At the PFL’s Road to Dubai Champions Series event last month, Usman Nurmagomedov successfully defended the Bellator lightweight title via a majority decision. The champion may have remained undefeated but he was pushed to the wire by Ireland’s Paul Hughes who quickly ascended into a title shot following his breakout win over AJ McKee.

The lead-up to the fight was dominated by a rivalry that started in the UFC back in 2018, as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor dueled in a heated rivalry that saw insults traded, minibusses attacked and, eventually, Nurmagomedov making McGregor submit in the Octagon at UFC 229.