Paul Hughes is the new face of Irish MMA, and his homecoming bout in Belfast on May 10 has generated the local fan interest to prove it.

Hughes is coming off a majority decision defeat to Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai headliner this past January, a fight he thought he won. The loss snapped the 27-year-old’s seven-fight winning streak.

Paul Hughes’s opponent at PFL Belfast has been named, as the Northern Irishman takes on Bruno Miranda in a bid to set up a rematch with Usman Nurmagomedov. In January, Hughes suffered a controversial majority-decision loss to Nurmagomedov, who retained the PFL lightweight title and remained unbeaten.

Paul Hughes is set to compete in the main event of the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) first European tournament of 2025. The 27-year-old is still awaiting the announcement of his opponent for his headline bout which will take place at the SSE Arena in Belfast on May 10.

Paul Hughes will return to the PFL cage in May, fresh off his controversial decision loss to Usman Nurmagomedov in January.