Matt Hughes has accomplished everything imaginable throughout his career. So when he enters his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135, it would seem the former UFC welterweight champion has nothing to lose.However, that might not be the case. …
Matt Hughes has accomplished everything imaginable throughout his career.
So when he enters his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135, it would seem the former UFC welterweight champion has nothing to lose.
However, that might not be the case.
Koscheck is one of the best fighters in the welterweight division, and one of the best wrestlers. A win over him would not only add another win on Hughes’ resume, but more importantly, he would remain relevant at 170 pounds.
The win certainly wouldn’t guarantee a title shot, but it would put Hughes in contention, as he will have won four of his last five bouts.
The problem is, that the competition has become better since Hughes reigned over the division for the early part of the decade.
Grapplers like Koscheck, Jon Fitch and current champion Georges St-Pierre have dominated their opposition with wrestling skill and ability, while strikers like Carlos Condit and Jake Ellenberger have also run through the competition, boasting respective winning streaks.
Hughes has been primarily a wrestler and has steadily evolved as a fighter, but it isn’t likely he would compete against some of the division’s top competitors.
Also, Hughes will be competing in the last bout of his contract, and at 37 years old, it won’t be surprising to see him call it a career regardless of the outcome on Saturday night.
It would be ideal for Hughes to continue fighting if he were to walk out victorious, but the wear-and tear on his body, plus the encouragement from his family to retire, will likely have Hughes reconsider his options.
So, while he might be fighting for the last time this weekend, whether win, lose or draw, Hughes should walk away with his head held high and his health still intact.
The thought of him challenging for a title shot doesn’t seem realistic at this point in his career, and if anything, would tarnish his legacy.
On September 24, Jon Jones will be making the first defense of his light heavyweight title when he squares off against former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson at UFC 135.In the co-main event of the evening, former welterweight champion Matt H…
On September 24, Jon Jones will be making the first defense of his light heavyweight title when he squares off against former light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson at UFC 135.
In the co-main event of the evening, former welterweight champion Matt Hughes may be making his last appearance inside the Octagon when he faces The Ultimate Fighter season one standout, and former welterweight title challenger, Josh Koscheck.
Other action on the pay-per-view portion of the event will feature former Pride champion Takanori Gomi against Nate Diaz, the undefeated Travis Browne will face Rob Broughton, and heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Mark Hunt will kick off the show.
It is always fun to look ahead at all the different ways fights can go down. But with this fight card, the outcomes seem a little more clear cut than others in recent memory. Granted, anyone can get caught in a submission or clipped on the chin, but seeing something that defies the odds this Saturday seems highly unlikely.
So how are the main card fights going to go down in Denver, CO? Read on to find out.
(Full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos press conference, via YouTube.com/UFC)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– UFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Winner on Dec. 30 Earns Heavyweight Title Shot (MMA Mania)
– We Know You Want to Watch This Video of The Korean Zombie and Arianny Celeste on a Korean Game Show (MiddleEasy)
– Dana White: Dan Henderson Signed Exclusive UFC Contract, Unsure About Strikeforce Belt (5thRound)
– Greatest TUF Contributions of All Time (MMA Convert)
(Full video of yesterday’s UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos press conference, via YouTube.com/UFC)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– UFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Winner on Dec. 30 Earns Heavyweight Title Shot (MMA Mania)
– We Know You Want to Watch This Video of The Korean Zombie and Arianny Celeste on a Korean Game Show (MiddleEasy)
– Dana White: Dan Henderson Signed Exclusive UFC Contract, Unsure About Strikeforce Belt (5thRound)
Filed under: UFCUFC President Dana White will be joined at the UFC 135 press conference by main event fighters Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson, and co-main event fighters Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, in meeting the press in Denver on Wednesday. We’ll h…
UFC President Dana White will be joined at the UFC 135 press conference by main event fighters Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson, and co-main event fighters Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck, in meeting the press in Denver on Wednesday. We’ll have the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.
Jones and Jackson have engaged in a war of words leading up to their fight, including Jackson accusing Jones of sending a spy into his training camp. So this press conference should have some interesting comments from both main event fighters.
The UFC 135 pre-fight press conference begins at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday and the video is below.
Filed under: UFCThe main eventers have worked out their issues with Dr. Phil and the guys lower down the card have had a chance to discuss what their fights ultimately mean, so I suppose it’s time to turn to the betting experts to find out how they see…
Based on all the pre-fight hype, you wouldn’t know this main event is, at least according to oddsmakers, a bit of a squash match. And yet, these are the people who get paid to handicap fights, and this is actually one of the more reasonable lines out there. Some have Jones as high as 7-1. Can so many professional gamblers be wrong?
