Conor McGregor responds to PFL’s Paul Hughes’ cornering plea for potential fight vs. Usman Nurmagomedov

UFC superstar Conor McGregor might be a key presence in Paul Hughes’ corner for a potential title fight against Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov.

Hughes earned the biggest win of his young mixed martial arts career when he defeated former Bellator champ AJ McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants last Saturday. Despite the short-notice nature of the fight, Hughes dominated McKee from start to finish and nearly finished McKee in the opening minutes.

After the reading of the official decision, Hughes immediately called out Nurmagomedov for a future fight. The lightweight champ Nurmagomedov most recently defended his title against Alexandr Shabliy last month in San Diego.

Not only did Hughes call out Nurmagomedov, but he also called for McGregor to be in his corner when the fight takes place. It didn’t take long for McGregor to accept the offer.

Conor McGregor accepts Paul Hughes’ cornering offer against “Inbred rat” Usman Nurmagomedov

In a since-deleted tweet, McGregor answered Hughes’ call while also taking a shot at Nurmagomedov and Team Khabib.

“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 tweeted. “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!”

McGregor would add a hostile angle to a Hughes vs. Nurmagomedov clash. His rivalry with UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman’s cousin, is arguably the darkest in MMA history.

Despite being years removed from their UFC headliner, McGregor and Khabib still have hatred for each other. McGregor has repeatedly accused the Nurmagomedovs of inbreeding and made other offensive comments about the team.

Hughes could potentially be Nurmagomedov’s next title challenger after his most recent win over McKee. He signed with Bellator/PFL earlier this year after a decorated tenure in Cage Warriors.

Hughes has won seven straight fights since a controversial loss to Jordan Vucenic in Dec. 2020. It’s the only blemish on his otherwise perfect MMA record.

McGregor was supposed to make his UFC return earlier this year against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. But, weeks away from the event, he withdrew due to a toe injury.

As of this writing, a timeline for McGregor’s UFC return remains uncertain. In the meantime, McGregor could potentially pick up a side gig as one of Hughes’ cornermen.