Paul “Big News” Hughes returns to action in a showcase headline bout against Brazil’s Bruno “Robusto” Miranda for PFL Europe Belfast at The SSE Arena on 10 May
Bruno Miranda earns the opportunity to spoil the Paul Hughes homecoming following his victory over Patricky Pitbull in his last outing
Tickets for PFL Europe Belfast are on-sale now via ticketmaster.ie
London (12 March, 2025) - The Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced Paul “Big News” Hughes’ (13-2) will take on Bruno “Robusto” Miranda (17-5) in the Lightweight main event showcase bout at PFL Europe Belfast on 10 May at the SSE Arena, with tickets on-sale now via ticketmaster.ie.
The Brazilian Muay Thai specialist is a PFL Challenger Series contract winner who hones his craft in Thailand, which is evident by his aggressive striking style in the SmartCage earning him 9 KO/TKOs in his MMA career. With four wins in the PFL, Miranda’s most recent victory came over former Lightweight Champion Patricky Pitbull in an incredible action-packed fight, with his only two losses in the promotion coming by way of a former Bellator Champion and subsequent PFL Champion, Brent Primus and Olivier Aubin-Mercier respectively.
“Robusto” will look to spoil the homecoming party for Paul Hughes, who will fulfil a lifelong dream to main event at The SSE Arena, Belfast’s iconic venue situated a stone’s throw away from his gym.
At 27 years of age, Hughes accomplished everything possible on the regional stage before entering free agency, where he was pursued by every major mixed martial arts promotion on the planet before choosing to join PFL. A former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion before moving up to Lightweight, Hughes has shown his world class level by defeating former Featherweight Champion AJ McKee in October 2024, and narrowly losing a majority decision to current Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov in a critically acclaimed ‘fight of the year’ contender.
Belfast will be the home of PFL Europe’s first tournament fights of 2025, which will see the continent’s top athletes enter a bracket who will have one shot to win three bouts across the year to earn the coveted PFL Europe Championship and a cash prize of $100,000.
“Belfast, the PFL is coming to The SSE Arena with some Big News. For our first PFL Europe event of 2025, we knew we had to reward the Fighting Irish fandom with a Paul Hughes homecoming.” Said PFL Chief Executive Officer Pete Murray.
“The vocal support for Paul meant this was an easy decision, and I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere of The SSE Arena during the main event. But we plan to stack the card with our PFL Europe Tournament fighters, and a host of athletes who are prepared to lay it all on the line and put on a show. Belfast, get your tickets, we have a feeling this event will go down in history.”
