Paul Hughes will have Conor McGregor’s support in his mooted Bellator world title bout with Usman Nurmagomedov.

Ireland’s Hughes catapulted himself into top contender status at the PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as he became just the second fighter to defeat former champion AJ McKee in his 24-fight professional career, leapfrogging the the American into top contender status for the Bellator 155-pound title currently held by Usman Nurmagomedov — a name to which MMA fans (and Irish MMA fans in particular) know very well.

Speaking after the biggest win of his career, the former Cage Warriors champion Hughes called for what he referred to as “Ireland vs. Dagestan 2.0” — and also called upon McGregor, who has spoken of how impressed he has been with Hughes’ recent performances in the cage, to corner him ahead of the still-hypothetical fight.

“I said I was here for the biggest fights, the highest-pressure moments, and to make the most money possible,” Hughes said in Riyadh last Saturday. “Usman [Nurmagomedov] is next, no question. There’s a lot of hype around this fight, and I’m here for it … How crazy would that be[for McGregor to corner him]? We might need some extra security that night, though. We’ll need more security! But I’m down for it. It’ll be fun.”

Responding on social media, McGregor paid tribute to Hughes’ coaching team at Belfast’s Fight Academy Ireland and said that he would support his compatriot ahead of the world title fight.

“Paul my man I will go to the arena and support 100% for sure and if it kicks off I’ll be in there before you could even say ‘The [Nurmagomedovs] are juice head inbred rats married to their cousins’,” McGregor wrote on social media.

“Your team and corner have done a tremendous job with you! They will take you all the way! You’ve got this! We are with you brother, bring home the Gold!”