Matt Hughes
Published by on January 5th, 2008 in HOF

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When the list of great competitors in the so-called “lighter weights” in MMA is compiled, a name that must invariably be near the top is that of Matt Hughes, who has won the UFC’s welterweight title not once, but twice.

Like many great mixed martial artists, Hughes was a member of Miletich Fighting Systems, spearheaded by former UFC champion Pat Miletich. He already had a wrestling background, winning all-state honors in high school in his native Illinois and All-America recognition twice while attending Eastern Illinois University.

Hughes’ first big moment as an ultimate fighter came in 2001, when, at UFC 34, he scored a dramatic win over Carlos Newton to capture the UFC welterweight title. Hughes became a prolific champion, defending his belt successfully five times – against the likes of Hayato Sakarai, Gil Castillo, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg and in a rematch with Newton – before the transplanted Iowa resident met his Waterloo of sorts in UFC 46, falling victim to a rear naked choke by B.J. Penn and losing his coveted title.

But Penn subsequently developed a contract dispute with the UFC and fled the organization, leaving his title behind. Hughes was a logical choice to fight for that vacant championship, and he used an armbar to submit Georges St. Pierre for that crown at UFC 50, becoming a two-time titleholder. In the process, he dealt St. Pierre the first loss of his career.

His stature brought perks, and one of them was a high-profile non-title match in May of 2006 against Royce Gracie, the legend who had emerged victorious in the first two UFC events in 1993-94. Hughes, in the prime of his career, easily defeated Gracie by TKO on strikes, and could have achieved victory earlier, if not for the fact that he feared breaking Gracie’s arm with a submission hold.

One of the most satisfying wins, however, had to be the rematch with B.J. Penn, which took place in September 2006, as Penn came back to UFC competition, With unfinished business, to say the least, Hughes took Penn out with a TKO in the third round of what was a grueling tactical fight which saw Hughes come from behind and wear Penn down. But two months later, Hughes’ second tenure as champion came to an end, when Georges St. Pierre hit him with his entire arsenal, including a head kick that figured hugely into the second-round TKO.

Hughes, now a man without a title, tuned up for a further assault on welterweight laurels by defeating Chris Lytle at UFC 68; shortly afterward, the welter title changed hands when Matt Serra beat St. Pierre. Immediately the public demanded a Serra-Hughes match, which had the potential of making Hughes an unprecedented three-time champion. But injury problems have forced Serra to the sideline, meaning a third fight with St. Pierre, for an “interim” title, has been inserted for the UFC 79 show in late December. If Hughes wins, he’ll be able to get his hands on Serra, who antagonized him quite a bit during the taping of The Ultimate Fighter 6. 

Now a legend in his own right, Hughes has sought to feed the sport by developing champions of his own. Toward that end, he has left Team Miletich and formed Hughes Intensive Training (H.I.T.), co-owned with, among others, EliteXC champion Robbie Lawler. We’ll be anxiously awaiting his next move.