Paul Hughes sat down with Sky Sports and talked about signing with the PFL as well talking about why he declined the UFC.
Paul Hughes Rejected UFC
Paul Hughes was one of the most talked about free agents before he signed over to the PFL. Hughes is a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion who vacated his title to move up to the lightweight division. Since the move up to lightweight, he has gone 2-0, achieving back-to-back first-round stoppages. The last came in April 2024 at Cage Warriors 170 against Fabiano Silva. Paul Hughes has spoken to Sky Sports and has revealed that the UFC did make an offer for him. However, the offer they submitted wasn’t lucrative enough to stop him from signing with the PFL. Hughes revealed this when he said;
“(It was) definitely not a meaningful offer,”
“They came in with an offer, you know, but I know my value in this game and the PFL are aware of my value in this game and they are willing to invest in me and that is why (I went with the PFL). Honestly, people think it would be a hard decision. It was the easiest decision in my life. If you weigh up the contracts, it’s a very, very easy decision to go join the PFL tournament.”
Reaching Deal with PFL
Paul Hughes didn’t last long as a free agent before the PFL were able to get him signed. Paul Hughes lasted only 2 weeks before signing his deal with the PFL. Talking about this decision he mentioned;
“To have a promotion like the PFL snap me up so quickly after testing free agency is just a testament to them,” Hughes said. “They obviously believe in me. They believe in my skills, and look, at the end of the day, I’m the best in the world. So they’re quite right to pick me up so quickly, and I’m so happy I’ve reached a deal with them after less than two weeks since I fought. I’m incredibly excited right now.”
Paul Hughes will be taking part in the 2025 and 2026 lightweight divisions in the PFL. Paul Hughes is excited about taking part this season and when talking about the competition he mentioned;
“The PFL million-dollar tournament is, in my opinion, undeniably one of the hardest competitions in all of sports,” Hughes said. “It’s four fights in the space of about a 10-month period fighting for the ultimate glory: $1 million and a world title. It’s an easy sell, man. I believe that I’m the best in the world. I believe I have all the skills. I truly believe that I will be a millionaire by the end of next year.”
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images
