“Brother, nobody knows who is Paul Hughes,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “He can talk something only because he wants to promote himself. PFL gave him this title shot only because he’s from Ireland, and they want to promote Ireland vs. Dagestan – something like that.

MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré spoke with Paul Hughes before he challenges the undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov at PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series.

Javier Mendez has claimed that a major weakness in Paul Hughes is his ground game, with Usman Nurmagomedov's coach highlighting it as a key flaw for his man's rival. Hughes is set to challenge the Bellator lightweight champion on Saturday night, live in a number of regions on DAZN, in what will be his first tilt at a major MMA title.

Paul Hughes takes on Usman Nurmagomedov on Saturday night for the Bellator lightweight title, and the pair engaged in a frosty face-off in Dubai ahead of the fight