Earlier this week, the PFL announced that they were heading to Belfast on May 10th and they announced that Paul “Big News” Hughes (13-2) would be headlining the card. Hughes has become a star with the promotion but when the announcement was made, there was no fight officially announced.
Hughes’ opponent wasn’t finalized but we now know who Hughes will face on May 10th. The promotion announced this morning that Hughes would take on Brazilian contender Bruno Miranda (17-5). Miranda came over to the PFL back in 2022 in the Challenger Series.
In the 2023 season, he went 2-0 before losing to eventual champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the playoffs. In 2024, he fought twice going 1-1 with a loss to runner-up Brent Primus and former Bellator champion Patricky Pitbull.
PFL Europe Belfast
Paul Hughes was a massive signing for the PFL last year. He was one of Europe’s top prospects and everyone including the UFC wanted to sign him. However, the biggest dollars came from the Professional Fighters League and Hughes was theirs.
He made his debut in the Bellator Champions Series by stopping Bobby King in the second round. Then at the PFL Super Fights event in October, he defeated former Bellator champion AJ McKee. That fight showed that Hughes was ready for the main event scene.
In January, he fought Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator Lightweight Title. It was a fight that will be on the shortlist for Fight of the Year and he gave Nurmagomedov all he could handle. When the fight was over, there were arguments for both fighters but Nurmagomedov earned a majority decision.
Many wondered if the PFL would immediately run it back, but I thought it would be best to give both men one fight before you try to close the year with a massive rematch. Looks like that’s the path they’re going in.