'Underdog' Hughes vows to knock out McKee in Riyadh

While admitting that he goes into Saturday's fight with AJ McKee as an underdog for the first time, Paul Hughes still believes he will knock the American out when they face each other in Saudi Arabia this weekend.

The lightweight contest features on the undercard of the PFL's Battle of the Giants event in Riyadh on Saturday, which is headlined by heavyweight pair Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira.

Hughes is fighting for the first time since his second-round knockout win over Bobbie King at Bellator Dublin in June, but while the 27-year-old has won his last six bouts, he admits former Bellator featherweight champion McKee represents a big step up.

"AJ is a veteran. He's been there and done it," Hughes told BBC Sport NI.

"He's made a lot of money, fought a lot of good guys, beat them all.

"He's only had one loss in his whole career, he's 22-1, so he's a tough test and a big step up for me but a challenge I'm here for."

Hughes added: "[It's] definitely my first time as an underdog and by far the biggest fight of my career. This is life-changing stuff, if I beat AJ - or when I beat AJ - my life will be changed."

Hughes' star has been on the rise in recent years. Having overcome a near career-ending injury when he was younger, the Derry native secured the biggest win of his career when he beat Jordan Vucenic to become Cage Warriors' undisputed featherweight champion in November 2022.

In exacting revenge on the Englishman - who had beaten Hughes in 2020 - Hughes became the first Irish fighter since UFC superstar Conor McGregor to hold the Cage Warriors featherweight title.

At the time, Hughes eyed a deal with the UFC, but remained with Cage Warriors for wins over Jan Quaeyhaegens and Fabiano Silva before signing with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), which acquired Bellator in 2023, earlier this year.

But while Hughes senses a "life-changing opportunity" for himself in Saudi Arabia this weekend, McKee has been a big name in MMA circles for years and was for a long time the face of Bellator.

McKee also boasts the longest winning streak in Bellator history (18) and the second-most wins in the promotion's history, further underlining the scale of the task facing Hughes this weekend.

Prior to that, the 29-year-old Californian captured the Bellator featherweight title and a $1m prize when he beat Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire in Los Angeles in July 2021, losing the belt in a rematch against the Brazilian nine months later.

"I've studied AJ for a long time," added Hughes, who has secured eight of his 12 professional wins via stoppage.

"He's been top of the game in the MMA world for five years. I've known who he is for a long time, I've watched him for a long time.

"I'm going to walk him down and knock him out. That's what I foresee here. That's what's going to happen."

Hughes also believes that beating McKee will elevate him from being a highly-touted prospect to being one of the best lightweight fighters in the world.

"This is a huge opportunity for PFL to put on a massive card and that's what they've done here.

"The match-ups are unbelievable, Ngannou is the main event and obviously draws a lot of eyes so it's a huge opportunity for me to perform."