Sage Northcutt and ONE Championship have parted ways.

On Friday, ONE Championship announced Northcutt and the promotion mutually agreed to his release from the organization. Per ONE’s statement on its website the promotion “wishes Northcutt the best in his future endeavors” but made no further comment on the release.

Northcutt also responded to his release on Friday, posting a positive message on social media looking ahead to 2025.

“Excited for 2025 and looking forward to having some big fights!”

Northcutt came to prominence in the UFC before signing with ONE Championship in 2019. However, Northcutt’s time with ONE has been tumultuous, fighting just twice in the promotion. Northcutt lost his debut in 2019 and then was scheduled to fight Shinya Aoki in 2021 before withdrawing due to COVID complications. He finally got back in the cage in 2023, submitting Ahmed Mujtaba with a first-round heel hook.

Most recently, Northcutt was against scheduled to face Aoki in January of this year at ONE 165, but withdrew from the bout on fight day as his cornermen were denied visas. This incident created some tension between Northcutt and ONE as both parties disputed exactly what happened.

Still just 28 years old, Northcutt could be a coveted individual on the free-agent market. His overall MMA record stands at 12-3.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The UFC and PFL go head-to-head on Saturday, with the PFL putting on arguably the most important event in company history with Battle of the Giants, headlined by the MMA return of Francis Ngannou as he battles fellow knockout artist Renan Ferreira. While the stakes are certainly higher in Saudi Arabia, the UFC is bringing a fascinating middleweight main event between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira.

Ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Mike Heck preview both events, discuss the burning questions surrounding Ngannou vs. Ferreira, the returning Cris Cyborg facing Larissa Pacheco, Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2, and A.J. McKee vs. Paul Hughes. Additionally, they’ll discuss the Hernandez vs. Pereira five-rounder at the APEX, the heavily-favored Kyler Phillips facing perennial ranked bantamweight Rob Font in the co-main event, answer your questions, and much more.

Catch the PFL: Battle of the Giants and UFC Vegas 99 preview show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

It’s MMA double header this weekend as both the UFC and PFL are putting on events this Saturday. The biggest (both literally and metaphorically) is PFL Battle of the Giants, featuring the return of Francis Ngannou as he faces Renan Ferreira. That event also features a number of other marquee matchups including Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco and Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards 2, among others. Then the UFC gives fans a wonderful little nightcap with UFC Vegas 99, headlined by a middleweight matchup between Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira.

With so much to choose from, let’s dive right into the bets this week.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Straight Bets

Larissa Pacheco (-148)

Cyborg vs. Pacheco is arguably the best fight of the entire weekend. Featuring the No. 6 and No.7 ranked women in the MMA Fighting pound-for-pound rankings, it’s a bout that, on paper, should be exceptional. But I’m not convinced.

Cyborg is an all-time great but she’s also pushing 40 years old and hasn’t looked great in years. Her last meaningful win was Julia Budd and that was back in 2020. Since then it’s been a parade of undersized or woefully overmatched opposition. Now to be fair, Pacheco has had the same issue, but the difference between them is Pacheco at least is running roughshod over that opposition.

On top of that, Cyborg has seemed wildly disinterested all week, while this is the biggest fight possible for Pacheco. All this together makes me think the younger champion is in great position to get her hand raised on Saturday.

A.J. McKee (-176)

McKee takes on Paul Hughes in the main card opener of the PFL this weekend in a fight that may very well be the people’s main event. McKee is already a star and Hughes has all the trappings of a future one, he just needs the right wins. Unfortunately for “Big News” this won’t be one of those. McKee is simply too dynamic for the young Irishman, both on the feet and on the floor. I expect Hughes to give a good showing of himself, but this is a bit too much, too soon for Hughes.

Michel Pereira (+114)

Over in the UFC, the main event between “Fluffy” Hernandez and Pereira is an absolute banger. Hernandez is one of the middleweight division’s premier grapplers and Pereira is one of the sport’s premier wild men. Since moving up to 185 though, Pereira has been less wild and more “unstoppable killing machine.” Three fights, three first-round finishes, a combined fight time of three minutes and one second. “Demolidor” has been lethal since he stopped cutting so much weight, and I believe it will continue. Hernandez needs takedowns to win and Pereira stuffs those at a 94 percent rate. “Demolidor” continues to rise up the ranks.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Asu Almabayev by KO/TKO (+750)

Why not have a little fun, eh?

