(After Dana caught Hughes sleeping on the job yet again, he figured it would be better to just give the former champ a cushy office position where no one would bother him anymore.)
Although former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has been off everyone but PETA’s radar for the past couple of years, the MMA community has still been waiting on bated breath to see when the Hall of Famer would make an official announcement regarding his retirement for some time now. Hughes stated last October that he was “fully retired” but didn’t seem as if he had quite come to terms with hanging up his gloves just yet. That is, until earlier today at the UFC on Fox 6 press conference.
Along with the announcement of his retirement, Hughes also stated that he, like Chuck Liddell before him, would be accepting a front office position with the UFC titled “Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations.” That’s funny, here I thought the UFC was for the separation of church and state. *steals basketball and nails three pointer*
Anyway, Hughes had the following to say while assessing his current role in the promotion he has called home for the better part of his MMA career:
It’s funny, the road God puts you on; you just don’t know where you’re going to end up. What started out as a hobby brought me to the UFC and here in front of you know. I love this sport, and the new position is the best way for me to stay in it moving forward. I look forward to using my experience and providing a perspective for both the UFC and the fighters, so thank you guys.
There you have it folks. Short, sweet, and pseudo-religious: classic Country Breakfast. We’ve placed the entire video of the UFC on Fox 6 press conference below for your viewing pleasure, so check it out, then pass along your favorite memories of Hughes in the comments section. Personally, my favorite Hughes moment came at UFC 38, when he nearly powerbombed Carlos Newton through the canvas and was so surprised by his own strength that he nearly passed out from the excitement. That’s how it went down, right?
(Things kick off around the 11:20 mark.)
Despite dropping his last two contests in the promotion to BJ Penn and Josh Koscheck, Hughes retires with the most wins in UFC History (18), as well as the most welterweight title defenses (7, tied with Georges St. Pierre), and the second most title fights (12), finishes in UFC title fights (8), and fights in UFC History (25), among other accolades. Another fun fact: Hughes defeated all but one of the former UFC Welterweight champions (Pat Militech) while active.