At UFC 135 Saturday night, Matt Hughes lost his second fight in a row when Josh Koscheck literally knocked him unconscious with one second remaining in the opening round.
In the early minutes of the fight, Hughes held his own in the striking exchanges, and perhaps even got the better of Koscheck. Either way, he certainly lasted longer against Koscheck than he did in his last fight, a 21-second knockout at the hands of B.J. Penn.
After shaking off the cobwebs, the 37-year-old Hughes (45-9) told Joe Rogan that he was not retiring, but added he would like the UFC to put him “on the shelf” for a while (time period not specified).
Regardless of whether he fights again, Hughes can walk out of Denver with his head held high.
And it’s for more than just his ability to show flashes of his old self in lasting four minutes and 59 seconds with a bona fide welterweight contender. It was the frequent ovations he received from an appreciative Pepsi Center crowd. It was the open emotion and deference the notoriously prickly Koscheck showed when he spoke of being given the chance to fight Hughes. It is the way in which Hughes, even when bloody, never seems to fully bow his head.
He is a great champion. And he can leave UFC 135 knowing that is how he will be remembered.
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