Paul Hughes v AJ McKee: Irishman ready for ‘life-changing opportunity’ in Riyadh fight

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.”