Paul Hughes demolishes Bruno Miranda in 42 seconds at PFL Belfast, calls out Usman Nurmagomedov

Paul Hughes got back in the win column and did it in a big way.

On Saturday, Hughes returned to action, taking on Bruno Miranda in the main event of PFL Belfast at SSE Arena in Belfast. It was Hughes’s first time since his razor-close decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in their Bellator lightweight title fight in January, and the event was largely built around a return home for the Belfast native. And “Big News” made the most of it, demolishing Miranda in less than a minute.

The SSE Arena was electrified from the beginning as Hughes got a special walkout with a live introduction from Irish musician Foy Vance that got the place rocking. Hughes then channeled that energy into a quick start against Miranda, pressing forward until he was able to catch a lazy kick from Miranda and then counter with a sharp left hook that sent the Brazilian fighter down. Hughes quickly pounced with ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to step in just 42 seconds into the bout.

After the fight, Hughes had a simple message for his former, and hopefully future, foe.

“Usman Nurmagomedov! You can run, you can try to delay this rematch as long as you want, but your day is f*cking coming!”