Paul "Big News" Hughes, born on March 27, 1997, in Sydney, Australia, is a professional mixed martial artist representing Belfast, Northern Ireland. Standing at 5 feet 9 inches tall with a 70-inch reach, Hughes competes in the lightweight division (155 lbs) and is affiliated with Fight Academy Ireland. Hughes started his professional MMA career in 2017, quickly making a name for himself in the European circuit. He clinched the Cage Warriors Interim Featherweight Championship by defeating Morgan Charriere via majority decision at Cage Warriors 128. He later became a unified champion by defeating Jordan Vucenic via a unanimous decision in a rematch at Cage Warriors 145, avenging the only loss of his professional career.
Hughes then moved to the Professional Fighters League promotion, where he made his presence known by defeating Bobby King via TKO in the second round at Bellator Champions Series 3 on June 22, 2024. As of January 22, 2025, Hughes holds a professional record of 13 wins and one loss (13-1-0). He is scheduled to challenge Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship on January 25, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Paul Hughes Record
Heading into PFL Champions Series 1 on January 25, 2025, Paul Hughes maintains a clinical MMA record of 13 wins and one loss (13-1-0). Of his wins, six have come via knockouts, three by submissions, and five by decisions.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
| Win | 13–1 | A. J. McKee | Decision (split) | PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants | October 19, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Win | 12–1 | Bobby King | TKO (punches and elbows) | Bellator Champions Series 3 | June 22, 2024 | 2 | 4:50 | Dublin, Ireland |
| Win | 11–1 | Fabiano Silva | TKO (knee and elbows) | Cage Warriors 170 | April 6, 2024 | 1 | 4:37 | Dublin, Ireland |
| Win | 10–1 | Jan Quaeyhaegens | KO (punches) | Cage Warriors 161 | October 14, 2023 | 1 | 2:47 | Dublin, Ireland |
| Win | 9–1 | Jordan Vucenic | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 145 | November 4, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 8–1 | Morgan Charrière | Decision (majority) | Cage Warriors 128 | October 1, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 7–1 | James Hendin | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Warriors 120 | March 18, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Loss | 6–1 | Jordan Vucenic | Decision (split) | Cage Warriors 119 | December 12, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England |
| Win | 6–0 | Aidan Stephen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Warriors 116 | August 11, 2020 | 3 | 4:21 | Manchester, England |
| Win | 5–0 | Youri Panada | KO (head kick) | Cage Warriors 112 | March 7, 2020 | 2 | 2:33 | Manchester, England |
| Win | 4–0 | Kalifa Seydi | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Conflict 2 | October 26, 2019 | 1 | 1:43 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Win | 3–0 | Mateusz Makarowski | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Cage Warriors: Unplugged 2 | September 6, 2019 | 1 | 2:34 | London, England |
| Win | 2–0 | Stephen O'Neill | TKO (punches) | Cage Conflict 1 | March 9, 2019 | 1 | 3:00 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Win | 1–0 | Adam Gustab | TKO (punches) | BAMMA 28 | February 24, 2017 | 1 | 1:32 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Paul Hughes PFL Record
Since his promotional debut in the PFL via Bellator Champions Series 3, Paul Hughes has fought two times in the promotion and has won both encounters (2-0-0).
FAQs on Paul Hughes' Record
A. Paul Hughes holds an MMA record of 13 wins and 1 loss (13-1-0).
A. Paul Hughes was born on March 27, 1997, making him 27 years old as of January 2025.
A. Paul Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia but he represents Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A. Paul Hughes' last fight was against A.J. McKee in October 2024. Hughes won the fight via a split decision.