The prelim main event over in the UFC features Almabayev taking on Matheus Nicolau in a battle of ranked flyweights. Almabayev is one of many new hotshot guys coming in at 125 pounds and why I actually think Nicolau is probably a little undervalued straight up, I like a flyer on this line for one reason: all four of Nicolau’s career losses have come via KO or TKO.

Almabayev is going to get takedowns and when the submission game fails him, then he may pivot to ground-and-pound. I think there’s some life in this big of a line here.

Jean Matsumoto By Points (+100)

Also on the UFC prelims, Matsumoto takes on two-time The Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona in a bantamweight matchup that should favor him heavily. Katona wants to wrestle and grind but Matsumoto is a vastly superior athlete and striker. I think he can stuff enough takedowns and win this fight on the feet, and since Katona has never been finished, this is a good price for what is essentially the way Matsumoto can win.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Parlays

Francis Ngannou (-260)

I am, frankly, shocked that the line on Ngannou has dropped this much. Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons to doubt him — he’s been out of MMA almost three years, he was brutally KOed earlier this year, his life has been hectic — but still, the gulf in accomplishment between Ferreira and Ngannou is VAST. Like, Grand Canyon vast.

Ferreira has come along in the PFL but this is also a man who lost to Rizvan Kuniev 18 months ago! That’s the same Kuniev who just went on Contender Series this year. His best win is Ryan Bader, a career light heavyweight! I like Ferreira but the only way he wins this is if Ngannou is totally shot, and I don’t see that.

Francis is faster, hits harder, has the better chin, and is a better striker than Ferreira. It only takes one, but I’ll be pretty surprised if that one lands on Ngannou this Saturday.

Johnny Eblen (-400)

In a similar vein, I’ll be flabbergasted if Fabian Edwards beats Johnny Eblen — because they fought 13 months ago and Eblen demolished him! Yes, Edwards started that fight well, but pretty clearly the moment Eblen decided to really fight, Edwards had nothing for him. I suspect this time Eblen won’t come out so flat and make a statement early over Edwards.

Parlay these two bets together for -212 odds

Wrap Up

Should be a great weekend of fights. Honestly, I’m pretty pumped about the main card of the PFL (the undercard, we don’t need to discuss) and this UFC card is pretty solid for an APEX show. Let’s enjoy it and then it’s on to UFC 308.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Cris Cyborg will enter the PFL cage for the first time Saturday riding a 11-fight winning streak — MMA and boxing combined —, stopping six of her opponents with strikes, but none had the knockout power of her upcoming foe Larissa Pacheco.

Pacheco is a two-division PFL champion with 11 of her 23 MMA wins coming by way of knockout — including two sub-minute finishes during the 2023 season —, while Cyborg went 2-0 this year in boxing against overmatched opponents. Cyborg is a jiu-jitsu black belt under the legend Rubens Charles “Cobrinha,” and has placed third in the ADCC before, but Pacheco doesn’t expect the Bellator champion to avoid a stand-up war in Saudi Arabia.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t even know what her plans are,” Pacheco said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “My camp and training were focused on a broad plan, like I always do. I never focus on what my opponent is good at, on what she might do. I always focus on what I can get better at in case she tries to come up with something new — I mean my opponents in general, whoever I’m about to face. They might try to surprise me, so I better be prepared in all areas. What holes do I have to fix?

“I don’t know what she’s going to try and do, but one I can can guarantee you is that I’m ready for everything. I think it would surprise me [if she goes for takedowns] because of her history. She’s known for her striking and this style of moving forward and trading strikes and whatnot, so I believe she will trust that. Taking me down would be changing her style completely. It would be trying to show something that… I don’t know, but yeah, it would surprise me.”

Pacheco said she has met Cyborg at the UFC Performance Institute recently, while accompanying a friend who was about to fight in the octagon in Las Vegas, and said the veteran fighter was upset at her for something she had said during an interview after the fight was finally booked by the PFL.

“I think I said something in an interview and she was offended by it, but then I explained her what I said and what I had in mind,” Pacheco said. “Not that I was scared of her or anything like that, but out of respect. My word is my word, you know? If I had something to say I would go ahead and say it, but I won’t create trash talk out of nowhere just to sell a fight.”

“I’m always respectful towards my opponents and never take anything outside the cage,” she continued. “I know this hate is something that fans like, but I separate things. This is work, and that’s my personal life. I’m not the type of person to talk trash just to promote a fight. I know it doesn’t help my career because fans love this, but I can’t be someone I’m not.”

