Matt Hughes is hands down the best fighter at the 170 pound weight class in the history of mixed martial arts. You can not find another welterweight fighter that has been as dominant and you don’t have to take my word for it; his 42-6 record says it all. If that doesn’t work, how about the fact that he is a 9x world champion? How about the fact that he was a 4x All American as a D-1 NCAA wrestler, or the fact that his last 2 years in high school he went undefeated and won the state wrestling tournament? His victories are over some of the best in the game. Names such as B.J. Penn, Joe Riggs, Frank Trigg, George St. Pierre, Sean Sherk, and the legendary Royce Gracie make up just a few of his 42 wins. He is hands down the best welterweight ever.
This Saturday at UFC 85 Hughes will look to add another chapter to his life, as he will step into the cage with rising star Thiago Alves. Only 6 months ago he was possibly at one of the biggest crossroads of his life and In a position that only the likes of Michael Jordan, Barry Sanders, and Brett Favre would understand, he was forced to make a decision. With no major injury he had to decide if it was time to hang it up and walk away or return to the sport he loved.
In a move that is not only great for him, but is good for the sport, he is back and looks get back on the winning track! However, not everyone sees it as a good move, and many feel that he is done as a fighter. In a recent interview Matt said:
“Well, if they think I am done as a fighter they are definitely wrong. Sure, it is no doubt that Thiago has a chance to beat me, each time you step into the octagon there is a chance that you are going to lose, but there is no way I am done right now. I am 34 years old, Randy Couture is 43 and Chuck Liddell I think is around 37, so there is just no way I am done right now.”
Either way, a legend of the sport is still around for two more fights. Matt has said on several occasions that he will fight Thiago then no matter of that outcome he will fight recent rival Matt Serra. The Serra fight could be the icing on the cake for an amazing career.
Thiago brings in a dangerous matchup for Hughes. The Top Team fighter has won 7 out of his last 8 fights. His lone loss in that tear is against #1 contender John Fitch. Alves brings a tough Muay Thai background. He will try to keep the fight standing and use his striking to his advantage.
On the other side, Hughes will look to use his great wrestling background to get Alves off of his feet. If he can do so, he will have a huge advantage over Alves.
Make sure you tune in to the PPV this weekend. Enjoy this great fighter, because one day soon he may ride off into the hills of Illinois and pursue his coaching career for his own H.I.T. Squad.
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June 3rd, 2008 at 3:18pm
Curtis you are way off!!!!!
Thiago is going to show Hughes just how great his muay thai game is! I predict 1st round KO.
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:19pm
Thiago is a very slow starter. Hughes will look to push early and get the fight to the mat before he can get started. Muay Thai don’t do you very much good while you are on your back…
I am calling Hughes by submission.
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:03pm
Whatever….. You are way off on this topic!
Thiago is going to smash Hughes so bad that he wont fight Serra…
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:06pm
I was never a huge Hughes fan, but I think he will edge Alves on Saturday. I don’t see Alves with the strength and all-around technique that GSP showed us and I think Hughes is ready to win again.
June 3rd, 2008 at 6:53pm
Matt Hughes is the Brett Favre of MMA.
He is about to make his final run to prove to everyone that he is still great at what he does.
Willis I commend your enthusiasm for Thiago, in my opinion his streak will end 85.
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:52pm
Curtis you aren’t going to sway me on this one, and to be honest I don’t feel your writing is very good.
Thiago in the first! What does everyone else on this site think? Do you agree with me or Curtis?
June 4th, 2008 at 2:16am
Willis, I hope you’re off and Curtis gets it right. I actually like Alves as a fighter but am inclined to agree with Curtis, Hughes will take him down, ground and pound, and if that doesn’t do it, he’ll submit him. Long live MMA Opinion.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:01am
Willis: I think Curtis’s writing is good. Don’t worry so much about critiquing sentence structure, prose, or grammar. Instead, critique the message (which you have been doing as well) and you’ll find that others will be more likely to do the same for you.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:29am
Brandt: Part of being a great writer is having the entire game. Curtis just doesn’t cut it, you aren’t paying him are you?
