Matt Hughes (fighter)
From Freepedia
| Matt Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Image:Matt hughes.jpg | |
| Statistics | |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Born | October 13, 1973 |
| Fighting out of | Hillsboro, Illinois |
| Town of birth | Hillsboro, Illinois |
| Fighting style | Miletich Fighting Systems |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 38 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 0 |
Matt Hughes is the defending welterweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record is 37 wins and 4 losses. Formerly the five-time defending champion, his bid for a sixth defense was lost at the hands of B.J. Penn, but when Penn left the UFC to compete in other events, he surrendered the welterweight championship belt. After winning his next fight, Hughes defeated George St. Pierre at UFC 50 in October 2004 to win the title Penn had vacated. He then defeated Frank Trigg in the first title defense of his new belt. Hughes is known for his extreme strength, wrestling ability and grappling skills. He trains as part of the Miletich Fighting Systems team.
One of the best-known fights that Hughes has fought was his second against Frank Trigg in which Trigg hit Hughes in the groin. The referee didn't notice and the fight continued. With Hughes stunned Trigg then knocked him to the ground and almost forced a submission with a rear naked choke. Hughes recovered, fought back, picked up Trigg, ran across the ring, and slammed him onto the mat. Hughes then forced a submission with a rear naked choke.
Matt Hughes is known for his trademark slam where he picks his opponent off the ground, lifts him high in the air, and carries him to the center of the ring or the edge of the cage before slamming him hard on the mat. He tries to slam his opponent in a position where his head will hit the canvas to cause his opponent to lose consciousness. That is exactly what happened when Hughes fought Carlos Newton at UFC 34-High Voltage. While it is somewhat common for MMA fighters to slam their opponent, it is usually performed by quickly picking up the opponent then dropping them in one fluid motion. But Hughes with his brute strength is able to suspend his opponent in mid-air, and carry him to a stragetically selected place in the octagon before slamming him to the ground.
Although Hughes fights in the welterweight division which has a 170 lbs. (77 kg) weight limit, he actually weighs around 190 lbs. (86 kg) when he fights. By completely dehydrating his body before the weigh-in, Hughes is able to weigh in at 170 or less. After rehydrating his body, by the time the fight takes place the following night, Hughes is back up to his full weight. This practice gives him a natural advantage over smaller and weaker opponents. In the world of MMA it is widely known that Hughes is the strongest welterweight fighter. Hughes is also considered to be one of the strongest fighters in MMA pound for pound.
One of Hughes's weaknesses is that he can be submitted by opponents who are well versed in the art of submission. Like many wrestlers, Hughes has a tendency to sometimes leave out a body part, which the opponent can isolate and apply pressure to, forcing him to tap or risk injury. Hughes lost twice by submission to Dennis Hallman and also submitted to B.J. Penn at UFC 46 where he lost his welterweight belt.
Matt Hughes coaches one of the teams in season two of the reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. Rich Franklin is the other coach.
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