Paul Hughes vowed to shock the world ahead of his PFL debut against AJ McKee, and that’s exactly what he did.
The Belfast man dominated the former Bellator world champion AJ McKee through three rounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night, handing the American just the second defeat of his 24-fight professional career — even if more than a few eyebrows were raised when it was announced as a split decision.
Hughes, now 13-1, called afterwards for a title bout against the Bellator 155-pound champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
“We all know who’s next! Usman Nurmagomedov is next,” Hughes said post-fight, stepping into the fight that many had assumed was being kept warm for McKee.
View this post on Instagram
“Look what I can do! I’m a superstar,” Hughes also said “The PFL believed in me, look at me. I’m here on the world stage. I fought one of the best guys on the planet. I doubled down on myself. Who’s done that to AJ McKee? I’ll tell you what, that was not one of my best performances.
“If I had a little more pop in that last round, I’m not going to lie, I was gassed after the first,” he told reporters afterwards. “I did not have the best training camp, and I felt that in my body after the first round. I didn’t quite have that pop. I knew exactly what I needed to do to get him out of there. I just — a little bit extra lactic that I wouldn’t have had, and I should have got him out of there.”
And if he gets his wish of an Ireland vs. Dagestan rematch against Nurmagomedov, Hughes said he wants Conor McGregor in his corner.
“Conor, I want you in my corner for that fight, 100 percent,” Hughes said. “How cool would that be? I mean, we might need some extra security that night, but I’m down for it. I think it would be fun.”
