Paul Hughes vs Usman Nurmagomedov 2 live: Start time, fight card, updates and PFL results tonight

The prelims end with Pouya Rahmani knocking out Slim Trabelsi in round one of their heavyweight clash!

The main card follows now, and so do our round-by-round updates.

Northern Ireland’s Caolan Loughran takes on England’s Jack Cartwright to kick things off! This one’s at a 140lb catchweight.

And here’s the story of Pereira vs Ankalaev 2, ahead of tomorrow night’s UFC main event:

The other big event in the MMA world this weekend is UFC 320, which takes place in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

Here’s all you need to know.

Florim Zendeli def. Omar El Dafrawy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Zendeli survives a nasty cut, which spilled floods of blood, to retain his European welterweight title!

More from Will Castle’s interview with Hughes this week:

So, the pride of Irish MMA will take on one of Dagestan’s many immovable objects. We’ve been here before; there is an obvious comparison to make with one of the biggest bouts in the sport’s history.

“Don’t talk about this guy,” was Usman’s blunt response when I asked him if he saw parallels between his rivalry and the one that consumed his cousin seven years ago. It was unequivocal and admittedly fair. They are not fighting someone else’s battle; this is their own war. And in many ways, they are repairing the damage done in 2018.

Class has prevailed throughout the story written by Hughes and Usman – a far cry from the volatility between Khabib and McGregor. “ I think whenever you fight somebody, especially over five rounds, you garner a certain level of respect,” Hughes said. It’s a sentiment echoed by his opponent.

“I really respect him,” Usman added. “I respect his skills. He’s a good fighter – the first time, I underestimated him.” But the impact of their rivalry goes beyond the two fighters.

Here’s an excerpt from Will Castle’s interview with Paul Hughes ahead of tonight’s main event:

Paul Hughes is staring down the barrel of a career culmination. “This is my life’s work. This is everything.” He is one half of the most anticipated rematch in MMA, squaring off against the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov with PFL lightweight gold on the line. Their first bout back in January, which went to Usman by the way of majority decision, was an instant fight of the year contender. On Friday night, Hughes is out to settle the score.

Hughes was left heartbroken by the scorecards when the pair first locked horns. “I feel like I definitely did enough to win, and I feel like I should have got my hand raised,” he told The Independent. He isn’t letting old wounds dominate his psyche, however. “At this point, I don’t give a flying f***. I get to fight him in a week.”

Usman admitted that he underestimated Hughes going into the first fight, saying, “That was almost a big mistake,” but keeping hold of his belt by the skin of his teeth – despite being deducted a point for an accidental headbutt. The cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is still oozing with confidence, stating that the Russian entering the cage in Dubai will be unrecognisable to the fighter that fought eight months ago.

“For this fight, I can only say one thing. He will have to be ready because I’m coming. This is not the same Usman who was in January. This is a different Usman.”

Mirafzal Akhtamov def. Luann Sardinha via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion

Usman Nurmagomedov (C) vs Paul Hughes (lightweight title)

Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (C) vs Corey Anderson (light-heavyweight title)

Magomed Magomedov vs Sergio Pettis (bantamweight)

Archie Colgan vs Jay-Jay Wilson (catchweight)

Jack Cartwright vs Caolan Loughran (catchweight)

Pouya Rahmani vs Slim Trabelsi (heavyweight)

Omar El Dafrawy vs Florim Zendeli (welterweight)

Luann Sardinha vs Mirafzal Akhtamov (lightweight)

Takeshi Izumi def. Vinicius Cenci via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Makkasharip Zaynukov def. John Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)

Jarrah Al-Selawe def. Gregory Babene via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Usman Nurmagomedov – 8/13

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