[43] With the victory, he became the first man to defeat Sherk. [138], Hughes is a born again Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his website. [93][94] In 2011, Hughes appeared as guest coach during The Ultimate Fighter 13 season for friend and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.[95]. Morbi eu nulla vehicula, sagittis tortor id, fermentum nunc. Matt Hughes - Entrance & Introduction - UFC 79 - A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams [90] This was the first season where the coaches did not fight each other after the conclusion of the show, because Franklin and Hughes were champions in different weight divisions. [41], At UFC 42: Sudden Impact, Hughes faced future UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, winning via unanimous decision. I think Thiago came up with a good game plan.[106]. Hughes fought three times at Extreme Challenge 21, on October 17, 1998, defeating Victor Hunsaker via TKO and future UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne via unanimous decision. Enter To WIN An Epic Arizona Bike Week Package from LAW TIGERS! This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. We knew what he was planning to do. Hughes then ground-and-pounded Trigg before securing the victory with a rear naked choke of his own, in what is considered one of the UFC's greatest fights. Hughes will be the guy always held over GSP, too, when it comes to the discussion of that fighters legacy despite GSP finishing Hughes the second two times in their trilogy of fights. Guess that Hank Williams Jr. was onto something, after all.For a fighter supposedly facing the tail end of his career, UFC hall of famer and multiple time welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, has been opening a lot of eyes lately.Or reopening, as the case seems to be.Only a short while ago, the Illinois native was all but written off in the division he single-handedly put on the map. [105] He stated in his blog: Thiago came in big, some people told me that he looked bigger than me in the octagon. He coached multiple seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, had two thrilling trilogies with both GSP and Penn, and had two reigns as champion that hold up to any in UFC history. I just had a good night that night, and he had a bad night. [98] On November 23, however, Serra sustained a herniated disc in his lower back and informed UFC that he would not be able to compete for an indeterminate time. If we fight again, I don't think he's going to beat me, but he will probably come closer. A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams, Jr.. Everything Else (The Really Unlikely Ones). You're my idol -- Matt Hughes, you're my idol, you will always be my idol, thank you. [53], Hughes faced Penn's training partner Renato Verissimo at UFC 48: Payback, winning via unanimous decision (30-27; 3027; 29-28). Hughes made his promotional debut at UFC 22: There Can Be Only One Champion, on September 24, 1999, defeating Bulgarian Valeri Ignatov via unanimous decision after three rounds.[27]. In a come-from-behind fight, Hughes was caught in a triangle choke by then-champion Carlos Newton, but he lifted Newton in the air and slammed him to the mat,[32] causing Newton to hit his head and lose consciousness just as Hughes was himself on the verge of blacking out from the choke. [134], On July 4, 2013, Hughes became the host of Uncaged with Matt Hughes, which airs Saturdays on the Sportsman Channel.[135][136]. Director Rory Karpf Star Matt Hughes See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Photos Add photo Penn would replace him in the title fight. The UFC legend is yet to fully recover from the accident. [9] He was also regarded by many analysts and several media outlets as one of the greatest welterweight fighters of all time, as well as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the sport's history. TRENDING > Watch Matt Hughes land the ultimate slam on Carlos Newton at UFC 34 (full fight video). [114] Both of them seemed very comfortable fighting on their feet in the early going, with Gracie landing the cleaner and more effective punches and also landing a couple of kicks. - If I get Matt Hughes under my belt and take care of him, even if I would not be considered one of the best ever, I'd have some victories over some guys who will be. Get free classic rock music live from a radio station in San Diego, California - 101KGB is an iHeartRadio station and home of The DSC Show with features like classic rock music news, San Diego concerts and shows, funny story jokes, celebrity interviews, Babes & Bikes, hot babes photos and more! I came into this fight 120 percent Georges is the better fighter. Penn", "Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez expected for UFC 135 in Denver", "Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck