BELFAST, Northern Ireland — A blind man could have told you what nationality Paul Hughes was Saturday night at PFL Belfast.
As the evening's featured attraction neared, Foy Vance’s rendition of "Grace" — a ballad about Joseph Plunkett, a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, marrying his love Grace Gifford hours before his execution — hit the assembly like a gut punch, transforming the chaos into a respectful chorus.
Hughes hit the ramp as soon as Nipsey Hussle’s “Victory Lap” hit the sound system. Men of a similar age poured themselves over metal barriers roaring words of encouragement as the Irishman prepared to fight in the same venue where he made his professional debut eight years before.