What Does Matt Hughes Have to Prove?
By Frank Gazerro
What does Matt Hughes have to prove? That really seems to be the question. A lot of folks would feel fine if Hughes hung up his gloves, waved to the crowd, said, “thanks” to the fans, and waited for his UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Maybe they’re all right. After all, Hughes won the title from Carlos Newton in 2001 and from that moment on his dominance was undeniable until he met George St. Pierre for the second time at UFC 65 in 2006. A combination of training with the Miletich camp, mental toughness, a good work ethic, superior strength, wrestling skills, and consistent improvement lead Matt to his five year run at the top. He carries with him an impressive record of 43-7-0, more fights than most could dream of. He had a remarkable run. Nobody can take that away from him. So what does Matt Hughes have to prove? In this writer’s opinion, quite a bit.
What makes the sport of MMA so unique is its evolution. Everybody remembers what happened in years after the first few UFC tournaments. In that short period of time the sport evolved from a collection of fighters with unique skill sets to a collection of fighters incorporating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into their unique skill sets. From there it continued to evolve and has never stopped. The true test of a great fighter is whether or not he can evolve with the sport. He needs to be able to continue adding checks to his win column despite changing trends and the influx of younger fighters. Has Matt Hughes demonstrated such evolution? The answer is simple, no. He had an unforgettable run, but it was during a time when his specific skill set went unanswered by the majority of his opponents. From 2001-2006 he had something nobody else did. Few could contend with Hughes’ strength and wrestling ability. Combine that with decent submissions and passable striking and you get a great champion. The true test for Hughes came after his first loss to George St. Pierre. Pierre entered the octagon with a skill set that was not only superior to that of Hughes, but one that Hughes simply had no answer for. The welterweight division had caught up to Hughes and slipped right past him. After that fight he was forced to face the fact that what had worked for him in the past would not work in the future. The sport had issued Hughes a challenge. To either grow, mature, and evolve as a fighter or get left behind. Did Hughes rise to the occasion? Unfortunately, it does not look like it.
Now lets talk for a minute about a fighter’s legacy. Take a guy like Randy Couture. He’s probably not as well rounded a fighter as George St. Pierre or B.J. Penn, but he has proven that he can hang with the best of them no matter how old he is. He’s taken his loses, learned from them and come back better. He has evolved. Nobody shamed him when he announced his retirement after his lost to Liddell. In fact, they celebrated his legacy. Why? Because he was 41 years old and had nothing to prove. Hughes, on the other hand, has wracked up an amazing record but he’s only 34 and has no serious injuries. What would it say about his career if he retired now? Would it say that he just did not want to fight anymore? Or would it say that suddenly he just could not win anymore? Either way, it does not look good. A guy of Hughes’ age and athletic ability should be able to hang. He should be able to continue training, learning, evolving, and climbing his way back to the top. The question isn’t whether or not Hughes can come back, its whether or not he will. If he really wants that title back its going to be a long, hard road. It may take Hughes redefining himself as a fighter altogether. The way I see it right now, if something does not change, Matt Hughes will not go down in the history books as one of the great mixed martial artists of his generation. He will be remembered as a guy who had an amazing run at the top, but failed to evolve and was left in the dust when the sport moved on.