official for UFC 135 in Denver", "Koscheck KOs Hughes in First, Hughes Not Retiring", "UFC 135 main-card results: Jones chokes out 'Rampage,' Koscheck KOs Hughes", "Matt Hughes Retires, Promoted to UFC Vice President", "Matt Hughes new book 'Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History' set for 2008 release", "Hardcover Nonfiction New York Times bestseller list", "Matt Hughes gets TV mini series "Uncaged" for African hunting safari", "Dan Hardy talks retirement, says Matt Hughes is 'bad for the sport', "Matt Hughes in bitter twitter quarrel with 'PETA idiots', "UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes seriously injured in truck vs. train accident", "From scary accident to coma to rolling, UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is back on the mat", "Matt Hughes' Family Working with Brain and Spinal Injury Non-Profit Organization", "VIDEO: UFC legend Matt Hughes returns to hospital to honor nurses who treated him after crash", "Matt Hughes suing train operator at center of near-fatal accident", "UFC'S MATT HUGHES HIT WITH RESTRAINING ORDER WIFE CLAIMS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE", "Wife of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes granted order of protection against her husband", "UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes settles tractor dispute with twin brother Mark", "Matt Hughes inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame", "Fight Matrix - UFC Records & Most Wins", "Matt Hughes: 2006 NHB Fighter of the Year", "Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: The Shoo-Ins", "Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva among MMA's best of decade", "The best of the decade: 10 best MMA fights", Matt Hughes profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Hughes_(fighter)&oldid=1133953955, Five successful title defenses (first reign), Two successful title defenses (second reign), Seven successful title defenses (overall), Second most title defenses in the UFC welterweight division (Seven), Second most title fights in the UFC welterweight division (Twelve), Second most finishes in UFC title fights (Eight), Second most fights in UFC history (Twenty-five), Extreme Challenge 21 Tournament Runner-up. Following a championship win by Matt Serra over Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69,[96] UFC President Dana White announced that Hughes would fight for the World Welterweight title in November 2007 against Serra. [102] Hughes fought the extension, but with his left hand trapped between the mat and St-Pierre's legs, was forced to submit verbally at 4:54 of the second round. [91][92] Despite the fact that after the preliminary round, Team Hughes's record was 26, both Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer of Team Hughes made it to the finals. UFC 25 Years in Short premiered on UFC Fight Pass in fall of 2018, so the time is right to showcase it to a new audience, UFC senior vice president of production and programming Chris Kartzmark stated. Instead, Hughes completely blew Almeida out of the water, choking the 2nd degree BJJ blackbelt out in a little over three minutes time.With that fight, Hughes makes it three victories in a row, and sends a statement to the rest of the division that the old horse isin't about to be dragged out behind the barn just yet.Hughes has said thathe plans to take the remainder of 2010 off, and return to finish the remainder of his contract next year. In the second round St-Pierre ended the fight with a head kick which stunned Hughes and knocked him to the mat. But the same was alsotrue for Ricardo Almeida, and look how that turned out.If the UFC is looking for a fight to test Hughes, to see if he still has "it", thenthis is the fight they need to make. Click an image below for Ring Girl Gallery, Jon Jones scoffs at long layoffs ahead of UFC 285, Stipe Miocic promised winner of Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane, Conor McGregor uses UFC 285 Weigh-in to film Road House | VIDEO, Watch Matt Hughes land the ultimate slam on Carlos Newton at UFC 34 (full fight video), Hughes relationship with his wife devolved, UFC 285 Ceremonial Weigh-in Video: Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso Face-Off, UFC 285 Ceremonial Weigh-in Video: Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane Face-Off, UFC fans welcome Jon Jones back with raucous cheers | VIDEO, UFC President Dana White absolutely believes in ring rust, Charles Oliveira predicts Michael Chandler to KO Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier offers advice for Jake Pauls next move, Sean OMalley: Jon Jones just knows how to win, Daniel Cormier will call Jon Jones heavyweight title fight. The challenger's only offense was a weak triangle choke that went nowhere. [71] Before the stoppage, Gracie was caught in an armlock