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BJ Penn clears up his beef with the UFC regarding Nick Diaz: here. Nick Diaz talks pay loss for losing title-shot: here. Bellator 50 weigh-ins results: here. UFC Fight Night 25 weigh-ins results: here. Josh.
BJ Penn clears up his beef with the UFC regarding Nick Diaz: here.
Nick Diaz talks pay loss for losing title-shot: here.
Bellator 50 weigh-ins results: here.
UFC Fight Night 25 weigh-ins results: here.
Josh Koscheck calls Matt Hughes an “old man”: here.
Bobby Lashley signs 3 year Shark Fights contract: here.
Enjoy pics of Jersey Shore‘s Deena and Snooki making out below and: here.
Josh Koscheck’s last performance against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 resulted in one of the most lopsided bouts in UFC history.While it might have been slim pickings for the UFC welterweight champion, Koscheck said he didn’t perform under his expecta…
Josh Koscheck’s last performance against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124 resulted in one of the most lopsided bouts in UFC history.
While it might have been slim pickings for the UFC welterweight champion, Koscheck said he didn’t perform under his expectations, and he’s looking to make up for it against Matt Hughes at UFC 135.
“I’ve been on the shelf since December and, I’m honest, my last fight sucked,” Koscheck wrote in his blog on Sportsnet.ca.
“I don’t care if they boo me or cheer me, but they pay to see me fight and on that night I didn’t fulfill my side of the deal because it wasn’t a great fight.”
Obviously, the underachieving performance has left a bad taste in the mouth of Koscheck, but the American Kickboxing Academy fighter has found a chance to win the fans back with an upcoming bout against Hughes—a former two-time UFC welterweight champion and future UFC hall of famer.
But Hughes’ career has seen better days, and while he might have declined in recent years, Koscheck sees more than that.
“Matt Hughes used to be one of the best. Used to be,” he wrote.
“But he’s still got that name and is a two-time champion, and beating a name like that in my comeback fight means something.”
Koscheck’s bout against Hughes is something to look forward to, but it’s more about searching for forgiveness from fans than a win. Certainly the victory will be a morale boost for Koscheck, but to him, it’s more about owing it to the fans.
“I owe it to the fans and myself to come back and give them a fight they can get excited about, and a lot of people are excited to see me against Matt Hughes next weekend,” he wrote.
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With only a week before he makes his return to the Octagon, Matt Hughes has called upon some assistance from BJ Penn and long time-trainer Pat Miletich to prepare for his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135. Koscheck had stepped in for Diego San…
With only a week before he makes his return to the Octagon, Matt Hughes has called upon some assistance from BJ Penn and long time-trainer Pat Miletich to prepare for his bout against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135.
Koscheck had stepped in for Diego Sanchez after it was learned that Sanchez broke his hand and could no longer compete.
Hughes is a guest blog on ESPN.com, sharing his experience with his training camp located in Hillsboro, Illinois.
“We did two-a-days, where we practiced in the morning and practiced at night and I was the guy getting beat on and torn down, so I didn’t want to do anything spectacular during the middle of the day,” Hughes wrote.
“I was going to conserve my energy for the mat, and being here helped me lay a good foundation, even with the change in opponents from Diego Sanchez to Josh Koscheck.”
Hughes hasn’t competed since last year after suffering a knockout loss to BJ Penn at UFC 123. The loss snapped Hughes’ three-fight win streak. Ironically, Hughes acquired Penn’s help in preparation for Koscheck. Hughes said the Hawaiian was returning the favour after Hughes had prepared Penn for his bout against Jon Fitch at UFC 127.
Hughes said the training regimen between him and Penn has resulted in a good relationship.
“We are actually a lot alike personality wise, and sense of humor wise for sure,” he said of Penn.
“He’ll catch me a couple times, because I’m a little naïve. But we really have a lot of fun together and we’ve found out a lot about each other since our third fight last year.”
While he might be 37 years-old, Hughes said he still loves what he does for a living and is enjoying his current training camp.
“I still love to work out, I love to sweat and a lot of times when we’re done with practice I’ll still jump on a stationary bike, and I am having a lot of fun. I wouldn’t change my occupation for anything,” he said.
Hughes will continue to blog for ESPN.com leading up to his bout at UFC 135.
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(The old dude at the top who hasn’t figured out the fist pose just wandered out from the sauna and got in the photo. Thankfully, he put his clothes on before he did. –photo courtesy of Matt-Hughes.com)
Matt Hughes has apparently gone back to his roots training with longtime coach Pat Miletich for his upcoming UFC 135 bout with Josh Koscheck.
The former UFC welterweight champ, whose three-fight winning streak was snapped by a knockout at the hands of BJ Penn in his last fight also flew “The Prodigy” into Hillsboro, Illinois to help him get ready for the fight, which speaks to how seriously he’s taking his training.
Check out an excerpt from the blog after the jump.
