Paul Hughes` hopes for a rematch against Usman Nurmagomedov seemed to take a hit recently, but the possibility of the fight happening again might still be alive.
Earlier this week, the official PFL account on X announced that Archie Colgan and Mansour Barnaoui were scheduled to fight next week in Wichita, with the winner becoming the top contender for Nurmagomedov`s title.
However, according to Jonathan Coachman, a PFL spokesman who spoke after last night`s World Tournament semi-finals, the situation isn`t as definitive. He suggested that a rematch between Hughes and Nurmagomedov remains the promotion`s preferred choice, despite the official announcement.
PFL Insider Suggests Paul Hughes-Usman Nurmagomedov Rematch Still Possible
Speaking to the press in Nashville after the recent event, Jonathan Coachman addressed the announcement regarding Colgan vs Barnaoui as the number one contender fight. When questioned, he implied that the situation might not be finalized.
“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,” he replied. “As soon as we can we will and we’re going to listen to the fans.
“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 asked to explain why the official PFL account stated definitively that the Colgan-Barnaoui winner would be the number one contender, he cryptically replied:
“Understand this, look at my Twitter.
“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 Latest PFL Lightweight Title Contender Announcement
Social media users responded very negatively to the initial news about crowning a new number one contender for Usman Nurmagomedov`s title. Paul Hughes himself jokingly described the announcement as ‘rage bait’, highlighting the significant effort he has already put into securing a rematch.
Only last month, Hughes headlined a sold-out event at the SSE Arena in Belfast, delivering a brutal knockout victory over Bruno Miranda. Following the win, he cut an impassioned promo specifically targeting Nurmagomedov, which appeared to build a compelling narrative for a rematch.
The widespread sentiment among fans was “Why wouldn`t you do Usman vs. Hughes 2?”. One fan even wrote directly to chairman Donn Davis stating, “If you screw Paul Hughes over by making this nonsense fight then your Promotion deserves to crumble and go away.”
