Irish star Paul Hughes will headline PFL Europe’s first card of the yr on Might 10 in opposition to Bruno Miranda, a person who has seen him in motion earlier than he grew to become a professional fighter.
Hughes rose to stardom as Cage Warriors champion earlier than inking a take care of Bellator to beat AJ McKee Jr. after which lose an excellent shut majority resolution to their champion Usman Nurmagomedov underneath the PFL banner. “Robusto” Miranda, a veteran of twenty-two MMA bouts and dozens of kickboxing and muay thai matches, noticed Hughes’ success underneath the identical banner. And that’s when his mates realized Hughes and Miranda as soon as shared the identical mat earlier than in Thailand.
Miranda had lived in Phuket for over a decade and remembers watching Hughes practice there in 2016, again when the Irish expertise was nonetheless an beginner MMA fighter.
“I bear in mind we have been on the identical coaching at Tiger, and he was fairly younger,” Miranda advised MMA Combating. “I’m completely happy to be combating him now, somebody I love. I obtained to see his development, so it’s an honor to be doing this primary occasion in opposition to him in Eire, a struggle nation like Brazil.”
Hughes’ hype solely grew after the contested defeat to Nurmagomedov in January. Followers have clamored for a right away rematch, so Miranda sees this as “an enormous alternative for me.” The Brazilian expertise doesn’t suppose it robotically units him up for a shot on the light-weight belt with an upset, but it surely undoubtedly adjustments the way in which he’s seen by the MMA neighborhood.
“He’s had a stable profession, and his final struggle was nice,” Miranda stated. “I feel he gained, however that’s it. I’m right here to interrupt the chances, to interrupt the favorites. It truly is an honor, I respect him and [the] whole Irish nation. I’m going there with the utmost respect to carry the hearth and get the victory.”
“I’ll be the thorn in his facet,” he continued. “I’ve no expectations for after this struggle. I’m not wanting previous something, however I wish to be the thorn in his facet and convey the victory. [A title shot] may very well be doable, however I wish to suppose step-by-step. No matter comes subsequent is a bonus. The primary aim is to beat him. I’ll be proud of something PFL affords me after.”
Miranda gained a choice in opposition to former Bellator light-weight champion Patricky Pitbull in his most up-to-date bout in June 2024, rebounding from back-to-back defeats to PFL champion Olivier Aubin-Mercier and ex-Bellator titleholder Brent Primus, and plans to check Hughes’ placing on the SSE Area in Belfast.
“A struggle is a struggle and each match-up is exclusive,” Miranda stated. “I can’t evaluate myself along with his final struggle as a result of the kinds are completely different, however he’s the kind of fighter that places strain — and I like that. I’m an aggressive fighter always, and I wanna see how he offers with the strain of being with an actual striker in entrance of him.”
