Over the past decade I’ve lost count of how many Irish fighters’ promotional builds have been based on their proximity to Conor McGregor, the biggest star MMA ever produced.
During his ascent and championship run, there were numerous Irish prospects dubbed “the next Conor McGregor.” To be fair, there were also many fighters given a leg-up because of their affiliation with him.
A lot can change in 10 years. One thing that certainly has is Ireland’s opinion of McGregor.
In November, in the midst of a civil case in which McGregor was accused of sexual assault, PFL began promoting Saturday’s Road to Dubai Champion Series event — headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title defense against Ireland’s Paul Hughes — as “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.”
The most viral of the promotion’s social media posts for the marquee bout shows Khabib Nurmagomedov, who soundly beat McGregor in their 2018 meeting, incredulously reacting to the notion of a rematch between his homeland and his old foe’s.
“Let’s be honest, Dagestan level of MMA here (raising his hand high above his head), but Ireland level, not even half,” said the former UFC lightweight champion.
He is, of course, completely correct.
Dagestan currently boasts one UFC champion, three PFL tournament winners and two Bellator champions. Comparing the mountainous Russian region to any other nation in terms of MMA success seems ridiculous at this point, as its fighters continue to show dominance across the landscape of the sport.
Watching PFL’s uploads for this event, some might think Hughes had been calling for Usman Nurmagomedov in order to avenge McGregor’s 2018 defeat to Nurmagomedov’s cousin. But as he’s underlined since signing with the organization, Hughes’ primary objective was securing the world title, which is currently held by Nurmagomedov.
And yes, it was Hughes who first uttered the “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2” phrase during his callout of the champion in the aftermath of his upset win over the highly touted A.J. McKee in October. Hughes has credited McGregor as an inspiration, describing him as “the best to ever do it.” But even he knew to pull back in the aftermath of McGregor losing the sexual assault case, recoiling with his request for McGregor to corner him during a November interview with MMA Fighting.
“The cornering thing, that was a post-fight interview thing where things were just being thrown out there,” Hughes said.
“That blew up and done the rounds on social media, but other than that I haven’t looked into anything to do with it. Obviously with things going down now, it’s not something I’m going to continue to pursue.”
In recent years, Irish fighters aligning themselves with McGregor is a tactic that has not washed well with audiences.
When Ian (not yet Machado) Garry signed with the UFC in 2021, many within the Irish MMA community hoped he would help change the national perception of the sport, which had suffered due to the growing numbers of controversies already surrounding McGregor.
Garry must not have received the memo, because as soon as he entered that fight week he appeared as though he spoke exclusively in repackaged quotes from McGregor’s ascent. Even his stunning first-round knockout failed to make waves back home. Even now, after putting together a seven-fight winning streak and staking his claim in the championship stakes, he is somewhat of an unknown quantity for the majority of Irish sports fans.
If things were bad in 2021, you can imagine how low present-day public sentiment in Ireland is surrounding “The Notorious” on the back of the aforementioned civil case. Since then, his brands have been boycotted en masse throughout Ireland and the UK.
In some ways, this sort of cliche marketing should be expected. Bellator enjoyed many successful years in Dublin pushing its own version of “The Irish Invasion” after McGregor’s meteoric rise. By the end of the promotion’s tenure in the country, the community grew frustrated with McGregor’s Straight Blast Gym being given an overwhelming majority of the opportunities in comparison to the rest of the gyms on the Emerald Isle.
It was hoped that Hughes’ signing to PFL in 2024 would move the conversation in a new direction. An obvious talent from his amateur years, after banking one of the greatest professional debuts the island has seen, doctors told Hughes he would never fight again due to the severity of a fracture he suffered in his hand. Several breaks later, he stuck to his goal. After clinching the Cage Warriors title in 2022, he was roundly celebrated as one of the best fighters outside of the UFC.
Injuries obscured UFC bids to sign Hughes, and eventually he fought his way out of his Cage Warriors deal. Upon announcing free agency, a bidding war ensued, which concluded when “Big News” put pen to paper with the UFC rival. Two wins later, he is knocking on the door of completing his odyssey to the top of the MMA mountain.
To add to that, Hughes hails from Derry, one of the most historically significant counties in Ireland. He represents a team from Belfast, FAI, whose head coaches Liam Shannon and Pat McAlister have helped build one of the most thriving hotbeds on the island.
For those who need to hear it: There will never be another Conor McGregor.
From his heady triumphs to his many tribulations, he turned a whole nation onto a sport. He also eventually contributed to turning them away from it.
But there is a new, vibrant story to be told about Irish MMA. On Saturday night in Dubai, Hughes can solidify himself as the protagonist of that tale.
