MMA: Liverpool PFL star Connor Hughes on training since age of three and title bid
Not many mixed martial arts stars can claim to rival the Liverpudlian’s fighting background as Connor Hughes has traveled the world since he was three years old in a kickboxing career with his mum and uncle.
Hughes faces the biggest fight of his sporting career on Saturday when he takes on undefeated Jakub Kaszuba in the PFL European lightweight final in Lyon.
The 27-year-old Hughes, who has won two fights so far this year, including one via stoppage, has a chance to become champion and take home a £78,000 ($100,000) prize.
“It was never money that I wanted, it was world titles and a legacy,” he told BBC Sport.
“If I stay focused, the money will come, it’s all about the legacy.”
Hughes’ mother Lorraine and uncle David are multiple world taekwondo champions.
Connor started practicing kickboxing at the age of three and transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA) at the age of 18 at the MMA Academy in Liverpool.
“I’ve been training since I was three years old, traveling the world to watch my mum and uncle David win championships, that’s been my life,” he said.
“I had no other choice. I came home from school and went straight to the gym.”
Hughes’s story and 2023 PFL European Champions and 2024 PFL Champion Dakota Dicheva, His mother is a world champion in Taekwondo.
Manchester’s Dicheva went from winning the PFL Europe Series to winning the flyweight world title a year later.
her mother, Lisa; Last month, she won her first world title.
