The PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series opens up for the new year on Saturday. Seeking to make the third defense of his Bellator Lightweight title, Dagestani standout Usman Nurmagomedov takes on Irish MMA giant Paul Hughes in the first Professional Fighters League (PFL) event of 2025.
PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series Main Event
Undefeated at 18-0, Nurmagomedov has embarked on a run of domination since arriving in Bellator in 2021, earning the 155-lb championship over company legend Patricky Pitbull.
Making his second walk to the PFL smart cage, Hughes impressed in spades in his company debut by defeating long-time Bellator lightweight competitor A.J. McKee by unanimous decision. Unbeaten in over four years, “Big News” will clash with his toughest test to date opposite the incumbent Nurmagomedov.
Heavyweights Tussle in PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series Main Event
In the co-main event, previous five-time defending Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov will lock horns with Minnesota-born knockout artist Timothy Johnson. Over the course of his rise within the company, Nemkov racked up a slew of impressive wins over Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, Corey Anderson, and Yoel Romero. This earned the Russian the honor of being the first man to defend the 205-lb strap five times. Throughout his almost 30 fight professional career, Johnson has shared the cage with many of the top heavyweights in the world from different eras of the sport like Cheick Kongo, Alexander Volkov, and Fedor Emelianenko.
Here’s how to watch PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes
Online Streaming: You can catch the entire card on Max, but you will need a subscription in order to do so. Right now, Max is offering a variety of monthly or yearly subscriptions, ranging from $9.99 to $20.99 a month to $99.99 to $209.99 a year. The company is further offering two monthly bundle subscriptions with their Max Bundles which offer ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ for $16.99 with included commercials, or $29.99 for no commercials at all.
Start Time and Date: The event will begin with one amateur fight before switching to the Preliminaries at 11 am ET, followed by the main card at 1 pm ET on January 25th.
Bout Order For PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes
PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series Main Card:
c) Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes (Bellator Lightweight Championship)
Vadim Nemkov vs. Timothy Johnson (Heavyweight)
Akhmed Magomedov vs. Nathan Kelly (Featherweight)
Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Kenny Mokhonoana (Featherweight)
Renat Khavalov vs. Cleiver Fernandes (Bantamweight)
PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series Preliminaries:
Ahmed Sami vs. Tarek Suleiman (Middleweight Featured Bout)
Mirafzal Akhtamov vs. Mike Thompson (Lightweight)
Ruel Pañales vs. Hadi Al Hussaini (Flyweight)
John Mitchell vs. Souhil Taïri (Lightweight)
Mostafa Rashed Nada vs. Haider Khan (Middleweight)
Amateur:
Saeed AlHosani vs. Talal AlQallaf (Featherweight)