Conor McGregor reacts to Irishman Paul Hughes’ mammoth victory over AJ McKee
Conor McGregor was elated with fellow Irishman Paul Hughes' sensational victory over AJ McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants on Oct. 19. The surging lightweight handed McKee the second defeat of his career in a statement-making performance.
Hughes made his promotional debut against McKee, having previously been the lightweight champion in Cage Warriors, an MMA promotion based in the United Kingdom that has produced notable stars such as Tom Aspinall and McGregor himself.
'Big News' nearly secured a first-round knockout after dropping his opponent several seconds before the bell rang for the end of the round. He continued his domination throughout but was surprisingly awarded a split-decision victory, with one judge determining that McKee had won the fight.
Following the results, 'The Notorious' took to X to share his reaction to Hughes' impressive showing, writing:
"What a mega win for 'Big News' @paulhughesmma! Solidified! Bravo bro, well in!"
See Conor McGregor's post below:
The 27-year-old responded to McGregor, and having called out Usman Nurmagomedov for his next fight, wrote:
"Thank you brother! Sniff the jocks is next"
See Hughes' response to McGregor below:
With Ian Garry appearing to be the man to replace McGregor as the Irish superstar in the UFC, it appears that the PFL may have found their own Irish star too in the shape of 'Big News'.
Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner against Usman Nurmagomedov
Paul Hughes made waves across the MMA community after defeating AJ McKee in one of the best performances of his career. The Irishman has now all but secured the next lightweight title shot against champion Usman Nurmagomedov, who himself voiced his keenness in fighting the winner of McKee vs. Hughes.
'Big News' was interviewed in the cage following his victory, where he shared his callout of the Dagestani. With the PFL lightweight champion being a cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, longtime rival of Conor McGregor, Hughes said:
"One more thing, at the end of the day we all know who we want to see next. We want to see Ireland vs. Dagestan 2. We want to see Paul Hughes vs. Usman Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt. I think we should do it in Dubai, or else let's bring it to Belfast."
During Hughes' post-fight press conference, he said this:
"Conor, I want you in my corner for that fight. 100%, how cool would that be? We might need some extra security that night."
Catch Paul Hughes discuss Conor McGregor in his corner below (8:05):