When the final bell rung Saturday in Dubai, it was clear that PFL’s marketed rivalry between Dagestan and Ireland was nonexistent. Luckily for the promotion, the 25-minute contest fans witnessed at Coca-Cola Arena sprouted a rivalry far more valuable than a vault full of UFC’s reheated cabbage.

Days prior, during their first face-to-face, PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov confirmed Paul Hughes’ suspicions that Nurmagomedov believed their meeting would be a cake walk.

“Who are you?” the champ asked.

“Exactly,” replied the Irishman, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

After the battle, with the majority of the five rounds decided on a knife's edge, Nurmagomedov confirmed his lucky escape.

“Paul Hughes, you are the man, brother,” Nurmagomedov told the arena.

“You are really the man. Brother, you are tough. Honestly, I underestimated this guy, it was my little mistake. I am still undefeated, undisputed Bellator lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov.”

“He used wrestling defense, takedown defense very well,” he added. “He’s tough, he’s strong. I didn’t think he will be this strong. Brother, you are strong. You told me during our face-to-face that this was a mistake, and you were right, brother. I never take this damage, what I take with him in this fight. I have a lot of pain in my body.”

Moments later, cheers erupted around the venue supporting Hughes’ calls for a second meeting between the two: “I just can’t wait to see what’s in the future, we HAVE to do the rematch in Belfast!”

And this is when things became complicated.

It remains a mystery what happened to Nurmagomedov between his post-fight interview and when he appeared before the assembled media backstage at PFL Dubai.

All we know is, in his estimation, Hughes went from being the opponent who damaged him more than any of Nurmagomedov's previous 18, to someone who was undeserving of a rematch and needed to prove his worth through victories over ... well, anyone else.

“He has to win like three, four fights. He had only two fights and they gave him a title shot,” said the champion.

While the about-face in attitude is perplexing, maybe we're underestimating Nurmagomedov’s promotional mind? After all, it was his disdainful glances at the upstart Hughes that cast him as a perfect villain in the lead-up to the bout.

Given the fragile state of mixed martial arts in Ireland, some feared the worst when Friday’s weigh-in prompted a skirmish between the Dagestan and Irish fans, which could have been perfect fodder for the many critics the sport has gained nationally. Fortunately, according to those in attendance, the incident dispersed within seconds. Had it escalated, the blame would have fallen squarely on PFL for stoking the embers of a once-flammable rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

Back in 2018, the post-fight fracas at UFC 229 — a reprisal attack on McGregor for his disrespectful comments about Nurmagomedov's culture — capped off one of the darkest promotional builds ever seen in the sport. “I’m disgusted and sick over it,” UFC president Dana White admitted at the event's post-fight press conference.

In the aftermath of UFC 229, in the midst of Irish MMA’s fledgling struggle to gain government regulation, the coverage of the event was damning as multiple prominent Irish publications called for the sport to be banned on the Emerald Isle. If UFC 229 acted as a deterrent to the sport in Ireland, Saturday night’s PFL offering should have the opposite effect.

Despite his narrow defeat, Hughes emerged from the event as the new face of the sport in Ireland. He fought valiantly, and instead of patting himself on the back for going the distance with the immovable Nurmagomedov, he demanded more from himself. Instead of playing into the contrived clash of nations, he dismissed any notion of it and offered his congratulations to the victor.

Nurmagomedov rose to the occasion with more eyeballs on him than ever before. In the face of Hughes’ constant onslaught, he remained resilient and didn’t give up on the task until the bout concluded. Although he changed his mind quite suddenly with regards to Hughes’ worthiness of a rematch, he was gracious in victory and left the contest as one of the poster boys for the new era of PFL.

It’s a unique promotional pairing of athletes too. Neither Nurmagomedov or Hughes have competed for any other major organizations, making their meeting a perfect advertisement for PFL’s talent acquisition and matchmaking.

The idea of either fighter taking on a different challenge in the wake of what will likely be a contender for 2025's Fight of the Year seems ridiculous.

PFL have been waiting for an opportunity to gain the eyeballs of the MMA world. Given the reaction to their first meeting, Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes 2 would be appointment viewing for a captive audience.

Do the smart thing, PFL, and don't mess this up.