COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: The Story of Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival. In the third round, Hughes unsuccessfully tried an armbar again before the horn sounded. [122], Hughes was expected to face Diego Sanchez on September 24, 2011, at UFC 135: Jones vs. Knocked out by the big hands of Koscheck, Hughes did something curious after the loss. He has plainly stated in the past that the Hallman losses don't eat at him in any way, having happened a decade agoan eternity in the fight business. Matt Hughes. [131], Since January 2011, Hughes is the host of hunting program Trophy Hunters TV, which airs in Outdoor Channel three times a week. [108] On January 9, 2009, Hughes confirmed on his blog that UFC 98 would likely be the day he and Serra met in the Octagon. Matt Hughes was a dominant UFC champion, but after his hall of fame career came to a close, he faced his toughest fight ever, this time, for his very survival. [53], Hughes faced Penn's training partner Renato Verissimo at UFC 48: Payback, winning via unanimous decision (30-27; 3027; 29-28). Twenty minutes. [10][11][12][13], A long-time member of Miletich Fighting Systems, Hughes left the Miletich camp in late 2007 to start Team Hughes. In order to sell this fight, the UFC would have to make smoke where there really isn't a fire.The best way I could see this working is to put the fight on in Chicagothe closest thing to Matt Hughes's hometown. Didnt he get some brain damage in his accident? This is "COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE FINAL CUT" by First Row Films on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. He looked too strong for Sakurai. I'm just going to tell the UFC to put me up on a shelf for a while, and we'll see what happens after that. Top 25 Post Fight Interviews: #20-#16 09:59. Hughes showed improved striking, but ultimately succumbed to Koscheck's power punches. [49] Obviously disappointed at the time, St. Pierre admitted afterward that he had lost before he ever stepped into the Octagon. Their rivalry stemmed from the time when Serra was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter and Hughes was guest coach. [144] On January 14, 2018, Hughes returned ringside as a guest of honor during UFC Fight Night in St. [83] According to both commentator Joe Rogan and Hughes's own autobiography, Hughes was unhappy with St-Pierre's statement. Be the first one to comment on this story. [86] However, Hughes stated in the post-fight interview that the second kick mainly affected his legs, rather than his groin. Dennis who?If that was your reaction upon reading this, I don't blame you. Penn (Pictures) in rounds one and two to avenge his 2004 loss to the Hawaiian with a come-from-behind TKO win at 3:53 of the third. [102] Hughes fought the extension, but with his left hand trapped between the mat and St-Pierre's legs, was forced to submit verbally at 4:54 of the second round. Hughes was put in a medically induced coma for 19 days after the accident. Luckily, no one told Matt Hughes. ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 23 Be it the way he is wired, his With forty nine professional fights to his name over a twelve year career, there's no doubt Hughes has some significant mileage on him. I over-trained for the fight. Widely considered among the greatest fighters in the history of MMA, he is a former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion, UFC Hall of Fame inductee, and NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee. Enter To WIN An Epic Arizona Bike Week Package from LAW TIGERS! ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, Most finishes in UFC Welterweight division, George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, National Junior College Athletic Association, "Matt Hughes MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography", "Matt Hughes Inducted Into UFC Hall of Fame", "Matt Hughes inducted into UFC Hall of Fame", "A History of MMA's Pound-for-Pound Best", "Remembering Matt Hughes: The Best Fighter Of His Generation May Have Called It Quits", "Who is the Greatest Welterweight of All Time? [43] With the victory, he became the first man to defeat Sherk. Any fights against a top contender or prospect he hasnt fought already, from Rory McDonald to Jon Fitch, would end in a similar way as his fight against the Ultimate Fighter semi-finalist. [125], I'm not retiring. [138], Hughes is a born again Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his website. Following a championship win by Matt Serra over Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69,[96] UFC President Dana White announced that Hughes would fight for the World Welterweight title in November 2007 against Serra. At the UFC 56 live broadcast, Joe Rogan said: "My favorite walk-out song in all the UFC, A country boy can survive."