With no apparent animosity between the two knockout artists, Pacheco promises fireworks when the bell rings in Riyadh.

“I guarantee you that people won’t regret watching this fight,” Pacheco said. “Just match my style with hers and see what we do when we’re in the cage and there’s nothing else left to be said.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

A.J. McKee has some business to handle on Saturday but if all goes well it looks like he’ll finally get the fight he’s been chasing for over a year.

At the upcoming PFL: Battle of the Giants event, McKee faces fast-rising prospect Paul Hughes in the first bout on the pay-per-view main card but it seemed like a showdown against Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov was inevitable. An injury knocked McKee out of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, which prevented him from chasing the fight back then, but a recent encounter with Usman’s cousin and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov gave him the news he’s been waiting to hear.

“That’s the fight everyone wants is Usman and McKee,” McKee told MMA Fighting. “I think that’s what’s on the roster next. That’s what everybody wants and I don’t think there’s any other fights to make.

“I was down at [Usman’s] fight in San Diego and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] walks by and says ‘see you in Dubai.’ I’m like I’ll see you in Dubai so it looks like they’re pushing for it and I’m pushing for it. So it looks like we’re going to make it happen. There’s really no other fight to make happen.”

Since moving to lightweight, McKee has gone undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record including a lightning quick finish over PFL favorite Clay Collard back in February.

This time around he’s facing an up and comer in Hughes, who just signed with PFL as a free agent earlier this year and only has one fight under his belt with the promotion. Going from a win over a journeyman like Bobby King to a fight against arguably the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division might seem like an almost unrealistic step up in competition.

McKee can’t get inside Hughes’ head to know what he’s thinking but he plans on showing him there are levels to this game when they meet on Saturday.

“He really hasn’t dealt with any pressure,” McKee said. “He’s just been kind of walking through guys. How’s he going to react when things get a little nitty gritty and sticky? I’m not one to back down. So I’m going to be in his face the entire time. That’s what we’re going to have to see. How does Paul Hughes react when things aren’t going his way? What is he going to be capable of in those moments?

“I remember wanting to be neck and neck with the best. But it’s like Fast and the Furious — too soon Junior. That’s the quote I’m looking to drop in this one.”

Truth be told, McKee didn’t even really knows Hughes before he got offered the fight because he leaves scouting up to his father and trainer, Antonio McKee.

Maybe Hughes really is the next big thing but McKee promises he’s not going to be the stepping stone on his ascension to stardom.

“I don’t really pay attention [to my opponents],” McKee said. “My dad’s the one who watches video and footage and puts together the game plan. For me, a name is a name. The hit list is the hit list and I’m just going to continue to go in there and take out people one at a time. Paul Hughes, he’s a tough cat. I can’t take anything away from him. He’s been in there, he’s been fighting and I’m just going to go in there and show him I’m a different breed.

“I’ve been in his position so I know that young, hungry feeling. I remember the first time I fought a vet. My first vet was Pat Curran. So I remember that hungry feeling. I remember wanting that moment. I’m older but I ain’t that old. I’m still holding my ground. I’m going to do what I do best and that’s come out victorious by any means.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Joselyne Edwards had another rough day at the scale.

For the third time in her UFC career, Edwards came in over the bantamweight limit, registering at 139 pounds for her fight with Tamires Vidal (135.5) on Saturday at UFC Vegas 99. That’s a miss of three pounds for Edwards (including the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight), who weighed in again after hitting 139.5 pounds on her first attempt.

Watch footage of Edwards’ attempts below from Friday’s official weigh-ins, courtesy of Amy Kaplan.

It is not yet known if the bout will proceed as a catchweight and, if so, how much of Edwards’ purse will be forfeited as penalty.

Edwards previously missed weight for bouts against Lucie Pudilova and Ji Yeon Kim, though never by more than 1.5 pounds. In both of those instances, Edwards went on to win a split decision. She enters Saturday’s preliminary bout coming off of consecutive losses to Ailin Perez and Nora Cornolle.

The main event weigh-ins brought better news as middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira both successfully made weight at 185.5 pounds, making use of the one-pound allowance for a non-title fight.