Well, sure they could. Especially with a fighter who’s as young and untested as Jones. He’s dominated every opponent so thoroughly that it’s hard to imagine a plodding, predictable striker like Jackson surprising him with anything new. If I had to guess, I’d say Jones is thinking the same thing right now. If he goes into this fight thinking that Jackson has nothing for him, he could end up learning a painful lesson about respecting his elders. Punching power is the last desperate hope of many an aging fighter, and it’s been Jackson’s saving grace a time or two in the past. His best chance is to catch Jones slipping and rock him with one hard shot. Then again, no one’s been able to do it yet. My pick: Jones. The betting line is clearly insane, but money ventured on Jackson is money you need to be prepared to never see again. He needs to get in close and hook in order to have a chance. I fear the closest he’ll get to Jones is during the pre-fight staredown.
I love an underdog pick as much as anyone (see also: my regrettable decision to pick Jason MacDonald last week), but I don’t see how Hughes has much of a chance here. What, does he outwrestle the bigger, stronger Koscheck? Nope. Does he floor him with his polished striking? Probably not. Does he submit him off his back? C’mon son. Hughes holds no obvious advantages over a guy like Koscheck, with the possible exception that he’s been in pre-fight training mode a little longer. But even though Koscheck took this fight on short notice, both men have had comparable layoffs, and both had to deal with a new opponent three weeks out. Maybe Hughes can come right out and put some leather on Koscheck’s surgically-repaired eye, but Country Breakfast wasn’t known for his stellar hand speed even in his prime, and he’s a long way from that now. My pick: Koscheck. Again, atrocious odds, but fitting ones. We’d probably have more fun betting on whether this will be Hughes’ retirement fight. I got a sawbuck that says it is.
Browne is now in his fourth UFC fight, and so far the most vulnerable we’ve seen him look was when Cheick Kongo pressed him up against the fence and clung to his shorts en route to a yawn-worthy draw. Maybe that was the smart way to play it, since as Stefan Struve found out back in May, this big man can swat. That could be why oddsmakers aren’t so hot on Broughton’s chances. He’ll be giving up about four inches in height to the 6’7″ Browne, and the Brit has yet to beat any really impressive heavyweights (no offense to James Thompson and Butterbean, both of whom have losses against Broughton). His best chance might be to get Browne to the mat, where his size and reach won’t be such a problem. That’s easier said than done against this behemoth. My pick: Browne. With all these huge favorites in my parlay, I’m going to have to find a crazier-than-usual underdog pick soon…
After being overpowered at welterweight, Diaz is back in the division where he’s had the most success and is taking on one of his brother’s former foes. It seems like a match-up that’s made for Diaz. Here he has a submittable opponent who probably won’t try to out-wrestle him. All he has to do is not get knocked out. That shouldn’t be so hard, since both Diaz boys seem to have been born with iron chins. It’s a good thing, too, what with their willingness to stand there and let people test their fists on them. My pick: Diaz. I know, another favorite. Sorry, but I just don’t see Gomi winning too many fights these days that he can’t end with a single punch.
If you’re looking for a big underdog who’s worth a risk, it’s now or never. Hunt has almost zero ground game. We know this — and when I say ‘we,’ I’m including Rothwell. The smart thing to do would be for Rothwell to get it to the mat as early as possible and hope that Hunt still hasn’t learned even the basics when it comes to submission defense. And honestly, I think that’s probably what will happen. But there’s always that chance, however remote, that Hunt lands one good punch and changes everything. Every round does start on the feet, after all. And — who knows — maybe after 15 months away from the scene Rothwell thinks he has to prove something by coming in there and knocking Hunt out. It would be a bad idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question. My pick: Hunt. Man, I do not feel good about that. If Rothwell plays it smart, I think he submits him in the first round. But all that time off, plus Hunt’s heavy hands, multiplied by my need to find a crazy underdog, equals small action on Hunt.
Quick Picks:
– Nick Ring (+120) over Tim Boetsch (-150). Call me crazy, but I don’t think Boetsch will be able to run his usual wrestling schtick here. And when that doesn’t work, he’s all out of ideas.
– James Te Huna (-155) over Ricardo Romero (+125). Te Huna’s just a little bigger and more aggressive, plus he needs this more.
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Jones + Koscheck + Browne + Diaz. It’s not sexy, but at least it’s secure.
Matt Hughes has accomplished everything imaginable throughout his career. 
UFC
The main eventers have