Irish MMA fighter Paul Hughes can’t wait to get stuck into Manchester United legends he watched as a child.
Hughes comes up against former Man United stars Ryan Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov in a charity fundraising match in Belfast, Northern Ireland, this weekend.
Paul Hughes is fresh off a remarkable victory at PFL Belfast this monthJose Peñuela / PFLtalkSPORT’s own Jermaine Pennant is also part of the Premier League XI that consists of Keith Gillespie, Wes Brown and Stiliyan Petrov, who will play at Seaview on Saturday.
Jermaine Beckford, David Healy and Jason McAteer are also part of the squad.
They take on Tea With Me FC led by comedian Shane Todd, who has put together a squad that includes a host of combat sports stars.
UFC welterweight Rhys McKee, boxer Sean McComb and ex-pugilist Paddy Barnes will join Hughes to take on the Premier League side.
Hughes is fresh off fulfilling a lifelong dream by headlining a fight card in Belfast.
‘Big News’ couldn’t contain his excitement when speaking to talkSPORT.com about the upcoming match.
“I feel blessed to be able to play in a charity game for TAMHI and raise funds for a group of people doing great things for people suffering with mental health in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“Not only that, I get to play football against two guys I grew up watching as a Manchester United fan.
“So if Giggs and Berbatov thought the hairdryer treatment was something, wait until they come against me on Saturday at Seaview Stadium … I cannot wait.”
TAMHI is a mental health charity based in Northern Ireland that works with sports clubs and groups who use sport to raise awareness of mental health.
Hughes said he feels ‘blessed’ to share the pitch with legends like GiggsGetty Ex-Man United and Spurs forward Berbatov will also play in the matchGettyThey have organised the event alongside That Prize Guy.
It’s fair to say Hughes is used to performing on the biggest stages, having knocked out Bruno Miranda in 42 seconds in his PFL homecoming this month.
Hughes caught Miranda with a perfect left hook before finishing the Brazilian on the canvas, and the crowd inside Belfast’s SSE Arena exploded.
The 28-year-old will now contest a rematch with Usman Nurmagomedov, the cousin of iconic MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his next fight.
“I don’t know if I can put that into words,” Hughes told talkSPORT.com after his monumental victory.
“It doesn’t really feel real yet if I’m being honest. It’s weird I’m very centred right now, it was before, I think it comes with the reps of how active I’ve been.
Hughes will rematch Nurmagomedov in his next fight for PFL’s lightweight strapgetty He is arguably the biggest star in Irish MMA right nowgetty“Centred before, centred in there… yes, a bit of adrenaline with the knockout, but even in the cage, the centredness I felt even coming out, it’s an interesting thing – it feels good, it feels right.”
Hughes has laid out Belfast’s Titanic Quarter and Windsor Park (home to Northern Ireland’s football team) as potential options for a trilogy bout with Nurmagomedov should he win the rematch.
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