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Ireland’s Paul Hughes Plans To Tell Khabib ‘I Told You So’ After Beating Dagestan’s Usman Nurmagomedov

PFL star Paul Hughes is excited for Khabib Nurmagomedov to have a cageside view to his recent claim about Ireland being proved emphatically wrong later this month. Khabib, a former UFC lightweight champion, has put considerable time into coaching since ending his career as a 29-0 professional. And after cornering Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov […]

PFL star Paul Hughes is excited for Khabib Nurmagomedov to have a cageside view to his recent claim about Ireland being proved emphatically wrong later this month.

Khabib, a former UFC lightweight champion, has put considerable time into coaching since ending his career as a 29-0 professional. And after cornering Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov in Los Angeles on Jan. 18, “The Eagle” will head to Dubai for Usman Nurmagomedov’s Bellator title defense.

Ahead of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event on Jan. 25, the Dagestani has been doing some promotional work on social media by claiming his region’s superiority over that of his cousin’s opponent, Ireland’s Hughes.

You can say whatever you want, but if we’re talking about facts, you can’t compare Irish fighters with fighters from Dagestan. We dominate amateur MMA, and it’s not even close—not just compared to Irish fighters but the whole world. I’m absolutely confident that if we were to…

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 3, 2025

During a recent interview with BBC Sport NI, Hughes recalled his first time seeing Khabib suggest that Ireland ‘doesn’t have fighters’, a remark that brought back memories of his crushing triumph over Conor McGregor in 2018.

The 27-year-old expects to prove the UFC legend wrong come fight night in Dubai, and he’s got some words ready to tell “The Eagle” in the aftermath.

“I was out with a friend, and I saw it and thought, ‘I don’t really care.’ It’s just fight stuff but it’s good for marketing, it’s good he’s doing that, but I don’t really care,” Hughes said. “I respect him as a fighter, but I don’t care what his opinion is.

“Knowing he’ll be in Usman’s corner, I think when I win, I’ll be like, ‘I told you so,’ and that will be pleasurable but that is the competitor in me,” Hughes added.

Hughes has also reacted plenty of times on social media, first telling Khabib that McGregor ‘made him famous’, before most recently taking a dig at Usman’s failed drug test in 2023.

Read More: Daniel Cormier Thinks Ilia Topuria Is Poised To Become ‘Global Superstar’ In 2025

When Ilia Topuria Scolded Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Cousins for Being Super Cheaters on Steroids

When Ilia Topuria Scolded Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousins for Being Super Cheaters on Steroids In a Spanish-language interview, Ilia Topuria showed tremendous respect to the former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov but the featherweight…

In a Spanish-language interview, Ilia Topuria showed tremendous respect to the former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov but the featherweight king had harsh words for his cousins and some teammates.

Ilia Topuria Scolds Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Cousins for Being on Steroids

The Spanish-Georgian Ilia Topuria had an incredible 2024. He stopped two top-ranked pound-for-pound fighters, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, both by knockout. With the UFC featherweight crown in-tact, he may be looking up a division to challenge the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, a student of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 record and a UFC lightweight champion leaving behind an incredible legacy. His team and cousins have picked up multiple titles across MMA including the UFC, Bellator, and elsewhere.

But the Spanish-Georgian athlete had some harsh words for the Nurmagomedov family and team while expressing tremendous respect for Nurmagomedov himself. Ilia Topuria explained:

“Look, one thing I respect about Khabib Nurmagomedov is the guy is really super respectful. He never says anything about anybody. People talk a lot. He never says anything about anybody. I’ve mentioned Islam Makhachev, and all the cousins come out. They have never knocked anyone out, they get caught using steroids, they’re super cheaters, and suddenly they jump.

“The only thing it tells me is that they have a damaged nervous system from taking so many steroids. Because that’s the first thing that gets damaged. Threatening a fighter with ‘When we see each other I’m going to hit you.’ It’s like, man, I dedicate my life to fighting, let them be a little more creative. I don’t know what to say. Their best is Islam Makhachev. “

Chael Sonnen Fires Back at Darren Till Over Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland Uproar

Khabib Nurmagomedov ruffled some feathers earlier this week when he disparaged Irish MMA. During an interview with the PFL,…

Khabib Nurmagomedov ruffled some feathers earlier this week when he disparaged Irish MMA.

During an interview with the PFL, Nurmagomedov slammed the lack of world-class fighters coming out of Ireland, specifically mentioning Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes — who will challenge Khabib’s cousin Usman Nurmagomdeov for the Bellator lightweight title on January 25 — as the only two worth mentioning.

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While some were quick to point out the obvious omission of surging welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry, former UFC fighter Darren Till snapped back at the Hall of Famer for trying to compare Ireland’s output of MMA talent to Russia, a significantly larger country than The Emerald Aisle.

