Alfie Davis

Paul Hughes has revealed he did not train for six weeks before his second fight with Usman Nurmagomedov due to injury, and says he is 100 percent certain he could have won had he been healthy. Hughes believes only fighters with a style similar to Dustin Poirier or Max Holloway could beat Nurmagomedov in the UFC, and considers a third bout between them a realistic possibility. Hughes also called for lifetime bans for fighters caught using EPO, singling out Shabliy and Movlid Khaibulaev by name, and argued that drug testing in MVP/PFL must be strengthened beyond the current practice of testing only one day before fights.

Hughes, Nurmagomedov

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez says PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov would defeat every current UFC lightweight, including Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett. Nurmagomedov, 21-0, is set to defend his PFL title against Archie Colgan at PFL New York next Friday before becoming a free agent on August 1. PFL CEO John Martin has acknowledged the promotion will not stand in the way of a potential UFC move, though no formal decision has been announced.

Makhachev, Pimblett, Gaethje+2