Paul Hughes has revealed the big plans he has in mind for his immediate career, ahead of his Battle Of The Giants showdown against AJ McKee.
The 27-year-old will make his first walk to the Smart Cage on October 19 against, what is largely considered to be, his toughest opponent to date.
After a blistering start to his professional career, picking up 6 finishes in his first 6 contests, Hughes suffered his first, and only, defeat before returning to wining ways with three decision wins. Since his last decision victory, Hughes has finished every opponent in emphatic style. When asked, by MMAJunkie, what had changed and how he had returned to the form that fans are so used to seeing him in, he said:
“I think for my world title fights, which were the ones that ended up in decisions, obviously fighting (a) very, very high level opponent, it's obviously hard to finish these guys. But sometimes I was coming into them fights and I wasn't at my best in terms of I wasn't physically 100% going into some of them. That may have played a factor, whereas my last few fights I really haven't had many issues.
“So that could be part of it, I'm not too sure, but all I know is I'm going for the finish every single time.”
The McKee fight will mark Hughes’ third in the space of six months. ‘Big News’ revealed that one of the big factors he considered when signing with the PFL, was regularly competition. Although he is not 100% sure as to what is next in line, the Irishman is keen to keep competing at a ferocious rate.
“For this fight, I may have some time to the next fight. If I'm doing the season next year, it begins in April, so that's a lot of time.
“But in terms of this year, you know, I signed with the PFL. One of the reasons that I done that was I knew they were going to keep me active. That's what I wanted (in) this part of my career, I'm coming into my prime. I've just recently, as of three fights ago, moved up a weight class, so I'm not worried about big weight cuts.
“I'm worried about getting in there and competing as much as I possibly can and making as much money as I possibly can. So I'm in a great place.”
Since the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, fans have witnessed athletes switch between the two promotions. When asked if he would rather explore the PFL Season or compete for a Bellator title, Hughes said he wants the most exciting fights, no matter which banner the bouts are under. However, a bout against the current Bellator Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov is certainly catching Hughes’ attention.
“Look, I mean, right now, what is the most exciting to me is definitely fighting Usman. I mean, that's Russia versus Ireland number 2. It's an Irishman versus Nurmagomedov. Obviously, there's got to be storyline there as well with AJ supposed to be the next guy up, but whenever I beat him, then it's got to be me next.
"Usman is a guy I've called a couple of times on social media. I was going to call him right after my debut with Bellator, but he had just got booked that week. He's definitely someone that I've kept my eye on and whenever I beat AJ, then we'll see what happens.”
You can watch the full interview, below:
