By The Numbers: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes

Usman Nurmagomedov still proudly bears the torch for a now-defunct organization.

The undefeated American Kickboxing Academy export will defend his Bellator MMA lightweight championship when the Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2025 campaign, as he meets Paul Hughes in the PFL Champions Series 1 headliner on Jan. 25 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Nurmagomedov has pieced together an 18-0 record with one no contest through his 19 professional appearances. He last saw action at Bellator Champions Series 4, where he laid claim to a five-round unanimous decision over Alexandr Shabliy on Sept. 7. Hughes, meanwhile, enters the cage on the strength of a seven-fight winning streak. The ex-Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder last suited up on Oct. 19, when he took a three-round split decision from A.J. McKee at PFL Super Fights “Battle of the Giants.”

As Nurmagomedov and Hughes approach their upcoming showdown, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

26: Years of age for Nurmagomedov, who was born on April 17, 1998 in Kizilyurt, Russia.

8: Nurmagomedov wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 45% of his career total (18). His list of victims: Luis Muro, Svyatoslav Shabanov, Jerry Kvarnstrom, Ruslan Tuyakov, Roman Golovinov, Gabriel Baino, Issei Moriyama and Dmitriy Berestovskiy. Nurmagomedov holds six other wins by submission (33%) and four more by decision (22%).

799: Days spent by Nurmagomedov as Bellator lightweight champion. It ranks as the third-longest single title reign in the history of the company’s 155-pound weight class, trailing only Eddie Alvarez (883) and Patricio Freire (879).

10: First-round stoppages on the Nurmagomedov resume, highlighted by his submission of the aforementioned Henderson in the Bellator 292 main event on March 10, 2023. The former World Extreme Cagefighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder bowed out 2:37 into their encounter.

100: Combined victories between the last five opponents—Shabliy, Henderson, Patricky Freire, Christopher Gonzalez and Patrik Pietila—Nurmagomedov has defeated. They sport a cumulative .685 winning percentage at 100-46.

27: Years of age for Hughes, who was born in Sydney on March 27, 1997.

6: Hughes victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 46% of his career total (13). His list of victims: Bobby King, Fabiano Silva, Jan Quaeyhaegens, Youri Panada, Stephen O'Neill and Adam Gustab. Hughes owns three other wins by submission (23%) and four more by decision (31%).

92: Seconds needed for Hughes to put away Gustab with punches under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner on Feb. 24, 2017. Almost seven years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

32: Rounds started by Hughes as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on five different occasions and carries a 4-1 record in those bouts.

.734: Cumulative winning percentage between the last five opponents—McKee, King, Silva, Quaeyhaegens and Jordan Vucenic—Hughes has beaten. They boast a combined record of 92-33-1.