Anyone that has that much faith in Matt at this point in his career clearly doesn’t know what he is talking about.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:37am
Oh boy, here we go.
How about this: If Matt Hughes loses, your comments can stay up and you can show everyone that you love Thiago Alves and Curtis is wrong about his well-backed opinion (did you see the emphasis on the word “opinion”?). There’s no mention of any facts in this article aside from what Hughes has done in the past and what he brings to the table, right?
But, if Matt Hughes wins, you have to write up a story on the fight, including how Alves lost and why he lost, to be posted on the site. Then, we’ll critique you and leave comments about how I should not be paying you. Fair?
June 4th, 2008 at 2:32pm
Brandt: Honestly I would rather continue to critique Curtis’ work, it is much more fun, but I got ya. I still disagree but I will tone it down a bit.
I will definitely be anticipating Curtis’ Post fight article!!!
June 4th, 2008 at 3:46pm
Willis,
Opinions are like… I mean, you are entitled to your opinion.
good or bad… you are still reading…
June 4th, 2008 at 5:15pm
If you honestly believe that Matt Hughes is going to lose a fighter with the grappling game of Thiago Alves, you’re delusional.
If you believe that Matt Hughes is going to put himself in line for another title shot by doing so, you’re even more crazy.
Hughes will not fight St. Pierre for a fourth time. The UFC won’t do that.
They will bill Hughes vs. Serra as a much bigger fight, and will probably have it as the headliner on a UFN. As they should, given that they spent an entire season of TUF building it up.
Still, let’s be realistic with our expectations.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:21pm
Oh, and Willis, if you think that Thiago is going to finish Hughes in the first round, I should point out that he hasn’t stopped an opponent in the first round in his last 5 wins, and unless you honestly believe that Hughes is going to be easier to knock out Lytle, Hironaka or Desouza, then I don’t really think you have an argument.
P.S. You shouldn’t ever critique a writer’s pieces unless you post a link to your own site so we can see some of yours.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:55pm
That would make perfect sense! Similar to Tito and Shamrock?
The only true way I see Hughes ever fighting for a title again would be if the 170 pound division really shook up… GSP losing to Fitch, Fitch losing in his first defense then Hughes taking the winner, or Hughes vs Fitch but it all hinges on GSP losing.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:16pm
In a way Hughes is kind of suffering from being judged primarily on his most recent fights- by a lot of people. “You’re only as good as your last fight” as they say. Much like Wanderlei was practically written off following his losses to Cro Cop, Henderson, and Liddell, or how Rich Franklin’s invincible aura was damaged after two major destructions by Silva, Hughes’ last three fights were against two unique people. One being champion George St.Pierre, who obviously has his number, and the other being the deceptively hard to finish, Chris Lytle. All three of these fighters have had to contend with people temporarily forgetting about their legacies following these losses and almost ignoring the fact that they were and still are very dominant fighters. So, it could be pretty hard for Hughes to inspire people’s confidence in his fighting abilities based on this premise.
Personally, I believe that Hughes still has it and if in fact he is thinking of retiring soon, to run his gym full time, I think he’ll want to go out with a bang to secure his legacy. Based on the tradition of people judging a fighter’s abilities based on their most recent fights it would behoove him to win, and win in dominant fashion. I would imagine that’s got to be pretty motivating for him. I’m not saying that I think he’ll necessarily steamroll Alves, in fact he may likely get beat on pretty bad for a while, but he’s gone through that in a lot of other matches and uses his tenacity to pull off the win.
My money’s on Hughes.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:01pm
I agree…
It is not what you have done for me, but what have you done for me lately………..
June 5th, 2008 at 8:33am
Either way I am still looking forward to the fight!
Is there going to be any type of preview article? What about fight coverage on here, like a chat or something?
June 5th, 2008 at 8:51am
Curtis put up an article just recently if you want to check it out. Also, since it’s a UFC event in England, people tend to be less likely to seek out coverage. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just how it works.