(The old dude at the top who hasn’t figured out the fist pose just wandered out from the sauna and got in the photo. Thankfully, he put his clothes on before he did. –photo courtesy of Matt-Hughes.com)
Matt Hughes has apparently gone back to his roots training with longtime coach Pat Miletich for his upcoming UFC 135 bout with Josh Koscheck September 24 in Denver.
The former UFC welterweight champ, whose three-fight winning streak was snapped by a knockout at the hands of BJ Penn in his last fight also flew “The Prodigy” into Hillsboro, Illinois to help him get ready for the fight, which speaks to how seriously he’s taking his training.
In a recent blog he wrote for ESPN, Hughes detailed his decision to add the two legends to the mix for this camp.
Here’s what he had to say about reuniting with his old coach, Miletich:
“It had been years since Pat and I had worked together, probably since I left the gym, which was right after “The Ultimate Fighter 6” show in 2007. After that, me, Matt (Pena), Robbie (Lawler), and Marc Fiore — the coaches for my team — all came up with the gym concept. So it’s been that long for us, but Pat and I have always stayed in contact and he’s a brother of mine, there’s no doubt about that. So it was great to get my hands on him and wrestle with him, and the thing that wasn’t so great were his quick jabs and his standup,” Hughes explained. “He’s got ferocious standup. And if you were wondering, Pat’s still got it, but he’s got it in certain time slots. He would not go three five-minute rounds, but he can have a decent five minute go, take a few minutes off, then go again later. It was great getting back in there with him. I still knew what his strengths and his weaknesses were and where he didn’t like to be and what made him uncomfortable, and I’m sure he knew what made me uncomfortable, but I was the guy who was in shape, so things kinda went my way a bit.”
(“Remember when I told you it doesn’t make you my bitch if you ride on the back of my bike? I lied.”–photo courtesy of Matt-Hughes.com)
And here’s what he had to say about training with his old nemesis, Penn:
As far as working with B.J., who I fought three times over the years, a lot of people really raise an eyebrow when I say that he’s been training with me, but they might not know that I went out to Hawaii and helped B.J .with his takedowns for (his fight with Jon) Fitch. He’s repaying the favor I did for him and I found out a lot about B.J. when I went out to Hawaii and started training with him. We are actually a lot alike personality wise, and sense of humor wise for sure. We have a ball together and I’ve got to watch out for him because he’s quick-witted. My brother Mark is very quick-witted as well, so I’ve just gotta stay on my toes. He’ll catch me a couple times, because I’m a little naïve. But we really have a lot of fun together and we’ve found out a lot about each other since our third fight last year.
And it’s funny, but after working with both of them, I think B.J. and Robbie Lawler are a lot alike. Those two guys are extremely smart in dissecting opponents and seeing their tendencies, their weaknesses, and figuring out what they’re gonna do in a fight from watching tape. They’re very intelligent cornermen, trainers, and fighters, and it’s been important for me to have both of them around.”
(…and THAT’S what the Kos has cookin’.”
When Josh Koscheck mentioned back in July that he was interested in taking at least one fight at 185, speculation ran rampant about who the American Kickboxing Academy fighter wanted to face. We reported that there were early discussions with the UFC and Chris Leben’s camp for the two The Ultimate Fighter nemeses to square off at UFC 138 in San Jose, but the fight never materialized for various reasons and now Koscheck is slated to face former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on September 24 as a last-minute replacement for Diego Sanchez.
According to Kos, he asked for either Leben, Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva for his first bout back since losing to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. A broken orbital bone he suffered in the opening minutes of the bout required surgery and left him sidelined for the better part of the past year. The reason for the jump back up to middleweight — the class he competed in on The Ultimate Fighter — he says was because anyone of relevance in his own weight class was already tied up.
(…and THAT’S what the Kos has cookin’.”
When Josh Koscheck mentioned back in July that he was interested in taking at least one fight at 185, speculation ran rampant about who the American Kickboxing Academy fighter wanted to face. We reported that there were early discussions with the UFC and Chris Leben’s camp for the two The Ultimate Fighter nemeses to square off at UFC 138 in San Jose, but the fight never materialized for various reasons and now Koscheck is slated to face former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on September 24 as a last-minute replacement for Diego Sanchez.
According to Kos, he asked for either Leben, Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva for his first bout back since losing to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. A broken orbital bone he suffered in the opening minutes of the bout required surgery and left him sidelined for the better part of the past year. The reason for the jump back up to middleweight — the class he competed in on The Ultimate Fighter — he says was because anyone of relevance in his own weight class was already tied up.
“You probably saw that I was considering going to middleweight, and the reason I wanted to fight at middleweight was everyone at 170 pounds who meant anything was already locked up with a fight.To be honest, and mentioning no names, the people the UFC wanted me to fight just didn’t interest me at all. The names they offered me were just “paydays” — fights to get on a card and have a fight, take a shower get a payday and go home and I don’t want to fight those guys,” Koscheck explained on his first TUF 14 blog for Sportsnet.ca. “After the GSP fight, I needed to come back and remind everyone what I am all about and if I couldn’t do that at 170 pounds I figured maybe as a one-off just to have a major fight to come back with, I’d take a fight at 185 pounds. Realistically, I asked to fight Wanderlei Silva, Chris Leben and even Rich Franklin at 185.”
