While excitement continues to grow for Saturday night’s showdown between Quinton Jackson and Jon Jones, some have overlooked the possibility of saying goodbye to two MMA legends at UFC 135.
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi are both slated to compete on Saturday against some rather stout opposition.
While Hughes takes on top five welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, Gomi faces “Ultimate Fighter” Season Five winner Nate Diaz.
Fans will be watching closely, as a loss could set in motion the swan song of two brilliant careers.
Hughes has been pondering retirement for quite some time. The talk seemed to die down after he went on a three-fight win streak, picking up victories over Ricardo Almeida, Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie. Unfortunately, the two-time welterweight champion was brought back down to earth at the hands of longtime nemesis B.J. Penn at UFC 123.
In the long-awaited rubber match, it only took Penn 21 seconds to wipe the floor with Hughes and ease back into welterweight title contention.
When considering everything Hughes has done in the sport, he really has nothing left to prove.
He continues to fight simply for his love of the sport. There are few fighters that have dominated their respective divisions like Hughes has at 170 pounds. As a UFC Hall of Famer, he has defeated a who’s who list of world class stars.
There may be a few fights that still interest the Illinois native, but if he gets steamrolled by Koscheck, he can pretty much kiss his welterweight run goodbye.
After remaining competitive at such a high level for so long, it’s doubtful that Hughes would take any easy fights.
Depending on his performance on Saturday night, don’t be surprised if Hughes announces his retirement from the sport in his post-fight interview.
It’s quite a shame that newer fans missed out on Gomi’s Pride run.
Once considered the best lightweight on the planet, fans dreamed about the Japanese superstar bringing his talents to western shores and competing inside the UFC octagon.
Unfortunately, time slipped away, and Gomi didn’t sign with the UFC until the twilight of his career.
Twilight? Didn’t Gomi knock out Tyson Griffin a year ago?
The knockout power is still there, but Gomi is obviously not the same fighter he was four years ago. His gas tank is limited, and he doesn’t have the speed to keep up with the upper-echelon lightweight contenders.
A loss to Diaz would put Gomi’s UFC record at 1-3. His exciting style and legendary name could be enough to keep him around a little longer, but it shouldn’t come as a shock if the UFC decides to part ways with the Kanagawa native.
UFC 135 promises to deliver plenty of thrills and memorable moments. Could this be the final time we see Hughes and Gomi step into the UFC octagon?
History has been set in motion, and every diehard fan will be chomping at the bit to watch it unfold.
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