from the side mount position;[71] although Hughes appeared to have the submission in place, Gracie would not tap out. [62][63][64] He was awarded the Tapout of the Night for the third time in his career. We worked out his game plan before the fight, and he did exactly what we expected. [125], I'm not retiring. During the event, UFC president Dana White and Hughes shared an emotional moment. That doesn't give one a whole lot of hope that he'll have anything for Georges the fourth go-round.Rubber Match with BJ Penn: Man, I would love to see this fight. At this point in his career even if he can prove that he has a durable chin, and these were both flukes, he hasnt shown that he can even fight at the highest levels. In 2005, Hughes participated as a coach opposite Rich Franklin in the second season of the Spike TV reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter. He has plainly stated in the past that the Hallman losses don't eat at him in any way, having happened a decade agoan eternity in the fight business. Planet Hank 710K views 2. The official description, courtesy of the UFC: Matt Hughes was a dominant UFC champion, but after his hall of fame career came to a close, he faced his toughest fight ever, this time, for his very survival. [137] In response to outrage over trophy hunting pictures posted on his Twitter account in 2012, Hughes called some of the commenters "PETA idiots" and told them to stop following his page. COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival. [35] In the first round of the fight, Hughes spent all the time either clinching Sakurai up against the fence, or ripping his feet out from under him. The song describes and Read More Produced by. Genres Music Videos and Concerts Subtitles He followed up with a flurry of punches and elbows that forced McCarthy to stop the contest with 3:35 left in the round. Hughes' documentary is currently streaming on Vimeo. [140] Matt and his twin brother were born on their father's birthday. After Parisyan suffered a hamstring injury and could not fight,[65] Joe Riggs took his place. [60] and comebacks in MMA history[61][62] This fight is UFC President Dana White's favorite match in combat sport history. It would be epic. Sign up for the MMA Junkie newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts In the future there are guys like GSP and Matt Hughes, who I'm sure are going to be hall-of-famers Serra said before the event. [10][11][12][13], A long-time member of Miletich Fighting Systems, Hughes left the Miletich camp in late 2007 to start Team Hughes. He returned to the promotion at UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams, where he defeated Marcelo Aguiar via TKO, throwing some elbows which cut Aguiar and forced the doctor to end the match. COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival. If any content is used from this article, kindly backlink to this page. COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: The Story of Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival. He has an impressive record of 58 professional fights, with 42 wins.He also holds two submission victories over Matt Hughes, in a combined 38 seconds. Hughes faced BJ Penn on November 20, 2010, in a rubber match at UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida, after their previous two fights at UFC 46 and UFC 63. The documentary is a good reflection of Hughes deep-seeded ability to never quit. 2016 Preview Disc 1 1 Family Tradition 3:59 2 Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound 3:09 3 Women I've Never Had 2:50 4 Outlaw Women 3:00 5 Kaw-Liga 4:21 6 Old Habits 3:01 7 Dinosaur 3:17 8 The Blues Man 4:17 9 Texas Women 2:25 10 Dixie On My Mind 2:35 11 All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down) [117][118] Almeida requested the fight after watching his mentor lose to Hughes at UFC 112 back in April. In fact, it was Hughes's only loss in his last 19 fights. I was really surprised. Hughes has had to learn how to walk and talk all over again since the accident. [44][45], Hughes faced former WFA Welterweight Champion Frank Trigg at the main event of UFC 45: Revolution. Unfortunately, with Penn tied up at 155 for the forseeable future, the timing of this fight just doesn't seem likely.Rickson Gracie: If Hughes wants to cement his "Gracie Hunter" image, he needs to go after the big dog. Hughes now had four wins over mixed martial artists with ties to the Gracies, including UFC pioneer Royce Gracie, the prior mentioned Renzo Gracie and former champ Serra. Feel free to Sign Up today. [41] Between rounds doctors ruled that the resulting cut was too severe to continue, and Hughes was declared the winner due to stoppage. I believe God has a bigger plan for Matt. [126], The UFC announced on January 24, 2013, that Matt Hughes retired from fighting and was named a Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations. Matt Hughes fought Tito Ortiz for the bronze medal (3rd place) and was defeated. Hughes was able to take Penn to the mat, and in side-control crucifix position rained punches on Penn's head until referee "Big" John McCarthy stopped the fight at 3:53 of the third round. This was a huge fight for me. -B.J. [68] The armlock earned Hughes his last Tapout of the Night award.