Paul Hughes` hopes for a potential rematch against Usman Nurmagomedov appeared to face a setback this week, but encouraging news suggests the highly anticipated fight might still be on the horizon.
Earlier this week, the official PFL account on X announced that Archie Colgan and Mansour Barnaoui were scheduled to compete next week in Wichita. The winner of that bout was stated to become the number one contender for Nurmagomedov’s championship belt.
However, Jonathan Coachman, acting as a spokesman for the PFL after a recent World Tournament semi-final event, presented a different view of the situation. He indicated that despite the official announcement, he believes a rematch between Hughes and Nurmagomedov remains the optimal choice for the promotion.
PFL Insider Offers Hope for Paul Hughes Rematch
Following last night`s event in Nashville, Jonathan Coachman addressed the press representing PFL management. When asked by Bloody Elbow about the week`s announcement designating Colgan vs. Barnaoui as a number one contender fight, he suggested that the situation was not yet finalized.
He replied, “I don’t think that’s been confirmed yet and we actually talked a little bit today so you might be getting ahead of yourself a little bit. As soon as we can we will and we’re going to listen to the fans.”
Coachman elaborated on the promotion`s approach: “We’re not here to drag stuff out and say ‘Paul, you’ve got to fight two other guys to get back to him’. That’s not what we’re all about. But we also have to make the right fights, we have to bring in the right fighters at the right price.”
When questioned why the official PFL account had tweeted a definitive statement about the Colgan-Barnaoui winner becoming the number one contender, he responded: “Understand this, look at my Twitter.”
He concluded: “That’s all I’m going to say. We have issues right now with Twitter, we’ll deal with that but there’s nothing been set with that at all.”
Fans React Strongly to Initial Challenger Announcement
The initial news about a new number one contender for Usman Nurmagomedov’s belt being determined was met with significant negative feedback on social media. Paul Hughes himself humorously referred to the announcement as ‘rage bait,’ especially considering the considerable efforts he has made to secure a rematch.
Just last month, Hughes successfully headlined a sold-out event at the SSE Arena in Belfast, where he delivered a brutal knockout victory over Bruno Miranda. Following the fight, he gave a powerful speech calling out Nurmagomedov, building a compelling narrative for a second fight.
The sentiment widely shared among fans was clear: “Why on earth not do Usman vs Hughes 2?” One fan even directly messaged PFL chairman Donn Davis, writing: “If you screw @paulhughesmma over by making this nonsense fight then your Promotion deserves to crumble and go away.”
