Paul Hughes goes viral after PFL win in Riyadh, calls out Usman Nurmagomedov for "Ireland vs. Dagestan 2" with Conor McGregor in his corner

Paul Hughes just scored an upset win over A.J. McKee in the main card opener of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. In his post-fight interview, he issued a challenge to the reigning Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.

It was a bold challenge, especially for a fighter who has yet to rack up a sizable string of wins in Bellator's lightweight division. However, Hughes wants to do more than just face the Dagestani star for the divisional strap. He wants to heighten the stakes in his championship quest:

"At the end of the day, we all know who we want to see next. We wanna see Ireland vs. Dagestan number 2. We want to see Paul Hughes vs. Usman Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt."

Check out Paul Hughes' callout of Usman Nurmagomedov (1:30):

In a backstage interview with MMA Fighting, Hughes expressed his desire to have former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor in his corner if he is given a lightweight title bout:

"Someone clip this. Conor, I want you in my corner for that fight. 100%. How cool would that be? I mean, we might need some extra security that night."

Check Paul Hughes requesting Conor McGregor's presence in his corner (8:05):

Hughes' desire to have McGregor by his side was due to the latter's contentious history with the Nurmagomedov clan. McGregor famously faced the unbeaten Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, which is the most successful MMA event of all time. Unfortunately, McGregor came up short.

Nurmagomedov submitted him in round four, with their feud deepening due to a post-fight brawl between the two camps. Since then, McGregor has been as vitriolic as possible when talking about Nurmagomedov.

Whether Hughes can replicate the feud with Usman remains to be seen, but both the PFL and Bellator will be eager for even a fraction of UFC 229's success.