Usman Nurmagomedov broke the heart of Irishman Paul Hughes with another contentious points win to retain his PFL lightweight world title on Friday in Dubai.
Eight months after Nurmagomedov was cast as a lucky winner at the same venue, the Russian was again a narrow victor in the rematch as Hughes produced a brilliant performance over five rounds.
The scorecards did not reflect a close battle as the judges saw it 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47 for Nurmagomedov.
“You want to say this fight was close too? I feel I won every round, but it was a very tough fight with tough opponent. I did not underestimate him, I think he underestimated me,” Nurmagomedov said.
Hughes, 28, fought expertly at close range and was a clear winner of rounds two and three, keeping his cool when Nurmagomedov headbutted him after the bell at the end of the first round.
The Irishman was hit with several low blows in round one and four which appeared to slow his progress and were rounds that Nurmagomedov pocketed.
But Hughes recovered each time and rocked Nurmagomedov on several occasions including with a superb kick and body shot combination in the third and a big right hand in the closing stages.
With Hughes mixing his striking, landing knees and short right-handed punches, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Usman, could be heard screaming at top volume for Usman to respond.
Khabib’s appeals appeared to fall on deaf ears as Usman elected to showboat during spells of the fight.
Nurmagomedov believes McGregor turning his life around would be a story which could inspire people across the globe.
The former undefeated and long-reigning lightweight champion said: “He has to change how he is living.
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“Why am I talking about this? If he’s gonna change, he can change with him so many other lives too.
“That’s why I wish him to change himself. If he’s not gonna change, it will be punishment all his life.”
McGregor has only fought three times since losing the biggest fight in UFC history.
The Irishman got back in the win column against Donald Cerrone in January 2020 before suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier the following year.
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Conor McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg four years agoCredit: REUTERS
Kate Abdo was involved in an awkward exchange with Khabib Nurmagomedov live on TVCredit: X @CBSSportsGolazo
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Abdo was snubbed by a handshake from the UFC legend for religious reasonsCredit: X @CBSSportsGolazo
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Abdo was joined in show by usual suspects Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.Credit: X/CBSSportsGolazo
The match ended in a record-breaking defeat as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Inter Milan 5-0.
The quartet was joined by special guests Khabib Nurmagomedov, and streamer IShowSpeed immediately after the final whistle.
Nurmagomedov embraced each member of the crew before Abdo, 43, held out her hand in a greeting.
However, the unbeaten UFC star declined the offer by holding his hand on his chest instead, with Abdo quickly reclining it and offering an apology as she welcomed him to the show.
The reason for this is due to the 36-year-old’s religious beliefs as a devout Sunni Muslim.
In Islam, it is a forbidden to touch a member of the opposite sex that they are not related to.
A similar incident occurred back in 2020 with fellow MMA fighter Cynthia Calvillo, who revealed that Nurmagomedov refused to directly train with her.
She explained to theScore: “It’s a little bit weird because of their religion… they won’t train with women.
“(Khabib) is still showing technique and stuff like that. So I still get to watch it.
“But it doesn’t bother me … because they’re not really being directly rude to me.”
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Fans on social media praised Abdo’s response to the awkward exchange with the Dagestani native.
One user said: “Mad respect to Kate for understanding afterwards and issuing an apology.”
Another said: “Massive respect to Kate for understanding Khabib’s decision and not making a fuss of it in front of other pundits.”
A third added: “Love how Khabib respectfully declined Kate’s handshake and she respected his approach. Love that from both of them.”
Once that hurdle was cleared, Abdo asked the retired UFC fighter who he was supporting tonight, revealing he was there in support of PSG – despite him previously describing himself as a Real Madrid fan.
In another crossover that nobody would have had on their Champions League bingo card, IShowSpeed was playfully confronted by Nurmagomedov about them possibly having a race or fight.
Carragher, who hilariously tried resorting to cheating when he lost a race against Speed – real name Darren Hawkins – asked Nurmagomedov: “Do you think you could beat Speed in a fight or a race?”
Nurmagomedov said he would be humble and conceded that Speed had the better of him in running, but declared he could easily outdo him in football IQ, before joking: “Don’t forget, between us there is nobody right now.”
Abdo then suggested that Richards, ever the brunt of a few jokes on the show, was the “arm wrestling champion” of CBS.
However, before the presenter – who married boxer Malik Scott last year – could finish her sentence, the ex-England international said: “No thank you.”
