Thoughts on Hughes

Matt Hughes looked as good as he has ever looked on the feet last night, but he like some many other before him has lost the ability to wear punchs (Wand, Liddell, Couture, etc...). He easily stuffed Koschecks takedown attempt and I think young Hughes eats Koscheck alive. I got the feeling Hughes was setting himself up to retire. He got Pat & Penn to train with him. He wore his most recognizable walk out shirt. If he beats Kos then I think he retires there on the spot. But since it didn't happen I think Hughes wants to keep to door open to take one last fight and end his career with a win.

Obviously in MMA things happen suddenly, but he was looking so good was the thing, I even thought he was going to blow that eye up with that stiff jab, then he got caught and dropped, you could tell he wanted to walk away, but can't go out like that, did Dana say he should retire like he did with Silva and Chuck?

His boxing looked really nice but he was wobbled by everything Kos landed

Young Hughes destroys Koscheck. He has no chin now though so he should retire.

I don't buy that he should retire at all. He can still win fights.

When he beat Serra, Gracie, and Almeida everybody was acting like Hughes aint back because he never left this bitch...now he loses two in a row to top guys and needs to retire. Hughes can still beat a lot of guys, he just might need to take it easy on guys like Penn and Kos and maybe look for more Diego Sanchez, Kampmann, maybe Paulo Thiago fights before deciding to retire.

At this point for Hughes, he's only still fighting because he loves it. If he can give up any title aspirations he can still serve as a level boss because a win over Hughes is still better than a win over most of the WW in the UFC outside of maybe 4-5 names outside the obvious GSP, and it's not just because he's Matt Hughes but because he's still proven to be better than middle of the pack fighters and is only facing set backs against the top contenders.

I won't buy that Hughes needs to retire until he loses to somebody like Dan Hardy, or it starts becoming too much. Hughes didnt look weak against Koscheck, he got hit and went down...Koscheck can do that.

Hughes used to spar 100% all the time, wonder if those sessions took their toll? Or it could be Thiago alves or gsp trauma

I think it's more so that he's simply getting old.

I think he is done as a contender but if he wants to keep fighting thats fine with me.

I think he should retire. He can hang with top guys but he can't take a punch. He is a top guy of all time p4p and I don't want to see him laying face down in the octagon anymore because he is aging.

Let Me get this straight. Young Hughes who had about 1/5 the boxing he showed last night destroys Koscheck who shot out of desperation? I say young Hughes lasts a little longer against the shots he was taking but eventually the result is the same and he gets slept.

Ludo wrote:

Let Me get this straight. Young Hughes who had about 1/5 the boxing he showed last night destroys Koscheck who shot out of desperation? I say young Hughes lasts a little longer against the shots he was taking but eventually the result is the same and he gets slept.

When Hughes was younger he didn't have to evolve as a fighter. His wrestling was so dominant he didn't need to learn how to strike properly. Plus MMA training is vastly different then 5 years ago. It has evoled significantly since the Miletich camp days.

A prime Hughes focusing on his boxing with mordern training beats a Prime Kos today.

Ludo wrote:

Let Me get this straight. Young Hughes who had about 1/5 the boxing he showed last night destroys Koscheck who shot out of desperation? I say young Hughes lasts a little longer against the shots he was taking but eventually the result is the same and he gets slept.

+1

Ninja\Rua/Fan wrote:

Ludo wrote:

Let Me get this straight. Young Hughes who had about 1/5 the boxing he showed last night destroys Koscheck who shot out of desperation? I say young Hughes lasts a little longer against the shots he was taking but eventually the result is the same and he gets slept.

When Hughes was younger he didn't have to evolve as a fighter. His wrestling was so dominant he didn't need to learn how to strike properly. Plus MMA training is vastly different then 5 years ago. It has evoled significantly since the Miletich camp days.

A prime Hughes focusing on his boxing with mordern training beats a Prime Kos today.

+1.

Prime Hughes with today's training methods available to him and a mind to focus on striking probably beats Koscheck. But the Hughes of 2005 as he was without the "if he had today's opportunities" theory attached does much, much worse against Koscheck.

Though by the same token it isn't like he never had above average strikers to train with. Jens, Pat, Neer, and Sylvia to a point(at one time Sylvia was recognized as an accomplished MMA striker). He had a ton of opportunities to focus on his striking, but for whatever reason he chose not to. I think if it wasn't for the Thiago Alves fight he'd probably still have the striking of a lame house cat.

I think Matt needs to retire. It's sad but any fighter with good enough wrestling to fight off his wrestling for long enough to touch his chin is gonna KO him.

He reminds me of the iceman, hes an incredible fighter but his chin has left him behind.

killerofchicken wrote:

He reminds me of the iceman, hes an incredible fighter but his chin has left him behind.

THIS. Every other part of their bodies says bring it and their chins say NOOOOOO!!!!

He's not as legendary as Matt or Chuck but AA has the same problem

it would suck to be hughes and be performing better in training daily just to have your chin fail you.

The common saying is "power is the last to go" maybe its chin? I only spar now but feel lucky my body started to say no before my fists and chin

that Hughes would have beat Diego.

OU wrote:

that Hughes would have beat Diego.

I agree

I still think he would have been finished. Kos has a nice overhand right but its not like he possesses otherworldly power and Hughes was literally buckled and hurt by every single punch he landed

That chin is finito

Farmer has the best AV on this board, hands down.

I love Matt Hughes and he hasn't got shit to prove to anyone! but he needs to realize he is not one of the Randys or Hendos of the sport. They are going to be few and far between. What is sad for me concerning Matt is he is just short of being on that Mount Rushmore of MMA thing we do every once in awhile. For me that is going to be Royce, Randy, Spider, and GSP...though five years from now, it will probably have to replace a member, which will sadly be Randy, because to replace Royce would be a sin...

Royce... i'd put Hughes ahead of him.