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Paul Hughes Upsets AJ McKee in PFL Battle of the Giants Opener

The two lightweights met in a highly-anticipated matchup in Saudi Arabia.

Drew Beaupre

(PFL)

The PPV portion of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the giants kicked off with a huge lightweight matchup between AJ McKee and Paul Hughes.

Hughes Upsets McKee

One of the PFL's highest-profile free agent acquisitions during the last year, Hughes debuted in the co-main event of Bellator Champions Series: Dublin in June and stopped Bobby King in the second round.

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The impressive win from "Big News" led to him being booked for a huge step up against McKee, who had put together a 4-0 record as a lightweight after losing the Bellator featherweight title in a rematch with Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 277.

The matchup was made all the more significant by the fact that it was scheduled to kick off the PPV portion of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants, and Hughes nearly ended things in the opening round when he connected with a huge knee and follow-up punches that floored McKee right before the bell sounded.

The second round saw "Big News" continue to control the striking exchanges while he also fought off any takedown attempts from McKee, and although the former Bellator champion found more success with his grappling during the final frame it wasn't enough to avoid losing a split decision.

The victory was arguably the biggest of Hughes' career and puts the 27-year-old on a 7-fight win streak, and he also may have put himself in pole position to challenge undefeated Bellator Lightweight Champions Usman Nurmagomedov next.

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McKee vs. Hughes was one of two non-title fights scheduled for the Battle of the Giants PPV, and the two lightweights helped get fans primed for the rest of a stacked card topped by Francis Ngannou's promotional debut against Renan Ferreira.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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