Check out UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (185.5) vs. Michel Pereira (185.5)

Rob Font (135.5) vs. Kyler Phillips (135.5)

Charles Johnson (126) vs. Sumudaerji (126)

Jake Hadley (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)

Darren Elkins (144.5) vs. Daniel Pineda (145.5)

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)

Matheus Nicolau (125.5) vs. Asu Almabayev (125.5)

Brad Katona (135.5) vs. Jean Matsumoto (135.5)

Joselyne Edwards (139)* vs. Tamires Vidal (135.5)

Jessica Penne (115.5) vs. Elise Reed (115)

Melissa Martinez (115.5) vs. Alice Ardelean (115)

Austen Lane (251) vs. Robelis Despaigne (264)

*missed weight on second attempt. Weighed in over the limit at 139.5 pounds on first attempt

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The UFC Vegas 99 weigh-in video features 20 fighters stepping on the scale Friday morning in Las Vegas. Watch a live stream of the event above, courtesy of Ag. Fight.

In the main event, Anthony Hernandez and Michel Pereira have to hit the middleweight limit of 186 pounds for the non-title fight. Hernandez has won five straight fights, while Pereira has reeled off eight straight victories.

Rob Font and Kyler Phillips have to hit the 136-pound limit for the non-title bantamweight fight in the co-main event.

The UFC Vegas 99 official weigh-in video begins at 12 p.m. ET.

Check out UFC Vegas 99 weigh-in results below.

Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez vs. Michel Pereira

Rob Font vs. Kyler Phillips

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji

Jake Hadley vs. Cameron Smotherman

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda

Preliminary Card (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)

Matheus Nicolau vs. Asu Almabayev

Brad Katona vs. Jean Matsumoto

Joselyne Edwards vs. Tamires Vidal

Jessica Penne vs. Elise Reed

Melissa Martinez vs. Alice Ardelean

Austen Lane vs. Robelis Despaigne

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.

As you may have heard, there’s rumors currently swirling around the top of the bantamweight division, with Umar Nurmagomedov supposedly fighting Song Yadong soon instead of getting an expected title shot against Merab Dvalishvili. That’s led to further speculation that Dvalishvili could take on Sean O’Malley in an immediate rematch, which makes no sense, but this is the world we’re living in now.

I bring all this up to say that if O’Malley needs advice on how to deal with Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling offense, well, I know I a guy.

(Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the best KOs and submissions, and to @Grabaka_Hitman for uploading many of the clips you see here. Give them a follow and chip in on Patreon if you can.)

Turpal Gediev vs. Raatbek Kambarov

Hey, “Suga,” why didn’t you just do this to stop Dvalishvili’s takedowns?

At an Integra FC 19 show in Tbilisi, Georgia, Turpal Gediev made fighting look so easy as he stopped a shooting Raatbek Kambarov by simply spinning and planting his foot in his face. Seriously, this technique would have saved O’Malley a lot of trouble (and posting on social media).

Often, I’d call this sort of thing a fluke, like maybe Gediev was planning to kick the body and Kambarov just happened to duck into it, but after several replays, it actually looks like Gediev might have set that up. Either that or he made an incredible read-and-react play, which is mind-blowing in itself.

Will Fleury vs. Pavol Langer
Max Holzer vs. Mohammed Sadok Trabelsi

This news may have flown under the radar in North America, but over in Europe there was no bigger story than Oktagon MMA cramming 59,000-plus rabid MMA fans into Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany.

Though exact numbers are difficult to verify, as with any combat sports event, it’s clear that OKTAGON 62 was a smashing success, and the promotion has truly built something special even without larger-than-life names in the lineup.

Even better, the action delivered with several memorable moments, including Will Fleury’s wicked right hand knockout of Pavol Langer.

Fleury has competed for Bellator and PFL, and now seeks greater glory in Oktagon as he recorded his second straight finish for the promotion.

Big props as well to 22-year-old Max Holzer, who was smart enough to use a scooter for his entrance at the massive venue.

Those long walkouts can kill your cardio, a trap that the wise-beyond-his-years Holzer deftly avoided. Not coincidentally (IMHO), he finished his opponent in Round 3 to improve to 9-0 as a pro.

Adrian Bleszynski vs. Samuel Vogt

Speaking of late finishes, Adrian Bleszynski capped off a win in the fourth with this grueling finish of Samuel Vogt in the main event of Babilon MMA 48 in Sosnowiec, Poland.

That wasn’t exactly the most effective use of guard by Vogt. Great patience by Bleszynski to pick his shots and find a home for some accurate and heavy leather to shut Vogt’s lights off.

Andre Borges vs. Rodrigo Lidio
Inglesson de Lara vs. Marlon Brito
Anderson Ferreira vs. Walber dos Anjos

The knockouts were flowing at Centurion FC 23 in Rio de Janeiro, with both of the evening’s title fights ending via fisticuffs.

