Monday Matchmaker: BKFC & PFL

Usman Nurmagomedov

After previously defeating most of the top Bellator/PFL lightweights and most recently Paul Hughes, Usman Nurmagomedov seems to be running out of competition as he continues to reign supreme over the Lightweight division. The 2024 PFL Season Lightweight Champion, Gadzhi Rabadanov, is teammate of Nurmagomedov so we won’t be seeing that fight, but some potential fights for Nurmagomedov include:

• Paul Hughes

Hughes is adamant that he deserves a rematch after the performance he put forth against Nurmagomedov. The MMA community seems to be rallying behind Hughes and due to how well he did in this fight, he may be deserving of an immediate rematch. The lack of contenders in the division will help Hughe’s argument and honestly, who wouldn’t want to see this fight over again?

Hughes gave Nurmagomedov his toughest test to date and proved to everyone the fighter he is. In his third fight with the PFL, Hughes went five rounds with the reigning champion and did extremely well. 

• AJ McKee

Coming off a loss to Paul Hughes, a title shot may not make the most sense for AJ McKee right now, but he has been knocking on the door to challenge Nurmagomedov for quite awhile. The fact that these two haven’t fought yet is surprising.

McKee rode a four fight winning streak before a split decision loss to Hughes and although the promotion and the champion may want to see McKee get back in the win column before giving him an opportunity to challenge for the title, McKee is one of the most qualified on the roster and has fought nearly every contender throughout his career.

Paul Hughes and AJ McKee ended in a split decision back in October. Having these two rematch for a number one contender ranking and then a title shot could be in the cards. Most of the best PFL fighters at Lightweight will most likely be in the 2025 tournament this year. This may lock up a bunch of other contenders, making it a little tough to find the next title challenger. This fight would provide a very intriguing clash of styles yet again. 

Paul Hughes

Paul Hughes is a savage! At first, he captured the attention of the MMA world with his dialogue and grit and then on Saturday in Dubai, Hughes backed up every word with yet another elite performance against a champion. Nothing will be taken away and the stock of Hughes has grown tremendously with this showing. Some potential fights for Paul Hughes: 

• 2025 PFL Tournament

Judging by last year, the best talent in the division was in the tournament minus the champion. If Hughes wants to make a name for himself and continue to fight the best as he gets closer to another title opportunity, competing with the best of the best in the tournament while competing for lots of money would be a good idea. Kicking off in April, some details regarding the tournament should be made public soon.

• Usman Nurmagomedov

After the fight, Usman Nurmagomedov said no to a rematch because Hughes had only fought two times in the PFL before landing this opportunity to challenge for the title. Nurmagomedov did not see this performance worthy of a rematch and said that he needed to get a couple wins under his belt before the rematch.

With that being said, there have been hardly any challengers to contest Nurmagomedov as much as Hughes did. Maybe the uproar from the fans and the controversial decision in the eyes of many will help Hughes get this rematch made. 

• AJ McKee

If AJ McKee doesn’t compete in the 2025 tournament, this rematch could be a good one and set up a number one contender spot for either Hughes or McKee. Both fighters will be coming off of their first losses in quite a while, and giving them an opportunity to get back in the wind column against each other could be a good way to set up the next challenger for current champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

Jeremy Stephens

After a monumental victory in enemy territory, Jeremy Stephens is interested in staying active and taking on the biggest names to make the most money. Stephens dropped the former UFC star in Eddie Alvarez twice and ultimately won the main event at KnuckleMania V this past weekend by corner stoppage.

Stephen’s now seeks the biggest opportunities following this performance. Some potential matchups include:

• Conor McGregor

Based on what fans saw following the BKFC main event on Saturday night and the energy afterwards, it seems like both men are very interested in this potential super fight. The only problem? Conor McGregor is still contracted with the UFC and it’s very unlikely that the UFC would sign off and allow him to go compete in BKFC.

However, it still remains a possibility, especially down the line. For Stephen’s, taking on Conor McGregor in his promotional debut would be quite the opportunity. If this fight were to happen, it would probably be the biggest fight in BKFC history and for Stephens, it would be a no-brainer to take advantage of this big opportunity.

• Mike Perry

Another fight that Stephens seemed very passionate about was taking on the King of Violence in Mike Perry. Obviously, at this point, this fight seems a little bit more logical than the Conor McGregor fight. This opportunity would be just as big for Stephens.

Perry has really made a name for himself inside the square circle of BKFC and right now, he holds a championship belt. Perry has proved himself in BKFC and really made a name for himself. The challenge that Perry would present to Stephen’s could be greater than what Conor McGregor would bring to the table. The fight itself could be even tougher than a McGregor matchup.

Eddie Alvarez

This was the second bare Knuckle fight in a row where the corner of “The Underground King” was forced to step in and stop the fight. After getting dropped a few times, it was clear that Alvarez was out of the fight and couldn’t afford to take any more damage. There are two potential routes that come to mind for Alvarez at this stage of his career:

• Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler has yet to make his BKFC debut however, there’s much anticipation behind it. Both men have put so many miles on their bodies over the years, especially while competing under the UFC and establishing themselves that some of the best to ever do it. At this stage of their careers, this fight would be very interesting and a pretty even fight. This bout would capture the attention of fans all over the world and provide BKFC with a highly anticipated matchup.

• Retirement

After breaking down barriers since his professional debut back in 2003, one option for Eddie Alvarez is to hang up the gloves. Alvarez has accomplished so much throughout his career and provided the fans with so many big moments to remember. If Alvarez were to retire following this fight, it’s safe to say that the MMA community would support his decision and appreciate him for everything he gave throughout his career.

At 41 years old with so much mileage on the body, it would be good to see Alvarez enjoy the retirement life and shift his focus onto other things he loves. Of course, if he continues to fight, fans would have no choice but to support this decision as well. 

Ben Rothwell

This past weekend in front of a sold out Philadelphia crowd, Ben Rothwell extended his undefeated BKFC record with another brutal knockout. With this performance, Rothwell showed us and reminded us just how good he is and how well built he is for BKFC competition. His knockout will go down in history and be remembered for quite a while. And so will his big call outs afterwards:

• Mark Hunt

Both callouts caught the community by surprise; however, his first one was Mark Hunt. These two former UFC heavyweights met back in 2011 at UFC 135 headlined by Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson. That night, Mark Hunt was victorious by decision.

Ben Rothwell called for the rematch in BKFC just the other day. Mark Hunt responded by showing interest. What a fight this would be 14 years later!

• Francis Ngannou

It would be quite interesting to see Francis Ngannou make his debut with BKFC and champion Ben Rothwell has called for it. These two are former UFC competitors alike and although Francis has seemingly moved on, it is possible that one day maybe he would step into the BKFC squared circle.

The MMA and boxing community would absolutely support this and it would make for some of the biggest headlines. Although Ngannou isn’t exactly in need of opportunities like this, it could be a fight that we someday see based on the anticipation, the money, and the hype. Rothwell certainly hopes so, or does he?

Want to know more about each event? Visit homeoffight.com or any of our social media accounts for more articles, fighter interviews, and plenty of more coverage. Enjoy the fights, let us know how you’ll be watching!