Irish star Paul Hughes
will be at the top of the card when
Professional Fighters League heads to Belfast on May 10.
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Hughes will headline
PFL Europe Belfast at the SSE Arena, which will also include
the first set of PFL Europe tournament fights for 2025. An opponent
for Hughes was not announced.
“All my career I’ve said I will main event The SSE Arena, and we’ve
made my dream into a reality,” Hughes said in a release. “Belfast,
I’m coming to put on a show for my people, and I will show you how
much your support means to me. It’s time to get to work.”
A former
Cage Warriors champion, Hughes was a prized free agent before
signing with the PFL in 2024. He made his presence felt at PFL
“Brace for Impact” last October, when he defeated ex-Bellator
MMA featherweight champ A.J. McKee via
split decision. “Big News” then challenged Usman
Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt at
PFL Road to Dubai, losing a narrow majority decision in one of
the best fights of 2025 thus far.
“Belfast, the PFL is coming to The SSE Arena with some ‘Big News.’
For our first PFL Europe event of 2025, we knew we had to reward
the Fighting Irish fandom with a Paul Hughes
homecoming,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray.
“The vocal support for Paul meant this was an easy decision, and I
can’t wait to feel the atmosphere of The SSE Arena during the main
event. But we plan to stack the card with our PFL Europe tournament
fighters and a host of athletes who are prepared to lay it all on
the line and put on a show. Belfast, get your tickets, we have a
feeling this event will go down in history.”
The PFL Europe tournament will include a bracket where fighters
must win three bouts to earn a $100,000 cash prize. Participants in
the tournament will be announced at a later date.