It has been a whirlwind few months for Paul Hughes.
Throughout the latter part of his world title run in the Cage Warriors promotion, the 27-year-old Irishman was generally regarded by those in the know as being among the biggest prospects in all of mixed martial arts — a fact which was underscored by the interest from every major MMA promotion on earth following the expiration of his CW contract last April.
Ultimately it was the PFL that won the Paul Hughes sweepstakes, signing him to a multi-fight deal which will see him installed as front and centre of the promotion post-Bellator buyout and also guaranteeing him entry to the 2025 PFL lightweight tournament in which he and seven others will compete for the chance to win a $1 million payday.
Before all of that, Hughes will take on the sternest test of his young career to date when he fights Bellator stalwart AJ McKee in a featured bout on a blockbuster card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 19th which will see Hughes fight just beneath Francis Ngannou in his return to mixed martial arts.
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And speaking exclusively to The Mac Life ahead of last weekend’s Bellator event in London, Hughes admits that the last few months have been hectic.
“Honestly, my life has completely changed,” he said. “From getting the deal done to then making my debut to now being on the biggest stage I possibly can, this is everything I envisioned. Nights like these are nights that I dreamed of as a younger fighter coming up.”
Hughes’ final Cage Warriors bout in April wasn’t without drama. He was faced with a rake of opponent changes in the lead-in to the fight, eventually landing with the extremely experienced Brazilian submission artist Fabiano Silva.
“It was a mad time,” Hughes explained. “It was actually three opponent changes in the last ten days, and the guy that I ended up fighting — Fabiano Silva, 50-fight veteran — only got medically cleared on the day of the fight, which I didn’t fight out of course until after but we cut it very, very fine.
“That was the last fight on my deal. I wanted to be done, I was ready to move on. It was very much a hectic time, with a lot of pressure too because of course I have to perform in these fights. This is really going to affect my negotiating power when it comes to being a free agent. Thankfully I passed the test well and I got a deal that I was very happy with.”
Two months later, and with the PFL deal signed and sealed, Hughes made his debut in Dublin’s 3Arena in a high profile co-main event slot against American fighter Bobby King — a fight after which Conor McGregor, who was sitting cageside, endorsed Hughes’ credentials as Irish MMA’s next big thing.
“It was very special to have an opportunity to do that,” he said of his PFL/Bellator debut. “That was my first time fighting in the 3Arena, so to have my debut for PFL/Bellator to co-main event at such an iconic place where ten years ago I had watched McGregor beat Brandao, and then to share a moment with Conor himself in the arena directly after my win… It was a very special, full circle moment.”
Up next though on October 19th is a different type of challenge: the 22-1 former Bellator world champion AJ McKee.
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“By far this is the biggest challenge of my career,” Hughes said of his showdown with the 29-year-old American. “On paper, I’m a huge underdog coming in here. It is a massive step up for me, there’s no denying that. But there is also a reason why I’ve been saying for the last 12 months that I’m one of the best fighters on the planet: It’s because I am. I get a chance to prove that.
“I see a very, very dangerous individual,” he adds of his upcoming opponent. “I see someone who’s extremely athletic. I see someone who’s very much got good finishing instincts, he’s finished a lot of guy in the first round. He’s very much a dangerous fighter but it’s a challenge that I’m ready for.
“I take a lot from every fight [of his]. I’ve obviously studied him heavily at this point. I was very familiar with AJ throughout the years; I’m a huge MMA fan and I’m also a student of the game, so I’ve known a lot about him for a long time. Now having the opportunity to really delve deep into his game and how he reacts in certain situations, how he fights against certain fighters, they’re all reads that I’ve made here.”
It has been heavily speculated that the Hughes-McKee winner will be next in line for the Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov — and Hughes has a message for the undefeated Russian: “His fight last week [against Alexandr Shabily] was terrible. It was boring, I fell asleep. That’s how I feel about that. In terms of him saying AJ’s gonna beat me? Not a chance, it’s not happening. They’ve obviously a bit of history there and they’re trying to tee that up but I’m here to spoil the party, I’m here to shock the world and I’m here to take those opportunities.”
But Hughes’ ambitions in the sport don’t end with a world title. He has the PFL 2025 season to navigate, as well as one other primary career ambition: headlining an event in his native Belfast.
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“There was many reasons I signed with the PFL. Activity was one of them,” he said. “With the season, that’s four fights in a year — that’s activity. And of course, the opportunity to make life-changing money.
“Also, because I knew there would be huge opportunities such as this pay-per-view event that Ngannou is headlining that now I’m a part of. I knew these things were on the horizon and I knew that I’m the type of guy that would be on there because I’m entertaining, I’m willing to fight the best. I doubled down and I believed in myself and that’s why I chose to go the PFL path.
“I’m also a huge Ngannou fan. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration in his dealings with leaving the UFC and joining the PFL, and how he carried himself throughout that. He’s one of the reasons why I signed here. I’m very much looking forward to meeting him and fighting on his card. And then in a few years, it could be me headlining these pay-per-views, you know?
“Headlining the SSE in Belfast is bigger for me than headlining the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, or headlining Madison Square Garden. For me that’s something that I have to do in my career. I made my professional debut there, I have to get back there someday. I’m the guy to drag PFL there. Mayne Usman Nurmagomedov in Belfast?”