[128], Hughes released his autobiography, Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History, co-written with Michael Malice,[129] on January 1, 2008. [60] and comebacks in MMA history[61][62] This fight is UFC President Dana White's favorite match in combat sport history. [110] The final round saw the former champions taking each other down and exchanging punches. upbringing on a farm in Illinois or his adolescent slugfests with https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2019/05/ufc-25-video-country-boy-can-survive-the-story-of-matt-hughes-fight-for-survival. Win Tickets to Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band at the New Snapdragon Stadium, Win Tickets To See Guns N' Roses at Snapdragon Stadium. Hughes has appeared at a few UFC events and functions since the accident and the filming of the documentary. When it appeared that the fight would be stopped, the bell rang signaling the end of the first round. [7], Fighting Renzo Gracie student and 3rd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Almeida, Hughes rendered him unconscious with a Dave Schultz front headlock[115] at 3:15 of round 1, on August 7, 2010, at UFC 117: Silva vs. Bellator 291 Results: Yaroslav Amosov Dominates Logan Storley In Welterweight Title Unification Bout, UFC Vegas 70 Results, Live Coverage, and Discussion: Brendan Allen Submits Andre Muniz In Late Replacement Main Event. [116], It's an old-school wrestling move. With A Country Boy Can Survive by Hank Williams Junior blaring through Denver, and Pat Miletich escorting him to the cage, Kos loomed as a final test for the former champion that he was about to fail. In April, the docuseries received a Sports Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Edited Sports Special or Series category. [86], On March 3, 2007, Hughes returned to the Octagon for UFC 68: Uprising,[88] defeating Chris Lytle by unanimous decision, winning 3027 on all three judges' scorecards. [110] In the first round, both fighters collided heads, and Hughes got the worst of it. Hughes is reaching that point and anything further would be watching Liddell go out on his shield repeatedly. [146], In May 2019 Hughes's wife filed a restraining order against him after she accused him of several incidents of domestic violence. I believe God has a bigger plan for Matt. UFC 25 Years in Short premiered on UFC Fight Pass in fall of 2018, so the time is right to showcase it to a new audience, UFC senior vice president of production and programming Chris Kartzmark stated. [66] The match was originally scheduled as a title bout, but since Riggs could not meet the 170-pound weight limit, it became a non-title fight. Aside from GSP, he is the only fighter to have beaten Hughes on two separate occasions.So the narrative for this fight writes itself, with an obvious hook: can Hughes finally get one up on the man who has won a fluke submission victory on him twice? Penn then connected with an overhand right that dropped Hughes, following up with three clean shots to the jaw. [114], On May 28, 2010, Hughes was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Pull List Roundtable 6/29/2022 Avengers, Superman, X-Men, Batman & More. Hughes started the match with a big slam and then began to attack from Castillo's guard with elbows and punches. -Dana White told Hughes in the cage at UFC 63. [67], I'm not disappointed. VID Matt Hughes: Country Boy Can Survive Documentary RaginCajun May 28, 2019 Welcome to our Community Wanting to join the rest of our members? ", "UFC 135 Results: Ranking Hugues' Greatest Career moments", "Hughes or GSP: Who is Greatest UFC Welterweight of All Time? The record listed here represents the one given on his official website & Sherdog profile. [105] He stated in his blog: Thiago came in big, some people told me that he looked bigger than me in the octagon. [56] The fight was competitive. Director Rory Karpf Star Matt Hughes See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Photos Add photo Hughes never liked the idea, however, and considers himself primarily an amateur and submission wrestler.[15]. Everything Else (The Really Unlikely Ones). Former two-time UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2017 after the truck he was travelling in was hit by a train. [67] It marked the first time for the UFC that a title fight had to be called off for this reason. UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes nearly died in a car accident in 2017. Matt Hughes was a dominant UFC champion, but after his hall of fame career came to a close, he faced his toughest fight ever, this time, for his very survival. Hughes fought three times at Extreme Challenge 21, on October 17, 1998, defeating Victor Hunsaker via TKO and future UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne via unanimous decision. Discussion in 'UFC Discussion' started by kore, May 11, 2020. From king of the world to on the way out, all in the span of a year.Sure, Hughes isin't that old per se. [47] After a tactical grappling match-up early on, Trigg fell victim to a standing rear naked choke at 3:45 of the first round. Designed & Developed by, COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: The Story of Matt Hughes Fight for Survival, Patricio Pitbull claims hed beat his UFC counterpart Max Holloway no problem, Alexander Gustafsson wants to beat Anthony Smith and remain busy in 2019, Kevin Holland submits an internet troll after online challenge accepted. Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival - Country Boy Can Survive Video. There's nothing more I can say about it.[103]. [52] The title was vacated following a contract dispute between Penn and the UFC, which promptly stripped him of the welterweight title, claiming Penn had breached his contract and that the signing constituted him refusing to defend his title. [49], Hughes's next fight took place at UFC 56: Full Force, where he was scheduled to fight Judo practitioner Karo Parisyan. We dont take it overly serious, and neither should you. Win Tickets To The Red Hot Chili Peppers at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium! Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [112] After the fight Hughes said, "I think I have a few more fights left in me. Hughes opened the second round with a quick takedown, moving up to side-control and then landed an elbow that cut Lytle. During high school they both participated in football and wrestling. [62][63][64] He was awarded the Tapout of the Night for the third time in his career. Sign up for the MMA Junkie newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. In an interview with Burt Watson in 2021, Hughes opened up about his therapy and recovery, saying: Matt Hughes' documentary A Country Boy Can Survive aired during the UFC's 25th anniversary. It would be epic. [19], Hughes competed in the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, in which he held a record of 22, beating Ricardo Almeida[20] and Jeremy Horn,[21] and losing to Jeff Monson[22] and Tito Ortiz.[23]. Hughes told the audience that White was one of the people who offered to help his family after his accident: Watch Matt Hughes talk about Dana White offering to help his family below: During the event, White said that the documentary does a good job of telling how the horrific accident happened. Sing A Country Boy Can Survive in the Style of "Hank Williams, Jr.". Hughes faced BJ Penn on November 20, 2010, in a rubber match at UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida, after their previous two fights at UFC 46 and UFC 63. May 30, 2019. [85] In the first round, Hughes sustained two unintentional kicks near the groin; after Hughes went down from the second kick, St-Pierre was given a warning by referee "Big" John McCarthy. Instead, it was his" ring age" that seemed to finally have caught up to the former champion. [1] It is considered one of Williams's signature songs even though it never reached number one. [36], Hughes faced Carlos Newton in their subsequent rematch at the main event of UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall, in the promotion's debut in the United Kingdom. Hughes has no nickname, although because of his successes against Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) practitioners such as Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ricardo Almeida, and Matt Serra, people often refer to him as "the Gracie Killer" (the same as Sakuraba's nickname). If we fight again, I don't think he's going to beat me, but he will probably come closer. [117][118] Almeida requested the fight after watching his mentor lose to Hughes at UFC 112 back in April. Country Boy Can Survive: The Story of Matt Hughes Fight for Survival is the raw, emotional recounting of the struggle of Hughes and his family from the time that Hughes was still fighting until the accident and then his recovery. Please logout and login again. This was a huge fight for me. [126], The UFC announced on January 24, 2013, that Matt Hughes retired from fighting and was named a Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations. In the third fight of that night he lost to then-undefeated Dennis Hallman by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 0:17 of the first round. [141][142] On June 18, Hughes's family released a statement that he had no broken bones or internal injuries but was unconscious and unresponsive. Click here to learn more. Sign up 1 2 3 Next RaginCajun Believe in yourself. Matt Hughes fought Tito Ortiz for the bronze medal (3rd place) and was defeated. Penn via rear naked choke at 4:39 of the first round,[51] in a fight he was heavily favored to win. After Southwestern dropped their wrestling program, Hughes transferred to Lincoln College, where he placed third in the nation, notching a 333 record for the Lynx. Though he teetered on the edge of death, Hughes somehow won the biggest fight of his life, and has slowly been working on his recovery. Hughes now had four wins over mixed martial artists with ties to the Gracies, including UFC pioneer Royce Gracie, the prior mentioned Renzo Gracie and former champ Serra. [59] Accidentally hit in the groin early in the first round, Hughes looked to the referee for assistance; however, the referee had not seen the strike and Trigg capitalized on Hughes's