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Irish Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Paul Hughes v Bruno Miranda LIVE updates, stream information, full card and more
Paul Hughes takes on Bruno Miranda this evening in the main event of PFL Europe 1 held at the SSE Arena in Belfast. Hughes has been awarded a headline show so close to his hometown of Derry thanks to his excellent performance in defeat to Usman Nurmagomedov in a Bellator World title fight in January. The 28-year-old is desperate for another crack at Nurmagomedov and the title, and needs a win this evening to get himself right back into the title picture. Elsewhere on the card there are numerous Irish and Northern Irish stars, and with 7,000 fans expected at the SSE Arena this evening, a cracking atmosphere is a near certainty. Tonight's event kicks off at 5pm, with Hughes' bout set to begin at around 10pm. This evening's fight card can be streamed in full on DAZN. Paul Hughes v Bruno Miranda - Lightweight Alan Philpott vs Lewis McGrillen - Bantamweight Connor Hughes vs Sebastien Di Franco - Lightweight Mark Ewen vs Aleksandr Chizov - Lightweight Gavin Hughes vs Claudio Pacella - Lightweight Decky McAleenan vs Gino van Steenis - Lightweight Haider Khan vs Sean McCormac - Catchweight Gemma Auld vs Sammy-Jo Luxton - Women's flyweight Eoin Sheridan vs Malichi Edwards - Welterweight Corey McLaughlin vs Nahom Wedi - Featherweight I knew that this would be my destiny someday, I just had to be patient in the regional scene and work my way up. But, I did foresee this happening. I believe I'm going to be one of the biggest stars in the whole sport. Saturday night, I prove that once again. When it comes to pressure, that's where I perform. To be honest, the belts don't really mean as much to me anymore. This is definitely more important than a belt right now. Is it more important than beating Usman Nurmagomedov? Probably not, but. It's been my dream to fight at home and I will be living that dream on Saturday night.
Irish Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Paul Hughes says he can never forgive Conor McGregor for "insulting" comments
Paul Hughes has revealed that he can't forgive Conor McGregor for questioning his Irish identity. The Derry-born fighter found himself on the receiving end of McGregor's wrath earlier this year when he distanced himself from the Dubliner following a post-fight exchange with McGregor's nemesis, Khabib Nurmagomedov. This was after Nurmagomedov's cousin, Usman, had narrowly defeated Hughes in a closely contested Bellator World title fight. Hughes referred to McGregor as 'the other guy' after the match, a comment which infuriated McGregor and led him to launch an expletive-filled and highly offensive social media tirade where he questioned Hughes' Irishness. In his posts, McGregor suggested that Hughes, who proudly wears the Irish tricolour during his entrance, wasn't a true Irishman because he hails from the North of Ireland. "Get that flag off you you little know what you are c--- from up there, " McGregor posted at the time, before following up with another post that read "Up the real Irish f--- these vermin f----." Ahead of his headline fight with Bruno Miranda at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Saturday evening, Hughes spoke with former World Champion boxer Carl Frampton about how he handled McGregor's comments. During their conversation, Hughes reflected on his childhood in Derry where he played Gaelic football, hurling and soccer until his late teens before dedicating himself to MMA. When probed by Frampton about McGregor's remarks on his identity, Hughes expressed that he harbours no resentment towards the former UFC champ, but forgiving him is off the table. "Initially I kind of laughed it off because it was madness, it was so extreme the stuff that he was saying that I kind of had to laugh it off, I couldn't take it too personally. "I think it was more so the reaction of everyone here, especially people from Derry and people who identify as Irish and live in Northern Ireland. "Like, the worst thing you can say to someone is 'You're not f****** Irish because you live in the north of the island.'". "It's like the most insulting thing you can say to someone who sees themselves as Irish. "It's one of these things, people say 'can you forgive him?' I don't hold any hate in my heart. I don't hold any hate for him. "But I couldn't forgive him, not now, for my people essentially. How could I go around and say 'You know what, it wasn't that bad what you said.'". "It's literally the f****** worst thing you could say to an Irishman." Following McGregor's contentious statements, the entire community, encompassing both protestant and catholic members, rallied behind Hughes, with a slew of businesses, pubs, and eateries shunning McGregor's products. This bond with all facets of the community holds immense value for Hughes, a sentiment he cherishes deeply. On Thursday, ahead of the PFL Europe event in Belfast, Hughes said: "It's a great honour I guess. "I obviously don't decide these things, thankfully people have just taken to me, it's out of my control. "But, it definitely feels good and I feel very privileged to be in this position."