[49][66]. He could take interesting fights but anything against a top notch opponent would be disrespectful to the career he worked hard to build. Alves failed to make weight for the match, but Hughes elected to fight him at a catch weight anyway. [108] On January 9, 2009, Hughes confirmed on his blog that UFC 98 would likely be the day he and Serra met in the Octagon. Instead, it was his" ring age" that seemed to finally have caught up to the former champion. [89], In late mid-2007, Hughes left the Miletich camp with Miletich stablemate Robbie Lawler, longtime boxing coach Matt Pena, and wrestling/conditioning teacher Marc Fiore to form The H.I.T. Hughes weathered an early outburst by B.J. [24] The slam became his signature move. Instead, Hughes completely. After Hughes was decisively knocked off his championship perch by Georges St. Pierre, his days as an elite level welterweight seemed to be over. Matt Hughes was a dominant UFC champion, but after his hall of fame career came to a close, he faced his toughest fight ever, this time, for his very survival. [67], Hughes defeated Riggs in the first round by submission via kimura from the half-guard at 3:28. This past Saturday at UFC 117, he faced tough contender Ricardo Almeida in what was supposed to be a "passing of the torch" fight. Matt Hughes. Hughes got double underhooks and managed to take Gracie down briefly. Penn filed suit against UFC and publicized his side of the conflict, claiming his contract had expired. [87] Nearing the end of the first round, St-Pierre landed a Superman punch, which floored Hughes. [110] The back and forth action rewarded both competitors with Fight of the Night honors. [6][7][8], During his reign, Hughes was considered the #1 pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world. Instead of announcing his retirement, like some thought, he asked to be put on the shelf for a while by the UFC. I mean the only thing I don't like about it is it's a three-round fight and I've trained for five rounds. The Foundation, of which Hughes was a board member for five years, provides care for families with brain and spinal cord injuries. He was visibly different in the third round, appearing exhausted and missing punches he was landing earlier. He did exactly what we expected. There has been a critical error on this website. Hughes lost the fight via armbar in only twenty seconds. This fight would probably come off as a "stepping stone" fight for Swick. [127], In the UFC, Hughes frequently used the song "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr. as he made his entrance towards the Octagon. Fight one of the AKA TrinityFor months, the American Kickboxing Academy trio of Jon Fitch/Josh Koscheck/Mike Swick have been calling Matt Hughes out in the MMA media. [36] At the start of the third round, Hughes quickly slammed Sakurai to the ground, again staying three minutes on top. VID Matt Hughes: Country Boy Can Survive Documentary RaginCajun May 28, 2019 Welcome to our Community Wanting to join the rest of our members? This is "COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE FINAL CUT" by First Row Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. [43] In round two, they started to trade punches, but eventually Hughes took Sherk down. Quarry", "- ROYCE GRACIE WANTS A REMATCH WITH MATT HUGHES", "Royce gracie wants rematch with Matt Hughes", "UFC 61 SURPASSES $30 MILLION IN PPV SALES", "Matt Hughes vs Royce Gracie How the Battle of Champions Went Down", "St. Pierre Out, Penn in Against Hughes at UFC 63", "St. Pierre Sidelined by Injury; 'The Prodigy' to The Rescue", "- UFC 63 REVIEW: HUGHES BEATS PENN IN A CLASSIC", "B.J. Rampage. [77][78] In the process, Hughes became the first man to stop Penn in a fight. anyone knows the answer? After one minute of ground-and-pound onslaught, the contest was over as Sakurai had no answer for the champion. [114], On May 28, 2010, Hughes was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His brother Mark Hughes also filed a restraining order against him claiming that Matt choked his son and tried to destroy his tractor. [146], In May 2019 Hughes's wife filed a restraining order against him after she accused him of several incidents of domestic violence. [99] Despite his best efforts, Hughes was unable to mount a serious offense on St-Pierre, who easily avoided Hughes's takedown attempts, while taking Hughes down at will and using Hughes's own ground-and-pound style against him.