Paul Hughes plans to take A.J. McKee’s spot in the queue for Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
Hughes (12-1) will face McKee (22-1) in a key 155-pound bout at PFL: Battle of the Giant on Oct. 19 at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN+).
Champ Nurmagomedov said after his recent title defense over Alexander Shabliy at Bellator Champions Series: San Diego earlier this month that he thinks McKee is the frontrunner for the next shot at his belt. However, Hughes plans to play spoiler to that situation.
“Right now what is most exciting to me is definitely fighting Usman,” Hughes told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s Russia vs. Ireland 2. That’s an Irishman vs. a Nurmagomedov. Obviously there’s going to be storyline there as well with A.J. supposed to be the next guy up, but whenever I beat him, it’s got to be next.
“Usman is a guy I’ve called out a couple times on social media. I was going to call him out after my debut with Bellator but he had just been booked that week. He’s definitely someone that I’ve kept my eye on, and whenever I beat A.J., then we’ll see what happens.”
Hughes, 27, is one of the brightest fighters coming out of Ireland and has impressed to this point of his career. The matchup with former Bellator champ McKee represents a significant step up in competition, though, and will be Hughes’ sternest test to date.
He’s ready to rise to the challenge, and thinks McKee will be shocked at what’s coming.
“I’m absolutely world class in every area,” Hughes said. “If he wants to wrestle, if he wants to shoot, then bring it. Bring it. Whenever I’m sprawling, cracking him, shooting on him back and taking him down, we’ll see how he reacts to that. This is the young, hungry lion coming up against the guy who has been there and done that. So it’s exciting to see what’s going to happen to be honest.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.
