Matches to make after PFL Belfast

[ASFN Admin]

PFL Belfast took place Thursday evening with plenty of Irish influence, and several veterans made memorable statements.

Here are the top matches to make following the conclusion of the event:

Phil Hughes vs. Jay-Jay Wilson​

When Hughes had to pull out of the main event, Wilson remained and faced another rising Irish fighter in Darragh Kelly. Wilson wasted no time in sending home the Irish crowd on a sour note, closing the show in the opening seconds to send his message loud and clear to the lightweight division. The statement was received by Hughes, who was in attendance and joined the broadcast to state his eagerness to return to action when he recovers from his injury. Although he called out Alfie Davis in his post-fight interview, Wilson should wait this one out and run back the originally scheduled matchup against Hughes as two of the best young fighters at 155 pounds.

Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov vs. Luke Trainer​

Welcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Tyson Pedro to the Professional Fighters League, 2024 PFL season champion Yagshimuradov had quite the performance. Things got sketchy in the third round, when he took huge power shots from Pedro that had him in bad shape, but after getting a takedown late in the final round he was able to survive and get the decision victory. In his post-fight interview, Yagshimuradov said he’d fight anyone that the PFL wanted him to, so a good fight for the division and both fighters would be a matchup against Trainer. Trainer last fought in February and picked up a victory over another former champion in Rob Wilkinson, and with champion Corey Anderson eyeing a fight Vadim Nemkov, two of the top contenders would be an intriguing contest to make.

A high-stakes lightweight clash headlines PFL Belfast: Tune in Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Dean Garnett vs. Raufeon Stots​

A big step up in competition is on deck for Garnett after handing Ciaran Clarke the first loss of his professional career. A veteran known for being in tough fights, Garnett landed a very clean spinning back elbow to put away Clarke in the first round, and then called his shot against another established veteran in the division. Stots just dropped a decision loss to Renat Khavalov last week, but has mentioned his excitement for new blood in the bantamweight division. A matchup between Stots and Garnett would be a fun match that could go anywhere, either as a standup battle or grappling contest.

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