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Even if Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov intentionally used performance-enhancing drugs, Paul Hughes believes it wouldn’t make a difference in their upcoming fight.
As we’ve seen over the years, top-flight fighters from Ireland are a confident bunch, and Hughes (13-1) is no different. He may not be as loud and powerful as Conor McGregor, but the confidence in his abilities in the cage is the same.
At the Bellator Champion Series: Road to Dubai on January 25, 2025, Hughes won a narrow lightweight gold medal against the undefeated Nurmagomedov (18-0). The champion’s record is unblemished, although a Bellator 300 win against Brent Primus was overturned due to a positive drug test.
Nurmagomedov said the result was due to prescribed medication and there was no intention to gain an advantage. For Hughes, this issue is essentially an afterthought, but if his opponent was looking for an advantage, it wouldn’t make a difference.
“To be honest, I haven’t thought much about it,” Hughest told MMA Junkie. “At the end of the day, you know, it’s going to take more than just steroids to beat me, especially over five rounds. Yes, Russia obviously has a history with doping and things like that, of course people are going to think he’s definitely crazy. In mixed martial arts, I think skills really pay off and especially after five rounds I think a lot of people are 100 percent convinced that he is on steroids or not and that his team wants to believe that or not, I don’t think it makes a difference.
“You put me in the cage with any 155 for five rounds and I’m going to beat them because I can go to the death to beat someone. I’ve done it before and I can do it again if I need to. So, whatever.” . If he took it, that’s pure mental weakness for me. And like I said, no man at 155 can beat me over five rounds.
Hughes, 27, has been on a roll since his loss to Jordan Vucenic in December 2020, the only defeat of his professional career. Since then, he has won seven straight fights, including three stoppages and a big win over former Bellator champion AJ McKee in October that led to his title shot.
For Hughes, winning the Bellator lightweight championship would help restore excitement to the Irish MMA scene and he is extremely confident he can add a 1 to Nurmagomedov’s loss column.
“I will 100 percent take this man to hell if I have to,” Hughes said. “Now I’m very confident that I can take him down cleanly, like I almost, almost, almost did with AJ. I made the decision and everything was so close. I see shots against Usman and I know that for sure. “I can take him out, but I also know I can take him to hell for five rounds, a place no one has ever taken him before.
“That’s when I do my best work whenever I can drag people to hell because that’s where I live. I’ve been there many times in my career and I’ve always, always come out victorious. The biggest nights I’ve had.” I felt the most pressure on the nights when I performed the best. I’m honestly incredibly confident going into this fight.
For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Road to Dubai.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Paul Hughes is unfazed by Usman Nurmagomedov’s past drug test failures and vows to “take him to hell.”
