Matt Hughes

Matthew Allen Hughes (born October 13, 1973) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter, and is the current Welterweight (170 lb. / 77 kg) champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. With only one loss since his first title victory in 2001, Hughes is one of the UFC's most dominant champions. He trains as part of the Miletich Fighting Systems team. Hughes is known for his grappling skills, ground-and-pound, and his practice of picking up opponents, carrying them across the ring, and slamming them to the mat with their head strategically placed against the fence. Hughes is also a devout Christian. Hughes won his first UFC Welterweight title at UFC 34: High Voltage on November 2, 2001 when he knocked out Carlos Newton with a powerbomb-like slam. He successfully defended the championship belt several times afterward, defeating Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton (in a rematch), Gil Castillo, Sean Sherk, and Frank Trigg. He held onto that title until UFC 46, when he submitted to a rear naked choke by Hawaiian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist B.J. Penn. The title was vacated when Penn left the UFC after that match, and Hughes regained the title by submitting Canadian contender Georges St. Pierre via armbar in the final seconds of a close first round at UFC 50 in a match to determine the new champion. Since winning the title for a second time, he has defended it in a rematch with Frank Trigg, winning again by submission. His most recent bout in the UFC occurred at UFC 56, where Hughes defeated Joe Riggs in the first round by submission via a kimura armlock. The match was originally scheduled to be a title bout, but Riggs could not meet the 170 pound Welterweight weight limit. Riggs was a last-minute substitution for Karo Parisyan, who was initially slated to fight Hughes; Parisyan sustained a leg injury while training for the fight. In 2005, Hughes participated as a coach opposite Rich Franklin in the second season of the Spike TV reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter. Hughes' aggressive and confrontational personality was on display throughout the season; he notably objected to what he called "showboating" from eventual Heavyweight Ultimate Fighter winner Rashad Evans. Hughes is scheduled to fight UFC legend Royce Gracie at UFC 60 on May 27, 2006. Hughes is also scheduled for a rematch with Georges St. Pierre in a title defense at a later date. He has a twin brother named Mark Hughes who wrestled and defeated Matt in Junior High School. Mark also trains with the Miletich Fighting Systems team.