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Usman Nurmagomedov chuckles when asked what his cousin Khabib said to him after his hard-fought win over Paul Hughes this month.

Nurmagomedov retained his PFL lightweight world title against the Irishman in Dubai, but Khabib, who was in his corner, could be heard screaming at the Russian during some contentious moments in the fight.

Nurmagomedov says he is back in the gym despite enjoying only one week of rest after the fight – on Khabib’s orders.

“At first he was so happy and congratulated me,” Usman tells BBC Sport.

“But then he said ‘You have to be starting training. Because we don’t have time for stopping and chilling. We’re here to work’.

“I said ‘OK, brother. Give me one week’. He said ‘OK, one week’.”

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib turned to coaching after retiring undefeated in 2020 with 29 wins from 29 fights.

Nurmagomedov’s victory was his second over Hughes after a narrow win in January, but the judges’ scorecards did not reflect a close battle – they scored it 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47.

“My opinion: I won every round; I took him down in every round. I threw my jab very well. And if he only did a couple of shots, I did more than him,” said Nurmagomedov.

“In my opinion there was no 50-45. It was like 48-46 or 48-47.

Hughes, 28, said after the fight that he “did not do enough” to win.

Nurmagomedov says the rivalry with Hughes has made him a better fighter.

Nurmagomedov trained in the mountains in his native Dagestan before the fight, saying he would envision fighting Hughes every night before sleeping and every morning after waking up.

Nurmagomedov sees Hughes as a future champion – if Nurmagomedov leaves the PFL – and says he has the skills to be successful in the UFC.

“I honestly see Hughes in UFC because a guy with those skills… he’s a very mentally strong guy and didn’t give up in this fight,” said Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov is targeting a return to action inside three months.

Following the victory, he called out Britain’s Alfie Davis, who won the PFL lightweight tournament.

Davis was a huge underdog going into the tournament, but defeated Gadzhi Rabadanov on points to claim the title and £369,000 in prize money.

Davis posted his delight at the potential title fight on social media, but Nurmagomedov was not convinced by his emotions.

“I saw he was so happy to hear his name, but I know sometimes behind your smile you try to protect your reaction,” said Nurmagomedov.

World Cup 2026 qualifying: Latvia v England

Venue: Daugava Stadium, Riga Date: Tuesday, 14 October Time: 19:45 BST

England striker Ollie Watkins will miss the World Cup qualifier in Latvia on Tuesday because of injury.

The 29-year-old was replaced at half-time of the Three Lions’ 3-0 win against Wales on Thursday.

Watkins scored his side’s second goal at Wembley but collided with the post late in the first half after missing a chance.

England boss Thomas Tuchel said afterwards that the Aston Villa forward was “OK” but the striker has returned to Villa and will miss the trip to Riga.

The Three Lions would qualify for next summer’s World Cup with two matches to spare by beating Latvia.

Captain Harry Kane missed the Wales match, but Tuchel said before the game he was “convinced” the Bayern Munich striker would be available in Riga.

The 32-year-old trained alongside his England team-mates at Tottenham’s training ground on Monday.

Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon moved to a central position in the second half in Watkins’ absence at Wembley and could do the same in Riga.

Marcus Rashford is another option. The Manchester United forward is on loan at Barcelona and prefers to play from the left – but has often been deployed from a central position during his career.

He has 18 goals for England – the most after Kane in the current squad.

Watkins made his England debut in 2021 and has scored six goals in 20 appearances.

The forward has struggled at club level this term, netting just once in 10 games.

Mark Williams leads Shaun Murphy 7-1 in the Xi’an Grand Prix final and is three frames away from becoming the oldest winner of a ranking event.

Aged 50 years and 206 days, Williams could eclipse the record held by fellow Welshman Ray Reardon, who was 50 years and 14 days old when he won the Professional Players Tournament in 1982.

Williams is appearing in his 44th ranking final and a 27th ranking title would put him one behind fifth-placed Steve Davis (28) in the all-time list.

Ronnie O’Sullivan holds the record with 41 ranking event wins.

Should Williams complete victory, he would become the first player to win a tour event in his teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.

Reigning Masters champion Murphy, 43, is aiming for back-to-back tournament victories after winning last month’s British Open in Cheltenham.

