017. His debut went well as ‘Big News’ secured a stoppage victory in under 2 minutes (92 seconds!) at BAMMA 28.

His first big success came in the Cage Warriors competition, where he had an 8-1 record. After claiming a unified title there, he signed with PFL in 2024 and is now competing there. As of today, he’s one of the top strikers in his division and arguably the #1 contender for the Lightweight championship.

Professional MMA Career

Hughes’ pro career started with a bang. In 2017, at only 19, he had his start at BAMMA 28 in Belfast. With the first win coming in 92 seconds, ‘Big News’ showed no sign of stopping and built an undefeated streak on the regional circuit. By 2019, he had amassed a 6-0 perfect record. In addition, all of his first six wins came by stoppage, meaning Hughes was dominating. During this time, he became a champion in Cage Conflict’s (Northern Ireland promotion) feather and lightweight divisions.

After this came Hughes’ first pro defeat via split decision. In Cage Warriors 119 on December 12, 2020, the Irishman lost to Jordan Vucenic. It’s one of the very few such occasions. As of writing this review, ‘Big News’ has a near-perfect 14-2 record in professional MMA. 

Hughes later avenged his first loss and outworked Vucenic in emphatic fashion to unify the Cage Warriors featherweight title at Cage Warriors 128. By doing so, he became the first Irish fighter since Conor McGregor to hold this title. 

After 3 successful title defences, Paul Hughes left Cage Warriors and joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) which has begun collaboration with Bellator in 2024. Since then, the Irish pro fighter has done 4 fights and won 3 of them. 

He failed to capture the Bellator Lightweight World Championship, succumbing to the unbeaten Usman Nurmagomedov in January of 2025 via majority decision. Despite the setback, the Northern Irish fighter bounced back with a jaw-dropping TKO victory over Bruno Miranda in just 42 seconds!

All in all, Hughes is an aspiring MMA fighter who’s one of the best in his weight class outside of the UFC. He’s a top contender for the Bellator championship belts in his weight category. 

Paul Hughes – Fight Record Summary

Below, you can find a table that consists of all Paul Hughes’ professional MMA fights. As of July 24, ‘Big News’ has 14 wins and 2 losses. 

Fighter Event Result Method Date
Bruno Miranda PFL Europe 1 (Belfast) Win TKO (strikes) May 10, 2025
Usman Nurmagomedov PFL Champions Series 1 Loss Decision (majority) January 25, 2025
A.J. McKee PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants Win Decision (split) October 19, 2024
Bobby King Bellator Champions Series 3 Win TKO (punches and elbows) June 22, 2024
Fabiano Silva Cage Warriors 170 Win TKO (knee and elbows) April 6, 2024
Jan Quaeyhaegens Cage Warriors 161 Win KO (punches) October 14, 2023
Jordan Vucenic Cage Warriors 145 Win Decision (unanimous) November 4, 2022
Morgan Charrière Cage Warriors 128 Win Decision (majority) October 1, 2021
James Hendin Cage Warriors 120 Win Decision (unanimous) March 18, 2021
Jordan Vucenic Cage Warriors 119 Loss Decision (split) December 12, 2020
Aidan Stephen Cage Warriors 116 Win Submission (rear-naked choke) August 11, 2020
Youri Panada Cage Warriors 112 Win KO (head kick) March 7, 2020
Kalifa Seydi Cage Conflict 2 Win Submission (rear-naked choke) October 26, 2019
Mateusz Makarowski Cage Warriors: Unplugged 2 Win Submission (rear-naked choke) September 6, 2019
Stephen O’Neill Cage Conflict 1 Win TKO (punches) March 9, 2019
Adam Gustab BAMMA 28 Win TKO (punches) February 24, 2017

Here’s a breakdown of his performances:

  • 7 wins by KO or TKO (50 %)
  • 3 wins by submission (21 %)
  • 4 wins by decision (29 %)
  • All losses came via judges’ decision

Future Prospects

Despite the setback of losing to Usman Nurmagomedov, Hughes rebounded with authority, dominating and knocking out Bruno Miranda in just 42 seconds. ‘Big News’ did so in just 42 seconds and in front of his home crowd in the main event of PFL Europe 1 (Belfast, May 2025).

As of right now, Hughes is primed for a title rematch against Nurmagomedov and called out the champion in his post-fight interview. This really makes sense for both fighters and the promoters, so Hughes v Nurmagomedov 2 should headline a future PFL/Bellator event. 

As for his long-term ambition, the fighter has made it clear he intends to join UFC and become a champion on the biggest stage. After unifying the Cage Warriors title in 2022, he famously shouted “UFC, I’m Coming!” into a camera, so a chance could be lurking just around the corner. Currently 28 years of age, ‘Big News’ is talented enough to get a contract from Dana White. 

Considered one of the top European prospects in MMA, Hughes could become the next best Irish fighter to grace the famous octagon since ‘Notorious’ Conor McGregor. 

Paul Hughes’s Fighting Style and Strengths

Let’s examine Paul Hughes’ fighting style, his strengths, and areas for improvement.

Fighting Style

  • Well-Rounded
  • Slightly leaning towards striking
  • Skilled in various disciplines
  • Explosive (50% KO/TKO ratio – great for a lightweight)

During his pro MMA career, Hughes has shown amazing versatility, knocking out Youri Panada with a head kick and dispatching a handful of other adversaries with punches, elbows or even submissions. Most notable of the latter is his rear-naked choke. All in all, his 16 pro fights until now display that ‘Big News’ is a massive threat in every situation.

Strengths

  • Competitive mentality
  • Relentless work ethic
  • Confidence
  • Versatility

If you get praise from another fighter’s coaching staff, you’re doing good. This is exactly what happened for Paul Hughes, who was praised by Javier Mendez, the coach of his main foe, Nurmagomedov. The trainer admitted that while Hughes had some technical gaps, he has a champion’s attitude

Those close to him and media reps see that the Irish fighter approaches his fights with supreme confidence and composure. This is why he has bounced back after both losses and done so in big ways. Even high-pressure championship rounds don’t seem to bother ‘Big News’ too much.

Areas for Improvement

No fighter is perfect, and Paul Hughes, too, has some areas for improvement.

  • Wrestling & grappling defence are not on par with his amazing striking abilities (although he has never been submitted)
  • He struggles to control the fight in specific scenarios (e.g. vs Vucenic or Nurmagomedov), leading to losses by decision

To sum up, there are only a few small areas for improvement. Other than that, Paul Hughes is a championship-calibre fighter, ready to ascend to the UFC

Training & Team

Paul ‘Big News’ Hughes trains out of FAI – Fight Academy Ireland in Belfast. It’s one of the A-list MMA gyms in Northern Ireland and all UK. His head coach is Liam Shannon, with whom Hughes trains daily. 

As reports and interviews suggest, the fighter focuses on consistent hard work in the gym with occasional cross-trains or specific fight camps. Insiders tell that even after reaching success or his biggest loss to Nurmagomedov, Hughes hasn’t made any drastic changes to his training camp. The fighter doubled down on the formula that brought him this far.

Titles & Achievements

Here are all of the most notable titles and achievements that Paul Hughes has amassed during his career

  • Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion (Unified World Champion, 145 lbs) – One time (2022). Note: Hughes became the first Irishman since Conor McGregor to hold this title
  • Cage Warriors Interim Featherweight Champion – One time (2021)
  • Cage Conflict Featherweight Champion – One time (2019)
  • Cage Conflict Lightweight Champion – One time (2019)
  • Clan Wars Amateur Featherweight Champion – Two times. Note: Hughes won the Clan Wars amateur title twice before turning pro.

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