PFL will return to Belfast’s SSE Enviornment on Thursday, April 16, 2026, with native fan‑favourite Paul “Huge Information” Hughes (14‑3) headlining a light-weight major occasion reverse New Zealand’s Jay Jay “The Māori Child” Wilson (11‑2). The present might be held on the SSE Enviornment in Northern Eire’s capital, the place Hughes scored a 42‑second knockout of Bruno Miranda in Might 2025 throughout PFL’s first Belfast go to, elevating his skilled file to 14 wins and three losses.
PFL Belfast: Paul Hughes Faces Jay Jay Wilson in Key Light-weight Conflict
Hughes, who has established Belfast as his dwelling base for coaching and competitors, is looking for a win after two shut title‑shot appearances in opposition to PFL light-weight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in 2025. He misplaced each bouts by way of unanimous choice in Dubai, with the primary serving as a title‑unification‑type conflict and the second a rematch that cemented Nurmagomedov’s maintain on the division. The Belfast cease in Might 2025 gave Hughes a return to profitable kind, as he completed Brazilian veteran Bruno Miranda in underneath a minute, reinforcing his standing as a prime‑stage light-weight with robust ending capacity.
On the opposite aspect of the cage, Jay Jay Wilson arrives with a 13‑bout professional file that features 11 wins and a pair of losses, all of them by choice. The New Zealand‑based mostly fighter has by no means been stopped, showcasing sturdiness and resilience that match the PFL’s aggressive type. Wilson produced eight finishes in his 11 victories, with 4 wins coming by KO/TKO and 4 by submission, giving him a balanced mixture of placing and grappling threats. His most up-to-date outing was a unanimous‑choice loss to PFL No. 3‑ranked light-weight Archie Colgan, a setback that slowed his ascent however didn’t erase his repute as a harmful matchup.
Ticketing for PFL Belfast begins with a pre‑sale on Tuesday, February 24, at 12:00 pm GMT, adopted by common sale on Wednesday, February 25, on the similar time via the official hyperlink pfl.info/belfast. The occasion is scheduled for the SSE Enviornment on Thursday, April 16, 2026, with doorways opening at 7:00 pm BST and the primary card set to start after midnight BST. In america, the preliminary card will stream on the ESPN App for followers with the ESPN+ plan beginning at 2:30 pm ET / 11:30 am PT, whereas the primary card strikes to ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes at 7:00 pm ET / 4:00 pm PT.
This light-weight matchup represents a pivotal moment for each males. For Hughes, a victory in entrance of his adopted dwelling crowd would reset his momentum after two slim losses to Nurmagomedov and bolster his case for an additional title‑battle alternative. For Wilson, a win over a prime‑4 ranked light-weight like Hughes could be the largest of his profession and will push him into title rivalry within the PFL’s stacked 155‑pound division. With Hughes’ placing energy and residential‑crowd vitality on one aspect and Wilson’s unbroken sturdiness and ending file on the opposite, the April 16 headliner in Belfast shapes up as one of the compelling stand‑alone bouts on PFL’s 2026 schedule.
