Former Cage Warriors champion Paul Hughes will fight at Bellator’s return to the Irish capital this summer, it has been confirmed.
Derry native Hughes (11-1), considered by many to be among the best prospects in the sport, spurned the advances of the UFC earlier this year to sign a high profile deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and will make his debut with its sister promotion, Bellator, in Dublin’s 3Arena on June 22.
Hughes will fight the 40-year-old American lightweight Bobby King, who has been defeated in each of his past two fights.
As part of Hughes’ PFL deal, he will be entered into the promotion’s lightweight tournament in both 2025 and 2026; with each having a prize of $1 million for the winner.
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Hughes has won each of his past five fights since his sole career loss to date against Jordan Vucenic in 2020 — a defeat he avenged two years later.
The Bellator Dublin card will be headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Jason Jackson and the unbeaten Russian Ramazan Kuramagomedov.
It has also been confirmed that SBG Ireland veteran Sinead Kavanagh will feature on the card, where she takes on Arlene Blencowe in a rematch of an August 2017 fight won by the Australian by split decision.
