Bellator star sidelines Conor McGregor from his ongoing beef with Team Khabib after civil lawsuit verdict
Bellator star Paul Hughes back pedals in his bid to have Conor McGregor in his corner during the world title clash against Team Khabib.
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Fallout of civil case verdict sees Conor McGregor losing support from Irish fighter (Image via Instagram/X)
Post-civil trial guilty verdict timeline hasn’t been kind to Conor McGregor despite the Irish star’s plea of innocence. The former UFC champion suffered financially because of the verdict. ‘Notorious’ has been eyeing to make his return to the combat sports in a bid to move past recent troubles. It seems like the Bellator star and fellow Irish fighter Paul Hughes handed him a fresh blow.
The meteoric rise of Paul Hughes to the top ranks of 155lbs division in Bellator impressed Conor McGregor. This set the stage for Team Khabib’s Usman Nurmagomedov to go head to head against Hughes. The young Irish star even called for McGregor to corner him in his bid to seize the lightweight throne. However, after the recent legal troubles, Hughes appears to have drawn his own conclusion.
I mean the whole Conor thing that was the post-fight interview. Things were just being thrown out there. Although that just blew up and around in social media…Obviously with things going down now, it’s not something I am going to continue to pursue.
Paul Hughes via Exclusive interview for MMA Fighting on SBN
Looking back on his comments, Hughes has decided against having McGregor in his corner. The 27-year-old is gearing up for title shot against undefeated champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Responding to Hughes’ bid to reignite the Ireland vs Dagestan feud, ‘Eagle’ alerted his camp to prepare for war.
Paul Hughes doesn’t plan to actually have Conor McGregor in his corner for Usman Nurmagomedov fight
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 18, 2024
"Obviously with things going down now, it’s not something I’m going to continue to pursue." pic.twitter.com/dWfp7Def2z
The aftermath of the civil case saw McGregor losing brand deals and even got him dropped by Proper 12 Irish Whiskey. The megastar is stated to have lost $5-10 millions after losing the civil trial. It looks like another patriot and fellow UFC star has offered to replace McGregor for the Jan 25th title bout.
Paul Hughes accepts Ian Garry’s offer to corner him against Team Khabib over Conor McGregor
Star power of ‘Notorious’ certainly seems to have taken a hit after recent trouble. The Irish mixed martial artist is no longer in the good books of certain fans, including Bellator star Paul Hughes. Fellow UFC star, Ian Garry threw his name in the hat to aid Hughes as a replacement for McGregor. Moreover, the two young fighters have a fond history with one another.
Speaking with MMA Junkie, Hughes was quizzed about receiving a generous offer from Garry. Back in Garry’s Cage Warrior days, it was Hughes who stepped up to aid him as a cornerman when things weren’t looking good at his gym. Now, years removed from the incident, Garry is willing to return the favor, awaiting confirmation from Hughes.
Me and Ian go way back. We came up together through cage warriors…As he fought for his world title; I stood there in his corner. It’s fond memories with Ian, and absolutely if he is in Dubai we will throw him in there 100%. That’d be fun.
Paul Hughes via Exclusive Interview for MMA Junkie
Khabib Nurmagomedov certainly has a tall task ahead of him in 2025. Not just one, but three title fights await the former UFC star within the same week. Usman Nurmagomedov prepares to defend his title against Hughes, while Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov fights on the UFC 312 card. It remains to be seen who will get the last laugh this time around.
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Ayank Chourasia
(95 Articles Published)