Comments on: What Does Matt Hughes Have To Prove?

By: Frank Gazerro » Blog Archive » Writing Update

Frank Gazerro » Blog Archive » Writing Update — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:29:25 +0000

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By: FrankG

FrankG — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:47:34 +0000

Definitely. A Hughes/Penn fight would be very interesting. The Penn we saw fight Sherk looked a lot more sophisticated than the Penn who fought Hughes the last time.

By: Brandt DeLorenzo

Brandt DeLorenzo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:40:28 +0000

Yea Frank, you never know. He may have had some problems in the past, but maybe he’s ready to dominate again with a win over Serra and some other big name welterweights. It would be cool to see him fight B.J. Penn in a rubber match before he retires as well. Who knows, maybe with his brother fighting again, he’ll want to keep fighting more.

By: FrankG

FrankG — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:36:38 +0000

Hey there Brandt,
Thats a very good point. After so many fights the body sometimes says, “Its time to call it quits.” And maybe thats exactly whats happened. If thats the case, there’s nothing he can do about it and its just time. I guess I’m just a bit skeptical given how dominant he was. We’ll see what happens after his next fight, I suppose.

By: Brandt DeLorenzo

Brandt DeLorenzo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:11:58 +0000

After so many fights, I think it’s natural to burn out. All the training, dedication, and the 15-25 minutes of brutal fighting begin to takes a toll on the body. Many fighters probably couldn’t fight half the number of fights in an organization like the UFC where you need to dominate if you want that title shot. So, although some fight fans may see his pending retirement as a sign of a weakness, I think it’s only fair to let the guy stop when his body wants him to stop.

By: Vee

Vee — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:57:52 +0000

My initial response was to reply “What are you talking about?!?” I’m not a huge fan, but I respect his legacy. Never really thought his style was great, but it was effective. His striking never looked impressive, he appeared to rely on his wrestling and strength.

More than this article, Hughes’s post solidified your argument. He might feel like he is still a very dominant fighter but I’m not sure if he’ll beat Sanchez, Koscheck & Fitch. There are others in the division who would possibly expose him. Winning a title back?? Against whom? Definitely not GSP, that chapter is completely closed.

His legacy speaks for itself, but amongst the new crop of multi-disciplined competitors, I don’t know how he stands up in a contest. Instead of Serra, I would like to see him matched against Koscheck, Sanchez, Swick, Davis, or the Judo Master-Karo Parisyan.

By: Fred

Fred — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:53:11 +0000

Agreed. By all accounts, Hughes SHOULD be able to evolve at his age. However, training with Matt Peña and Marc Fiore won’t get him there. They are his buddies more than his coaches, and although they seem to be sincere and knowledgeable, it is obvious from Hughes’ most recent fights that he is not continuing to evolve technique-wise.

I see Hughes eeking out a close win over Serra. Then, I see Hughes getting beaten by whomever he fights after that, and then retiring.