Top prospect Paul Hughes signed an exclusive contract with the PFL on Saturday, ending his free agency.
PFL officials and Hughes confirmed the signing on social media.
Hughes, a Cage Warriors veteran with an 11-1 record, became a free agent after defeating Fabiano Silva by stunning first-round knockout in his most recent bout in April. The Northern Ireland-based lightweight is on a five-fight win streak, including his last two knockouts.
Hughes addressed free agency in an interview with MMA Fighting after his recent win, discussing possible candidates to retain his services such as the PFL or UFC.
“Honestly, I’m open to everything,” Hughes said. “Like I said, I had to dig deep and ask myself, do I want fame? Is it just clout? Is it because I’m in the UFC? To be honest, I’m not big on that. I just turned 27 last week. I’m not a 21, 22 year old kid with dreams of owning the UFC. I would like to say that he is a UFC fighter.
“I’m at a stage now in my career where I’ve had a lot of great nights and accomplished a lot of big things. It’s not just about saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to fight in the UFC.’ is the number one thing [is] Be the best fighter on the planet. There’s nothing that says it can’t be done. You can do that anywhere. I can still be the best fighter on the planet. But I need to understand my worth. ”
Hughes ultimately decided to join the PFL roster as the promotion continues to build and expand across Europe with star players like Cedric Doumbu.
There’s no word yet on when Hughes will make his debut, but the PFL clearly jumped at the chance to sign him as soon as he became available in free agency.
