Usman Nurmagomedov will be the first man to headline a PFL card in 2025 when he takes on Paul Hughes at PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series on January 25. Nurmagomedov has yet to lose a single fight and doesn't plan to start out the year any differently.
"I’m different. If he wants to strike, I can strike with him. If you want to grapple, I can grapple," Nurmagomedov told SI's MMA KO . "Wrestle, judo, Muay Thai, doesn’t matter. Any discipline, I can compete with him and I can beat him there. Because you know – Not I can, I will beat him there. And I will maul this guy all five rounds. It’s not gonna even be a close fight.”
Hughes is no slouch, the former Cage Warriors champion has lost just one fight in his long MMA career and that was nearly five years ago. Since then he's gone undefeated and has been a fast-rising star in Bellator. His trash talking has endeared him to fans and doesn't seem to bother Nurmagomedov.
"Their job, other guys, their job talking. My job is doing, now. We’re different," he said.
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