Paul Hughes earned the biggest win of his career as he outstruck AJ McKee to win their lightweight bout by split decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Belfast’s Hughes, 27, dropped American McKee with a right hook in the first round and impressed throughout with his dangerous striking.
Hughes was an underdog going into the bout against 29-year-old McKee, who is a former Bellator featherweight champion.
“The PFL believed in me and look at me now. I took the risk, I fought one of the best in the division. Here I am, a rural kid from Ireland. I bet on myself,” said Hughes.
The bout opened the main card of the PFL’s Super Fights card, which is headlined by Francis Ngannou’s heavyweight bout with Renan Ferreira.
Hughes had called the fight with McKee a “life-changing opportunity” in the build-up to the contest, with the American representing the biggest bout of his career.
Hughes, a former featherweight champion in UK-based promotion Cage Warriors, was competing in only his second PFL bout after defeating Bobby King in June.
McKee, meanwhile, was the face of Bellator for years before it was acquired by the PFL last year, with his 18-fight win streak between 2015 and 2021 representing the longest in the promotion’s history.
Hughes’ lack of big-fight experience compared to McKee was not evident however as he put the American on the backfoot from opening bell.
With Hughes looking dangerous, McKee instigated the first grappling exchange while narrowly avoiding a flying knee, which drew gasps from the crowd.
McKee turned to his wrestling to try to nullify Hughes’ strikes but the Ireland fighter defended well before delivering the defining moment of the round.
With McKee backed up against the cage, Hughes dropped him with a right hook before the bell came to the American’s rescue.
McKee recovered well in the second round, avoiding serious damage from Hughes while delivering some quick one-two jabs, before ending the round on top on the ground.
But Hughes would take control again in the final five minutes, trapping McKee up against the cage once again and unleashing an array of strikes against the tiring American, including an eye-catching uppercut.
After extending his record to 13 wins and one defeat, while inflicting only the second loss of McKee’s 24-fight career, Hughes called for a bout with Russian Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
A fired-up Hughes said: “We want to see Ireland v Dagestan, we want to see Paul Hughes v Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator lightweight title. Let’s go!”
