After landing the biggest win of his career, Paul Hughes is now keen to reignite one of MMA’s most bitter feud.
The former Cage Warriors champion landed a career-making victory over Bellator standout AJ McKee with a split decision in Riyadh on Saturday night. And he has instantly called for a shot at the lightweight title, and Usman Nurmagomedov.
But with Usman’s cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov in the corner, he wants to call in special reinforcements in the form of Conor McGregor. The Irishman and the Russian fought in 2018 after the most bitter build-up in UFC history, with Nurmagomedov getting the win on that occasion.
- Who is Khabib Nurmagomedov? Inside the life of the most dominant UFC fighter of all time
Paul Hughes defeats AJ McKee in stunning upset victory
To kick off the main card for PFL’s Super Fights event in Saudi Arabia, Irish prospect Hughes was given the toughest test of his young career against former featherweight champion AJ McKee. He was a massive underdog going into the bout, but was comfortable in his efforts from the first bell.
Hughes combatted the relentless wrestling of McKee with knees that appeared to land at will, and even dropped the American at the end of the first round. The second was a much closer affair, with the three judges agreeing that the round went against the Irishman.
But despite admittedly gassing out towards the end of the opening round, Hughes managed to rally in the third and push for the finish. It unfortunately didn’t come, but he managed to find enough to earn him a stunning victory that places him amongst the world’s top lightweights.
Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov rivalry could be reignited with Paul Hughes’ next fight
After his victory, Hughes called his shot as he demanded a chance at Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. And asked if he would enlist the help of his country’s most famous fighter, he detailed his plans for a star-studded showdown across the cage.
“Someone clip this,” Hughes told the media during his post-fight press conference, before calling his shot to the former two-weight world champion. “Conor, I want you in my corner for that fight, 100 per cent, how cool would that be?
“We might need some extra security that night, Oscar [Willis, from The Mac Life] talk to the man. We might need some more security but I’m down for it, I think it would be fun.”
McGregor took to social media after the fight to share his delight at the result, writing on X: “What a mega win for ‘Big News’ @paulhughesmma ! Solidified! Bravo bro, well in!” He has yet to respond to the request for cornering.
Paul Hughes meets with Cristiano Ronaldo after career highlight win
The stars were out in Riyadh for the promotion’s big pay-per-view event, but none shone brighter than soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugese superstar, fresh of a winning goal for Al-Nassr against Al-Shabab the night prior, arrived just as Hughes and McKee were getting in the cage.
He watched intently as Hughes went about his business, not looking away from the action for much of the first rounds. Ultimately, he didn’t see the result as he rushed backstage to meet with Francis Ngannou, but he managed to spend time with Hughes after the fact.
The Irishman ran into his soccer idol at cageside, sharing a few words with him before taking a picture which he shared to Instagram. He captioned the snap: “Cherry on top there. Great to meet you Cristiano.”
- Who is Francis Ngannou? Inside the former UFC heavyweight champion’s journey from poverty to combat sports superstardom