PFL lightweight star and Conor McGregor‘s Irish compatriot Paul Hughes defeated former Bellator champion AJ McKee at their PFL: Battle of the Giants bout this weekend in Saudi Arabia. But he had a scare during his fight when he feared the crowd was booing him, unhappy with there not being enough action in the fight.

Thankfully, that was just a misunderstanding created by the entry of soccer megastar Cristiano Ronaldo into the arena. To welcome CR7, the crowd started shouting ‘Siuuu’, the Portugal star’s signature goal celebration, which the Irishman mistook to be boos directed at him and McKee.

“There’s something funny about that because he [Cristiano Ronaldo] came into the arena during the first round of my fight. And at this stage of the fight, I was on top of AJ like half-guard but we had just scrambled. Like big ground and pound, and then scramble, scramble, scramble. And we end up in a half-guard for a second. And then I thought I started hearing all these boos and I was like ‘People boo me ’cause I’m not striking.’ I’ve just got here, I worked so hard to get here… and then after the fight, I found out everyone was shouting ‘Siuu.’ And I was like thank god,” Hughes told Ariel Helwani.

And it wasn’t until after the fight that Hughes realized the crowd was giving Ronaldo a customary welcome, rather than booing his fight. To be fair, even Ariel Helwani was confused when watching the live stream and mistook the ‘siuuu’ chants for boos, as he admitted to Hughes during their interview. And after his victory, the Irishman wants to recreate a version of the greatest rivalry in MMA history.

Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner for a title clash with Khabib’s cousin

AJ McKee had lost just once in his twenty-three fight pro-MMA career going into the Paul Hughes fight. And the Irishman was able to dominate the former champion for almost the entirety of their three rounds, proving yet again he is a world-class fighter. And that is why the Irishman feels he has earned a title clash against Bellator lightweight champion (PFL acquired Bellator last year but has kept it alive as a separate brand) and Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov.

“We all know who’s next! Usman Nurmagomedov is next,” Hughes thundered in his post-fight interview, setting up a potential Ireland vs. Dagestan clash. To spice things up and raise the stakes, the PFL lightweight had one additional demand- to have Conor McGregor in his corner.

“Conor, I want you in my corner for that fight, 100 percent. How cool would that be? I mean, we might need some extra security that night, but I’m down for it,” Hughes added. Of course, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov faced each other at UFC 229, which remains the biggest fight in the history of the sport. And Hughes wants to avenge Ireland and McGregor’s honor by defeating Khabib’s cousin.

What are your thoughts on Hughes mistaking the crowd welcoming Ronaldo for boos? Will we see McGregor and Nurmagomedov under the same roof if that fight is scheduled? Let us know in the comment section below!