The PFL kicked off the weekly MMA news cycle this week by announcing their return to Belfast. The promotion will be heading back to Northern Ireland on April 16th with Ireland’s Paul Hughes (14-3) taking on fellow top lightweight contender Jay Jay Wilson (11-2).
The matchup pairs together the PFL’s 4th ranked lightweight (Hughes) against the 6th ranked lightweight (Wilson). Both of these top lightweight contenders will be looking to bounce back in this one.
Starting with Hughes, his last fight came for the lightweight title when he lost a decision to Usman Nurmagomedov. Like the first fight with Nurmagomedov, the fight was razor close. I thought Hughes had a better argument for the rematch than the first fight, but this time all three judges gave the fight to the champion.
That puts Hughes in a tough spot because now he has two losses against the current lightweight champion. Granted, both fights have been so close that I think the PFL would entertain a trilogy in the future as long as both are still in the promotion.
This fight is also a huge opportunity for Jay Jay Wilson. Wilson is coming off a loss to the undefeated Archie Colgan back in October. That fight was the same night that Hughes lost to Nurmagomedov. Had Wilson won that fight, he might’ve been fighting Nurmagomedov next.
That said, if he’s able to go into PFL Belfast and take out Paul Hughes, you might be looking at the next lightweight title challenger following Colgan’s inevitable title shot.
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