Michael Conlan has led the praise for Paul Hughes following the Derry MMA star's title win at the weekend.
Hughes unified the Cage Warriors featherweight division with a dominant performance against Jordan Vucenic.
The 24-year-old claimed a unanimous points win in the eagerly anticipated rematch in London on Saturday night.
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Pro boxer Conlan was in attendance at the Indigo at the O2 arena and joined the new champion in his dressing room afterwards.
Conlan tweeted: "What a performance by @paulhughesmma tonight! Delighted to be there to witness a masterclass performance by this man! @ufc bound no doubt. Hard work and perseverance paid off, congratulations mate.. And the new."
Hughes came close to stopping Vucenic in a clinical display which showcased the Irish fighter's talents inside the cage.
And after cementing his claim to be number one in the 145lbs division, he is now targeting a move to the UFC.
It is a path formerly crossed by Conor McGregor, who won the Cage Warriors featherweight title before entering the UFC where he became a two-weight world champion.
"Cage Warriors? Completed it. I've taken out all of the best guys in Europe, I'm selling out venues in other countries on Friday nights," Hughes said afterwards.
"That's what I'm doing here. I beat the best, I've just unified the title and avenged my only loss, In my eyes I'm 10-0 right now, and I am the biggest prospect, unsigned to the UFC, in the world.
"We have got a country behind us, like you have heard of Conor McGregor, well, Paul Hughes is next, and I truly am bringing a country behind me.
"I'm bringing Northern Ireland, I'm bringing Ireland, I'm bringing Derry, I'm bringing Belfast, we have got a new horse in the race, and his name is Paul Hughes, and he's a superstar.
"I'm here to stay, and I'm here to take over the UFC, and with my country behind me, I couldn't be more proud."
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