The PFL just made it official — Mansour Barnaoui is set to throw down with Archie Colgan on June 20 in a lightweight eliminator at World Tournament 6. The winner? They’ll get a shot at the undefeated lightweight king, Usman Nurmagomedov, who’s been quiet since squeaking past Paul Hughes earlier this year.
That announcement didn’t exactly sit well with fans — or with Hughes himself. After torching Bruno Miranda in seconds at PFL Europe 1 in Belfast, Hughes was openly gunning for a rematch. Instead, he got left on read. Now he’s calling the eliminator “rage bait” and ripping the league’s matchmaking on social media.
Barnaoui enters the fight riding back-to-back wins, including a slick sub over Alfie Davis and a first-round finish of veteran Yusuke Yachi. Colgan? Still unbeaten, and making noise with wins over guys like Emmanuel Sanchez and Thibault Gouti. He’s got that rising-star momentum, and the PFL seems all-in on him.
The division’s heating up, but everything still runs through Nurmagomedov. Barnaoui or Colgan — whoever makes it through — will have to solve one of the toughest puzzles outside the UFC. And Hughes? He’s not done knocking. Not by a long shot.