Andre Borges claimed Rodrigo Lidio’s welterweight title in violent fashion, loading up a left hand and letting Lidio have it just seven seconds into Round 2.

That’s three straight wins now for Borges, who has been one or two good wins away from signing with a larger promotion. He has losses to The Ultimate Fighter 32 winner Mairon Santos and recent UFC competitor Nick Fiore, names that could have pushed him towards a Contender Series opportunity had the result gone the other way. At 33, it might be too late for Borges to get that call, so he’ll have to settle on busting heads on the regional scene, which he’s doing just fine.

Inglesson de Lara, though? He has future UFC fighter written all over him. The 30-year-old lightweight claimed a vacant title on Saturday with a gorgeous body shot knockout of Marlon Brito.

What looked like a routine striking exchange turned out to be the end for Brito as his insides gave out on him. De Lara improves to 10-1 with the win.

Anderson Ferreira unleashed the best in the semifinals of the CFC one-night tournament, clipping Walber dos Anjos with a right hand, bonking him with a hammerfist, and then ruining him with a head kick.

Unfortunately for Ferreira, he’d later go on to lose by first-round submission to Paulo Henrique in the finals, but man, what a KO.

Kai Katayama vs. Shota Arikawa

What were you doing when you were 16? I wasn’t delivering highlight-reel knockouts, that’s for sure.

Kai Katayama, on the other hand…

Those legs are absolute thunder and you can’t help but feel for Shota Arikawa, who just happened to get caught in the storm.

Best of all, Lucas Bourdon’s note-perfect description of Katayama’s fighting fit.

If you know of a recent fight or event that you think may have been overlooked, or a promotion that could use some attention, please let us know on X — @AlexanderKLee — using the hashtag #MissedFists.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Add Daniel Cormier to the list of people not enthusiastic about Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone coming back to the UFC.

Earlier this week, “Cowboy” announced he intends to end his retirement and fight two more times in the UFC, hitting 50 total bouts between the UFC and WEC. The announcement received mixed reviews, with UFC CEO Dana White being among the most ardently opposed to it. But Daniel Cormier might give him a run for his money.

“The one thing about Cowboy, is that it’s very refreshing to watch how open he’s been with all of this,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He never lied. He never lied about what he was doing, what he was going to do, and how he was going to apply it to his life. And I’m all for a guy that has personal goals. And I love Cowboy… But at the end of the day, for years now, he’s been openly using steroids.”

“When you’re training, you start to feel better. You start to feel like yourself again, especially with the help. Then you go, ‘I want to fight again.’ But at the end of the day, Cowboy has been doing steroids, openly!”

Cormier is not the only fighter to raise these concerns. Cerrone himself noted he’s been taking TRT for years now along with other things and is now in the process of getting off those so he can re-enter the USADA testing pool and return to action, which is perfectly legal per the testing criteria. But Cormier believes that even if it abides by the letter of the law, it goes against the spirit of them.

“He’s not been clean,” Cormier said. “And even if he can come back, take tests, pass those tests to get back, he had to do all those things, all those enhancers to allow for him to feel like he can compete at that level again.

“So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like the guys that when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool, then when they recover from the injury, then they re-enter the testing pool? It’s not wrong. It’s not illegal. But is it right? Because you truly have been enhanced to get to where you are and how you feel, and feel good enough to come back and fight in the elite organization of the UFC.

“To me, it doesn’t feel right.”

To add to all this, Cormier notes that the nature of Cerrone’s exit from MMA opens up even more questions for his return. Cerrone left the sport having lost six of his final seven fights, with a no-contest as the only non-loss of his final three years competing. If Cerrone comes back looking like a new man, Cormier wonders how that will look given the circumstances. So all things considered, Cormier believes the UFC shouldn’t allow this to happen.

“Remember also, Cowboy lost six fights, had one no-contest in seven fights, and the last time he fought Jim Miller and got submitted,” Cormier said. “Imagine if he comes back and he looks like a world-beater. I’m against it. I’m honestly against the idea that you could find a loophole, go in and use that loophole, feel better while using that loophole, come back and fight because you can pass a clean test.

“I like Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. I’m against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone getting to compete in the UFC after openly doing what he’s been doing for the last two and a half years.”

TOP STORIES

Lawsuit. Gegard Mousasi is suing Bellator/PFL, seeking $ 15 million in damages.

Interim. Alexander Volkanovski is open to an interim title fight against Diego Lopes if in Australia.

