Paul Hughes Takes Aim at Team Khabib Member Movlid Khaybulaev Over PED Concerns

The recent merger between the Professional Fighters League and Most Valuable Promotions has the mixed martial arts world buzzing about the future, but lightweight standout Paul Hughes is quickly pumping the brakes. Before the new era fully kicks off, Hughes is demanding that Jake Paul and the new MVP leadership clean house and address a glaring problem within the organization: performance-enhancing drugs.

Taking to social media, Hughes aimed his sights directly at fighters like Alexandr Shabliy and Movlid Khaybulaev, who both recently faced suspensions for positive EPO tests.

Khaybulaev, a longtime friend and teammate of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, was suspended for a year and stripped of his featherweight championship after his test results. Hughes made it completely clear that he feels these athletes are getting off way too easy for their actions.

“I spoke recently about some of the athletes in the PFL that have been caught,” Hughes stated, visibly frustrated by the situation. He noted that without stringent random testing, athletes would continually game the system. “The last thing that this guy wants, alongside the other cheaters in this, is—” Hughes continued, pointing out the inherent resistance to strict anti-doping measures.

Paul Hughes on Cleaning Up the Cage

Hughes noted that recombinant erythropoietin, or EPO, is a banned substance historically known for causing massive scandals in grueling endurance sports. The drug drastically boosts red blood cell formation, improving an athlete's ability to transport oxygen during brutal training camps and five-round fights. Hughes specifically pointed out that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong famously popped for EPO, as did former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.

What truly bothers the Irishman the most is precisely how these fighters were eventually caught. He claimed that standard fight-week testing is simply not enough to catch the real offenders. “These guys only got popped because of out-of-competition testing from USADA,” Hughes revealed.

Hughes firmly believes the current suspension lengths, often ranging from just six to twelve months, amount to nothing more than a standard layoff between fight camps. He heavily stressed that such short bans do nothing to deter fighters from taking the immense risk. “The ones I’ve mentioned are able to cheat at the highest level,” he argued, pushing the idea that cheaters are manipulating the system.

Despite his sharp criticism of Khaybulaev and the promotion's current testing protocols, Hughes absolutely insisted he is not maliciously attacking the brand itself. Instead, he sees the new PFL-MVP merger as the perfect opportunity to implement stricter testing and significantly harsher penalties.

“Why I’m so passionate about this… I’ve never had a bad word to say about PFL,” Hughes explained. “I just want the athletes in the organization to have a level playing field”.

As the PFL embarks on this high-profile new chapter, the pressure is officially mounting to ensure that the cage remains clean, fair, and fiercely competitive for everyone involved.