Williams seized control by winning the first four frames without reply and made a superb 127 break in the last frame of the opening session to go with his six earlier half-centuries.

Breaks of 75 and 73 put him 2-0 ahead and he then pinched the next two frames with contributions of 56 and 68 after Murphy had held significant leads in both.

Murphy stopped the rot with a 69 break in the fifth, but Williams – who will move back into the world’s top four if he wins the title – responded with a run of three consecutive frames to close out the session.

Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has said he ended his playing career in order to save his marriage but the decision was the “biggest mistake” of his life.

The 33-year-old, who pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of his ex-wife Gillian last November, retired at the age of 31 in 2023.

The three-time British and Irish Lions tourist made the announcement two months before the start of the Rugby World Cup, citing wear and tear on his body.

He reversed that decision last summer and was granted bail to allow him to travel to France to play for Montpellier after he had breached a court order to avoid contact with his ex-wife.

Hogg, who won 100 caps for Scotland and is one of the greatest players the country has produced, said he was “up to his eyeballs in anti-depressants” prior to his retirement at the end of a four-year spell at Exeter Chiefs.

“I gave up on my rugby career to try to save my marriage. At the time, I didn’t know who I was,” the former Glasgow Warriors full-back told The Rugby Paper.

“I didn’t know what was going on in life, whether I was making people happy or sad. I used alcohol to escape. I was purely existing.

“I’m in a better place mentally than I’ve been in years. I used to think being selfish was strength.

Hogg, who joined Exeter from Glasgow in 2019, was spared jail time when sentenced in Selkirk Sheriff Court in January and was instead ordered to complete a community payback order with one year of supervision.

The Hawick-born player, who recently stated he had “reset” at a rehabilitation clinic after his initial arrest, said that taking part in a charity event was the catalyst to him coming out of retirement.

“The Doddie Aid cycle ride from Scotland to Rome changed everything,” he added in the interview with The Rugby Paper.

“For the first time since retiring, I felt part of a team again. I came back and told my dad ‘I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life’.

“I missed the camaraderie, the laughs, the buzz. I needed that back.

“The players and coaches [at Montpellier] value me, maybe because I finally value myself.

Former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has said he ended his playing career in order to save his marriage but the decision was the “biggest mistake” of his life.

The 33-year-old, who pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of his ex-wife Gillian last November, retired at the age of 31 in 2023.

The three-time British and Irish Lions tourist made the announcement two months before the start of the Rugby World Cup, citing wear and tear on his body.

He reversed that decision last summer and was granted bail to allow him to travel to France to play for Montpellier after he had breached a court order to avoid contact with his ex-wife.

Hogg, who won 100 caps for Scotland and is one of the greatest players the country has produced, said he was “up to his eyeballs in anti-depressants” prior to his retirement at the end of a four-year spell at Exeter Chiefs.

“I gave up on my rugby career to try to save my marriage. At the time, I didn’t know who I was,” the former Glasgow Warriors full-back told The Rugby Paper.

“I didn’t know what was going on in life, whether I was making people happy or sad. I used alcohol to escape. I was purely existing.

“I’m in a better place mentally than I’ve been in years. I used to think being selfish was strength.

Hogg admitted shouting and swearing and acting in an abusive manner towards his ex-wife when he appeared in court last year.

The full-back, who joined Exeter from Glasgow in 2019, was spared jail time when sentenced in Selkirk Sheriff Court in January and was instead ordered to complete a community payback order with one year of supervision.

In March, a sheriff has noted Hogg’s “complete compliance” with the order and said no further review of it would take place.

He had previously been given a five-year non-harassment order and fined £600 when he breached his bail conditions.

The Hawick-born player, who recently stated he had “reset” at a rehabilitation clinic after his initial arrest, said that taking part in a charity event was the catalyst to him coming out of retirement.

“The Doddie Aid cycle ride from Scotland to Rome changed everything,” he added in the interview with The Rugby Paper.

“For the first time since retiring, I felt part of a team again. I came back and told my dad ‘I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life’.

“I missed the camaraderie, the laughs, the buzz. I needed that back.

“The players and coaches [at Montpellier] value me, maybe because I finally value myself.