Trash talk. PFL CEO Donn Davis issued a challenge to Dana White ahead of PFL’s big event this weekend.

Return. Brendan Schaub discusses Cowboy Cerrone’s return to MMA, possible issues.

VIDEO STEW

Between the Links

Full PFL Press Conference.

PFL faceoffs.

Contender Series highlights.

Max Holloway training camp.

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Tom Aspinall in the WWE.

Ride for your people.

Next gen Cowboy Cerrone.

Looking for a new home.

Deep.

Georges St-Pierre has the sort of retirement we should all aspire to: just chilling.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This should be pretty simple: if you believe in drug testing, then Cerrone should be allowed to compete if he passes the tests. If you bar him from fighting despite him coming in clean, that’s pretty clearly dumb. You believe in the science or you don’t. Pick one.

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @AlexanderKlee or @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let us know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and like us on Facebook.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Paul Hughes was ready for this.

Despite only a single fight since joining the PFL in free agency, the 27-year-old Irish prospect didn’t blink when he got the call to face former Bellator champion A.J. McKee in the opening bout on the upcoming pay-per-view card on Saturday from Saudi Arabia. Of course jumping in the deep end against a vastly experienced opponent might seem like too much, too soon, especially considering McKee has more career finishes (14) than Hughes has total fights (13).

But Hughes says getting the chance to face competition like McKee now rather than later is exactly why he signed with the PFL in the first place.

“This is exactly what I called for whenever I came into the PFL,” Hughes told MMA Fighting. “I said I want the most entertaining fights, the hardest fights and I want to put on shows for the fans. That’s exactly what’s going on here. I think I did a pretty good job in my debut. It was a pretty good scrap. Fans were happy enough and this one is just another step up.

“Now I’m kind of in that position where I’ve got the opportunity to fight one of the best in the world and prove what I have been saying for the last year — I’m one of the best fighters on the planet.”

Hughes doesn’t doubt that he’ll set foot in the cage as a sizable underdog and he understands that narrative given McKee’s history as one of the top fighters in Bellator for the past few years.

McKee has only tasted defeat once in his career and that was a close decision against Patricio Pitbull — an opponent he vanquished in less than two minutes during their first encounter. Since moving to lightweight, McKee is undefeated with a perfect 4-0 record including a lightning quick submission win over perennial PFL contender Clay Collard back in February.

“You put our records up against each other, you look at the experience AJ has against some of the best in the world for many, many years, on paper, I’m a huge, huge underdog coming into this fight,” Hughes acknowledged. “But look there’s a reason for the last 12 months I’ve been saying I’m one of the best in the world right now. I’ve mixed it up with some of the best guys in the world in training. I know my skill level. I know my capabilities. I know I’m a born competitor. You put me in there against anybody, I will win. I rise to the occasion.

“The proof that I have throughout my career, the higher pressure the fight, the bigger the occasion, the better that I perform. That’s just not me saying that’s what’s going to happen. I have proof of that happening. I’ve been there and done it. I’ve fought five round world title fights. I’ve performed every single time. Now it’s just the next step up. It’s a bigger stage but for me that means a better performance on my behalf.”

Getting McKee in just his second fight with PFL also further justified Hughes’ decision to pass on an offer from the UFC when he hit free agency earlier this year.

He laid out a multitude of reasons why he chose the PFL but money and opportunity sit at the top of that list and both are paying off with this fight.

“I knew deep down when I made the decision it was the right call,” Hughes explained. “I knew it was going to pay off for me. I didn’t quite expect it to pay off so quickly, in terms of how big the fights are, how big the events are but also how life changing the money is. I’m getting a bonus on top of my usual contract for this fight. Yes, I deserve it, I’m fighting one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet on a huge card. But my life has completely changed in the last six months. It’s incredible.

“It would take many, many years [in the UFC] to be able to get to the position that I am monetarily with the PFL. I knew it was going to be the right decision. It’s just paid off how I thought it would.”

Following his debut win in PFL in June, Hughes actually planned on calling out Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, but the undefeated Russian already had a fight booked at that point.

There’s nothing stopping Hughes from asking for that fight if he gets through McKee on Saturday, which is another reason why he was so excited to get this offer.

“This is exactly how I envisioned it,” Hughes said. “It’s actually playing out. Sometimes you aim for the stars and you end up on the moon. This one, I’ve ended up in the stars. Exactly what I asked for has happened. When I signed with the PFL, my expectations have been exceeded and it’s an unbelievable time.”

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