As far as Hughes, whose relevance in the welterweight division is questionable, Koscheck says he wanted to fight him for a while, but “Country Breakfast” has been ducking him for a while.
“But then last week I got word Matt Hughes, who has avoided me for years, needed an opponent for UFC 135 in Denver on Sept. 24. I’ve called out Hughes for so long but he’s always avoided me. When he was on top and one of the top in the division, he used his position to avoid fighting me and all the AKA guys,” Koscheck explained. “But when Diego Sanchez pulled out hurt with three weeks to go, I knew the UFC would have no choice but to try to talk Hughes into fighting me. Like I knew he would, he tried to suggest fighting Jon Fitch instead, knowing full well Fitch is still recovering from shoulder surgery. I tweeted that I’d accepted the fight and was ready, just to put pressure on Hughes to quit bitching and take the fight. I wanted to make it so that if he did turn the fight down, all the fans would know that he bitched out. He had nowhere else to go and I’ve finally got my fight with Matt Hughes.”
Not long after Diego Sanchez bowed out of his UFC 135 match with MMA legend Matt Hughes, UFC President Dana White announced that contender Josh Koscheck would be stepping in to replace Sanchez for the welterweight matchup.
Sanchez is currently ran…
Not long after Diego Sanchez bowed out of his UFC 135 match with MMA legend Matt Hughes, UFC President Dana White announced that contender Josh Koscheck would be stepping in to replace Sanchez for the welterweight matchup.
Sanchez is currently ranked around No. 10 in various consensus rankings. Koscheck (despite his nine-month absence from the sport following his own injury) is at about No. 7. Hughes, by contrast, is barely within the limits of the top 15. Furthermore, according to Hughes, the other contender to replace Sanchez was second-ranked Jon Fitch.
Not exactly novelty acts there. So the question is, is this a signal that White and the UFC are subtly edging 37-year-old Hughes toward the door?
My first thought was no, or, to be more precise, “no, that’s ridiculous.” What would be the upside in doing that?
But then I thought about it some more. I remembered that White is an unabashed Hughes fan. And why shouldn’t he be? Hughes has long been a loyal company man, as well as a great champion. So what if there’s some tough love at work here?
Perhaps this simple realization, combined with the small matter of Hughes’ recent track record in the cage, means that, yes, the UFC may be throwing Hughes to the proverbial wolves, under the logic that a couple of brutal losses might be preferable to a string of legacy-tarnishing embarrassments, or even a serious injury. But let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?
After Hughes’ lopsided loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123, White said flat out that “Hughes should retire.” Underpinning that assertion, however, is a previous White statement that Hughes has “a home in the UFC” for life, whether he is fighting or not.
The subtext here, in my estimation, is that Hughes—like Chuck Liddell before him—doesn’t need to worry about being forgotten or fading into irrelevance once he hangs up his gloves. White is saying he believes Hughes can be a useful and productive member of the UFC and MMA communities even if he is no longer active in the cage.
Also like Liddell, Hughes has shown that he is flagging in the Octagon, particularly against top competition. It’s true that before losing to Penn, Hughes posted three straight wins. But those came over 43-year-old Renzo Gracie, almost-35-year-old Matt Serra and Ricardo Almeida, a relative spring chicken at 32 when they fought, but who retired just six months after losing to Hughes.
Against top guys Thiago Alves, Georges St-Pierre and Penn, the record plays a different tune. Hughes not only lost three times to these three in his last six fights, he also lost in dominant fashion (one first-round KO, one second-round TKO and one second-round submission).
Hughes’ schedule has also slowed considerably of late, as the Koscheck tilt will only be his sixth fight in three years.
That brings us back to the UFC 135 matchup, which has a few telling qualities of its own. After Sanchez bowed out, White and company could have teed up a cupcake or another legends match. Hughes has drawing power regardless of his opponent, and his fans (not to mention Hughes himself) would surely love to see him win.
The fact the UFC, then, chose not only Sanchez but top-flight opponents as fill-ins for Sanchez means their decision to pit Hughes against a top fighter was not a one-off.
I have no access to the UFC’s inner matchmaking circle. I don’t know Matt Hughes, Dana White or Joe Silva. So this is all pure speculation. But my guess is the UFC wants to demonstrate to Hughes that another title run, or even strong showings at the top level, may be farther away from Hughes than they appear in the old rear-view.
Hughes has carte blanche to fight for as long as he wishes, and rightly so. He’s earned the right to go out on his own terms, whatever those terms might be. But the UFC doesn’t seem interested in watching him be humiliated, and throwing him to a younger, stronger opponent hunting a legendary trophy for his mantelpiece may be their way of telling Hughes that it’s better to burn out than to fade away.
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