Paul Hughes has done a complete about-face regarding his enthusiasm for having Conor McGregor in the corner for his upcoming fight.
When Hughes triumphed over AJ McKee at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in October, he passionately floated the idea of enlisting his Irish compatriot, “The Notorious,” to join his corner for a potential title clash with reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
At the time, McGregor pledged his support, expressing interest in standing in Hughes’ corner. The opportunity to reignite his storied rivalry with UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov — Usman’s first cousin and an almost certain presence in his corner — added an intriguing layer to the matchup.
“Big News” is now gearing up to face Nurmagomedov in the headline bout of the Road to Dubai Champions Series, set for Jan. 25 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, U.A.E. Surprisingly, though, he has decided to abandon his earlier plan of attempting to secure the former two-division UFC champion’s services for the biggest fight of his career to date.
????????: Your #RoadToDubai Champion Series Main Card!
Kicking off 2⃣0⃣2⃣5⃣ with a BANG as an rivalry gets reignited in the main event between Dagestan and Ireland as Usman Nurmagomedov and @paulhughesmma fight for the @BellatorMMA Lightweight Title
Plus, the… pic.twitter.com/UbjDddZg4G
— PFL (@PFLMMA) December 13, 2024
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Hughes said that he was simply toying with the idea and explained that he has no real plans to bring McGregor into his corner for the highly anticipated title clash.
“Look, I mean the whole corner thing, that was the post-fight interview where things were just being thrown there,” Hughes said. “Other than, that just blew up and did the rounds on social media a couple of times. Other than that, I haven’t mentioned it or looked about anything to do that.”
“Big News” further explained that, given McGregor’s involvement in a whirlwind of controversy following an Irish court ruling last month that he was liable for the assault of a woman who accused him of rape in 2018, it would be unwise to enlist the sport’s most iconic figure for his corner.
“Obviously with things going down now, it’s not something I’m going to continue to pursue.”
However, Hughes also mentioned that he would prefer to have another fellow Irishman, UFC welterweight sensation Ian Garry, in his corner.
Interestingly, “The Future” had previously offered his support, suggesting the idea of returning the favor after Hughes cornered him in 2021 during his title fight under the Cage Warriors banner.