“I’ve always respected Khabib and his team a lot they are fantastic fighters. But for him to sit there and say fighters from Ireland are low level in comparison of sizes of countries and production. Ireland is actually way ahead Ireland is so fucking small and Russia is so fucking big. Ireland has produced amazing fighters over the years. I would said just over size and production of the country Ireland wins every time and this is not me being biased because I am neither friends with khabibs side or irelands side I’m just stating my opinion.”

Chael Sonnen Corrects Till while commenting on Khabib’s criticism of Ireland

Chiming in, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen noted that Nurmagomedov didn’t compare Ireland to Russia, but to Dagestan which is a republic in the Russian Federation.

“That’s not what he said,” Sonnen replied. “RUSSIA was never mentioned. He was clear to say Dagastan. Now i’ll step back, please continue the FITE….”

Comparatively, Dagestan has a population of just over three million while Ireland has 5.2 million occupants.

Make of that what you will.

Paul Hughes Gives 4-Word Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Claiming ‘Ireland Don’t Have Fighters’

In a recent social media video posted by the PFL, Khabib Nurmagomedov criticized the credibility of Irish fighters. The former UFC lightweight champion has his own well-documented history with one fighter in particular from this region which led to the biggest fight in the history of the sport seven years ago. For team Khabib, they’ve […]

For team Khabib, they’ve got an extremely busy start to 2025 as after UFC 311 takes place, where Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov will feature at the top of the card, it’s Usman Nurmagomedov’s turn at the PFL’s Road to Dubai event on January 25. At the Coca-Cola Arena, the undefeated Bellator lightweight champion will defend his title against Ireland’s Paul Hughes in a highly anticipated showdown.

Following Hughes’ prompt, the promotion has marketed the main event as the next instalment in the MMA rivalry between Ireland and Dagestan but Khabib doesn’t think that this is any kind of competition. Despite the amount of success that Ireland has had in combat sports despite its population, “The Eagle” is yet to be impressed by what the emerald isle has to offer, especially in regards to comparisons with Dagestan.

“Ireland don’t have fighters, brother,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with PFL. “Let’s be honest: How many fighters from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. Who else? There is no fighters, brother. You come to Dagestan, you can understand. So many organizations, they don’t even want to sign Dagestan fighters because they worry about like, everybody can become champion.

“Let’s be honest: Dagestan level of MMA here (up high),” Nurmagomedov said. “But Ireland level, like not even half of Dagestan level.”

Hughes’ response was simple and to the point. With coach Khabib seemingly having a front row seat for January 25 from the corner of the defending champion, “Big News” is excited to prove him wrong.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland Draws the Scorn of Darren Till “Ireland wins every time”

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has reignited his rivalry with Ireland and its fighters after making controversial remarks…

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has reignited his rivalry with Ireland and its fighters after making controversial remarks about the state of Irish MMA. Speaking in a recent interview with the PFL, Nurmagomedov downplayed Ireland’s contributions to mixed martial arts, claiming its talent pool pales in comparison to that of his native Dagestan.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland

“Ireland don’t have fighters, brother,” Khabib Nurmagomedov said. “Let’s be honest. How many fighters do you know from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor [McGregor], and who else? There is no fighter, brother.” He went further, comparing the skill levels between the two regions: “Dagestan level of MMA [is] here,” he said, gesturing high, “but Ireland level? Not even half of Dagestan level.”

Khabib’s comments come just weeks before a major clash between his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Ireland’s Paul Hughes for the Bellator lightweight title on January 25, 2025. The fight has already been dubbed “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.0,” a callback to the heated Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor bout at UFC 229 in 2018.

Paul Hughes wasted no time firing back. Responding to Khabib’s remarks, he said, “Just wait till I get my hands on yo boy,” in a pointed message aimed at Usman Nurmagomedov.

Darren Till

Among the voices reacting to Khabib’s statements was former UFC contender Darren Till, who came to Ireland’s defense. Till, known for his bluntness, pointed out the impressive achievements of Irish MMA despite the country’s small population.

“I’ve always respected Khabib and his team; they are fantastic fighters,” Till said. “But for him to sit there and say fighters from Ireland are low-level? Considering the size difference between Russia and Ireland, Ireland is actually way ahead.

“Ireland is so fing small, and Russia is so fing big. Ireland has produced amazing fighters over the years. Just based on size and production, Ireland wins every time. This is not me being biased—I’m not friends with Khabib’s side or Ireland’s side—I’m just stating my opinion.”

Khabib’s remarks have reignited a long-standing tension between Dagestan and Ireland in MMA, drawing strong reactions from fans and fighters alike. While some view his comments as an extension of his rivalry with McGregor. The upcoming Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes fight is now under even greater scrutiny.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland Draws the Scorn of Darren Till “Ireland wins every time”

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has reignited his rivalry with Ireland and its fighters after making controversial remarks…

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland

Paul Hughes wasted no time firing back. Responding to Khabib’s remarks, he said, “Just wait till I get my hands on yo boy,” in a pointed message aimed at Usman Nurmagomedov.