Paul Hughes fires back at Khabib Nurmagomedov over comments about Irish MMA: “Conor made you famous”

PFL lightweight contender Paul Hughes has fired back at Khabib Nurmagomedov.

‘The Eagle’ made headlines earlier this week with his controversial comments about Irish MMA. While Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired as a fighter these days, he’s still an active coach for his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov. The Bellator lightweight champion is slated to meet the rising Irish star Paul Hughes later this month in Dubai.

Ahead of the lightweight title bout, the PFL has marketed the event as ‘Dagestan vs. Ireland‘. It’s an easy decision, given Khabib Nurmagomedov’s involvement in the event. The former UFC champion famously competed against Conor McGregor in 2018, scoring a submission win over the Irishman in the biggest fight in the history of MMA. Later this month, Nurmagomedov will again be in his cousin’s corner.

Meanwhile, there’s a good possibility that Conor McGregor will be in Paul Hughes’ corner on fight night. With that in mind, ‘The Eagle’ seems eager to revive his rivalry with the nation of Ireland. Earlier this week, Khabib Nurmagomedov was brutal in his assessment of the current state of Irish MMA, stating they’re levels below Dagestan.

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Conor made you famous. https://t.co/88ycFRkTCf

— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma) January 3, 2025

Give it a rest @AliAbdelaziz00 😴 https://t.co/yZrRvkNiwG

— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma) January 3, 2025

Dagestan number 1 at juicing bratha 💉 pic.twitter.com/ff82h3Q6ko

— Paul Hughes MMA (@paulhughesmma) January 3, 2025

Paul Hughes fires back at Khabib Nurmagomedov ahead of Bellator title fight

Brother, Ireland doesn’t have fighters brother.” Khabib Nurmagomedov stated when asked about the Russia vs. Ireland feud in MMA. “Let’s be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. Who else? Brother, you come to Dagestan, you can understand… You know, but with Dagestan, let’s be honest. Dagestan level of MMA [is up] here. But Ireland level, not even half of Dagestan level.”

Well, it hasn’t taken long for Paul Hughes to respond. Earlier today on X, ‘Big News’ directed several posts at Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Irish striker wrote that Conor McGregor made the Russian famous. In a follow-up post, he accused Ali Abdelaziz of speaking for Nurmagomedov and mocked Usman Nurmagomedov’s infamous drug test failure.

Based on these comments, it’s clear there’s bad blood between the two sides. However, fans won’t have to wait long to see Paul Hughes collide with the Nurmagomedov clan later this month.

What do you make of these comments from the PFL star? Who do you agree with? Khabib Nurmagomedov or Paul Hughes?