‘Big News!’ PFL Lands Top Free Agent

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Professional Fighters League (PFL) has beaten out Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to obtain the services of one of the hottest free agents in a while, as Paul Hughes has agreed to terms to a multi-fight contract with the promotion, who announced the signing via social media.

A four-year Cage Warriors veteran, 'Big News' Hughes (27) has racked up an impressive 11-1 record as a pro over the last seven years and is currently riding a five-fight win streak and has eight stoppage victories. He was last seen defeating Fabiano Silva at Cage Warriors 170 just two weeks ago in Dublin, Ireland, his last bout before hitting free agency.

Hughes recently revealed to MMA Fighting that he was mulling over several offers from various fight promotions, but judging by his comments, UFC didn’t seem to be too high on his list.

“Honestly, I’m open to everything, man,” Hughes said. “As I say, I had to do a deep dive and I had to ask myself, is it fame that I want? Is it just clout? Is it to say that I’m in the UFC? And to be honest, I don’t give a bollocks about that. I just turned 27 last week. I’m not that 21-, 22-year-old kid that has this dream of owning the UFC and I want to say I’m a UFC fighter.

“I’m at the stage now where I’ve had a lot of big nights in my career, I’ve done a lot of big things, and it’s not just about saying, ‘Oh, I fight in the UFC.’ Me, right now, the No. 1 thing [is] being the best fighter on the planet. There’s nothing to say I can’t do that. I can do that anywhere. I can still be the best fighter on the planet. But I need to get my value.”

The former Cage Warriors Featherweight champion doesn’t have a date for a potential debut, but he will undoubtedly be a big part of PFL Europe’s plans in the years to come alongside other top prospects such as Cedric Doumbe, Baissangour Chamsoudinov, and Savannah Marshall.

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