Usman Nurmagomedov isn’t interested in an immediate rematch with Paul Hughes.

Nurmagomedov successfully defended his Bellator lightweight title after a five-round war with Paul Hughes at PFL Road To Dubai, and admitted that he’d gained a lot of respect for his opponent.

But when he was asked about a rematch with the Irish contender, he said Hughes would need to win more fights to earn a return bout for the title.

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“No, he has to earn (it) with a couple, two, three, four fights in (PFL),” he told reporters backstage at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai (via MMA Junkie).

“He had only two fights, and they gave him a title shot. But Paul Hughes, this is all my respect to this guy. I think if he even goes to the tournament for $1 million, he (has a) 100 percent chance to take this (tournament) belt. Then, we can talk rematches.”

Nurmagomedov’s comments came during a backstage scrum with reporters, where he fielded a host of questions about the 25-minute war he’d just had with Hughes, who was frustrated with the judges’ scorecards after Nurmagomedov edged a majority decision verdict.

“To be honest, it was a great fight for me,” Nurmagomedov said.

“I go to the deep ocean, and I know what I can do for the next time. I little underestimated this guy. That was a mistake, but whatever. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, no matter what.

“Of course, I’m human like everyone, like every sportsman. I have some weaknesses. I have some strong ways, my strong sides. I’m not someone who cannot never lose. But in my mind, I’m never going to lose, inshallah.

“In five rounds, I was thinking only how to finish him. Every round, I was following the goal to finish him. I think this is my biggest mistake. For Allah, Alhamdulillah, I think it was a good fight, for the fans, first of all, and of course, for me, too.

“The most difficult thing for this fight was my preparation for this fight,” he explained.

“I was without my team. I prepared for my fight without my team, without Khabib, without Islam, without my brother Umar, without Gadzhi. I was in the gym in Dagestan, and I was alone.”

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Nurmagomedov did have his team in his corner on fight night, however, and he shared the words of praise he received from his cousin and coach, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagmedov, who found plenty of positives in Usman having to fight all 25 minutes in such a tough fight.

“He said, ‘You showed to me your heart. I like this. This is what you need.’ And I said, ‘This is not what I need. I was (fighting) to finish!'” Usman laughed.

“He said, ‘No, no, no! This is experience. This is what you need.’ I agree with that.”

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