Matt Hughes

Every sport has a set of players that come and go while there are some who remain alive in the hearts of the fans as long as the game is remembered. These are the icons of a game, they are called the legends and almost every game or sport has a few chosen ones who get this title. Talking in respect to the sport of mixed martial arts one such legend is Matt Hughes. He is regarded by many as one of the sport's greatest, Hughes is a several time world champion.

The fighter known for his remarkable skills, physical strength and the ground and pound technique started off in November 2001 when he went on to win the world UFC welterweight championship defeating Carlos Newton. Their match was a classic example of try till you succeed. Carlos almost managed to win the title and had Hughes under a tremendously tight choke; however due to his physical strength and will Hughes managed to some how lift his opponent in the air and powering him to a deadly slam leaving Newton unconscious. There after Hughes went on to dominate the arena in his first title reign, he ended up beating almost all the competitors of his time with convincing authority.

The dominance however was ended by B.J.Penn, he managed to get Hughes in a rear naked choke in the 46th edition of UFC which led to a submission by the champion. There on Hughes had to just wait for an opportunity to get back the title and the reign that he had lost. The chance did come when due to contractual obligation between the authorities and the champion left the title without a champion. Hughes then was pitted against an equally competent opponent in Georges St Pierre however his long wait had to come to an end. Hughes was able to regain the title in a very close match with a submission move known as the armbar.

Once again a champion had more to deal with, he then had to ensure that the title that had evaded him for some time would remain with him. He faced stiffer and stronger opponents, one such unforgettable encounter was the one with Frank Trigg,. A match where everything went against Hughes but still he managed to get out as the champion and this is what demanded respect from the fellow fighters. He was hit on the groin, to which he protested but the unaware referee disagreeing the fact. To add to this his opponent slammed a handful of punches while Hughes was just annoyed at the referee however in the end it was the champ who prevailed.

Like his first title reign he continued to dominate till his loss to Georges St Pierre. Hughes still continues to fight and is estimated to take on the current world champion Matt Serra in the latter half of 2007. In the meantime Hughes has started his own coaching and training academy in an effort to give more to a sport he has lived for.