Khabib Nurmagomedov backs Paul Hughes in Irish beef with Conor McGregor: “You are a real Irishman”

By Josh Evanoff - January 29, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov has sided with PFL prospect Paul Hughes in his war against Conor McGregor.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Usman Nurmagomedov, Paul Hughes

‘Big News’ returned to the octagon in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1 last Saturday. In the main event of the Dubai-based card, Paul Hughes met Usman Nurmagomedov. The event heavily played into the Dagestan vs. Ireland rivalry, given the champion’s relation to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

‘The Eagle’ was in his cousin’s corner on Saturday as well, and played a big role in promoting the event. Despite entering the cage as a massive betting underdog, Paul Hughes gave it his all on Saturday night. The young Irishman gave Usman Nurmagomedov the toughest fight of his career, making the undefeated lightweight look mortal.

However, the Irishman was still handed a majority-decision loss after 25 minutes. Afterward, Paul Hughes was seen being respectful with Khabib Nurmagomedov, telling the Russian he wasn’t like Conor McGregor in a hot mic moment. That one comment led to several tirades from ‘The Notorious‘ about the PFL lightweight on X earlier today.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to feud between Paul Hughes and Conor McGregor after PFL title loss

Now, Khabib Nurmagomedov has reacted to Conor McGregor’s attacks on Paul Hughes. There, he credited ‘Big News’  calling him a real Irishman. He ended the post on Instagram Stories attacking his longtime rival, calling him a “rapist and drug addict”. Just based on Nurmagomedov’s post, it’s clear his rivalry with McGregor is far from over.

However, Paul Hughes doesn’t even necessarily want a feud with his Irish counterpart. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s podcast earlier today, the PFL star was asked about Conor McGregor’s recent attacks against him on social media. There, Hughes stated that the whole ordeal was honestly just sad.

“It sounds bad but it seems like it’s just another day in his life of tweeting madness.” Hughes stated. “It’s not like I saw that and thought ‘Oh wow, I can’t believe he said this about me’. It seems like it’s just another day in the life for him. I don’t hold weight to his opinion anymore, as to these sort of things. It’s kind of a sad thing to say that, but that’s just the reality of how I felt… I’ve always paid Conor homage at every opportunity. I’ll always say that he’s the greatest to ever do it… It’s kind of a sad thing.”

What do you make of these comments from Khabib Nurmagomedov? Do you side with PFL lightweight Paul Hughes, or Conor McGregor?

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Topics:

Conor McGregor Khabib Nurmagomedov Professional Fighters League (PFL)