distraction by staggering him with a barrage of punches. All rights reserved. The song describes and Read More Produced by. I believe God has a bigger plan for . On Tuesday, the promotion released the seventh film in the series, COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: The story of Matt Hughes Fight for Survival.. Unfortunately for Hughes, it was back when no one was watching. And heres the thing that keeps coming to mind. Walking away right now saves Hughes from a lot of indignities that a lot of fighters suffer on their way down from the peaks of MMA. [33] This was confirmed by Hughes himself upon reviewing the tape of the match Hughes can be heard telling his corner after the fight "I was out". [97] This fight was later changed to December 29, 2007, in Las Vegas, at UFC 79: Nemesis. The UFC celebrated its 25-year anniversary with a series of poignant short documentaries, collectively titled 25 Years in Short. After the match Newton stated that he felt the reason Hughes fell to the mat was because he was rendered unconscious from the triangle choke. Despite this, Serra could not finish the fight and Hughes recovered rapidly. [35] In the first round of the fight, Hughes spent all the time either clinching Sakurai up against the fence, or ripping his feet out from under him. Top 25 Submissions: #5 - #1 The Story Of Matt Hughes' Comeback From A Near-Fatal . Fan's Take", "UFC History: 20 Best UFC Fighters Of All-Time", "Ranking Chuck Liddell and the UFC Hall of Fame inductees", Fight Night Goiania Free Fight: Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes, "Former Lincoln College Wrestler Matt Hughes to Be Inducted in the NJCAA Wrestling Hall of Fame", "Matt Hughes vs Ricardo Almeida-ADCC 2000", "History of the UFC 12.10.07: UFC XXVI Ultimate Field of Dreams", "History of the UFC 01.07.07: UFC XXIX Defense of the Belts", "History of the UFC 03.03.08: UFC XXXIV High Votlage", "Rampage Jackson and the 6 Most Devastating Slams in MMA History", "The Seven Most Brutal KO Slams in MMA History", "25 Best Championship Fights in UFC History", "History of the UFC 03.24.08: UFC XXXVI Worlds Collide", "Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton II, UFC 38", "History of the UFC 05.12.08: UFC XL Vendetta", "History of the UFC 06.09.08: UFC XLII: Sudden Impact", "Sean "The Muscle Shark Sherk MMA Stats, Pictures, New, Videos, Biography", "History of the UFC 07.14.08: UFC XLVI Supernatural", "BJ Penn sues Zuffa over Stripping of Welterweight title", "History of the UFC 08.18.08: UFC XLVI Supernatural", "Top 5 UFC fights in the promotion's modern history", "Top 10 Best MMA Comeback wins of All-Time", "UFC 52: Matt Hughes Survives To Defeat Arch Nemesis Frank Trigg", "Riggs's Failed Weigh-In Makes UFC History", "UFC 56: Hughes vs. Riggs, Franklin vs. UFC Vegas 69 Results, Live Coverage, and Discussion: Erin Blanchfield Submits Jessica Andrade. Hughes said that they "had words" off-camera shortly thereafter. He is currently two fights into his third stint in the UFC. Penn", "Matt Hughes vs. Diego Sanchez expected for UFC 135 in Denver", "Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck official for UFC 135 in Denver", "Koscheck KOs Hughes in First, Hughes Not Retiring", "UFC 135 main-card results: Jones chokes out 'Rampage,' Koscheck KOs Hughes", "Matt Hughes Retires, Promoted to UFC Vice President", "Matt Hughes new book 'Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History' set for 2008 release", "Hardcover Nonfiction New York Times bestseller list", "Matt Hughes gets TV mini series "Uncaged" for African hunting safari", "Dan Hardy talks retirement, says Matt Hughes is 'bad for the sport', "Matt Hughes in bitter twitter quarrel with 'PETA idiots', "UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes seriously injured in truck vs. train accident", "From scary accident to coma to rolling, UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is back on the mat", "Matt Hughes' Family Working with Brain and Spinal Injury Non-Profit Organization", "VIDEO: UFC legend Matt Hughes returns to hospital to honor nurses who treated him after crash", "Matt Hughes suing train operator at center of near-fatal accident", "UFC'S MATT HUGHES HIT WITH RESTRAINING ORDER WIFE CLAIMS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE", "Wife of UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes granted order of protection against her husband", "UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes settles tractor dispute with twin brother Mark", "Matt Hughes inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame", "Fight Matrix - UFC Records & Most Wins", "Matt Hughes: 2006 NHB Fighter of the Year", "Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: The Shoo-Ins", "Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva among MMA's best of decade", "The best of the decade: 10 best MMA fights", Matt Hughes profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matt_Hughes_(fighter)&oldid=1133953955, Five successful title defenses (first reign), Two successful title defenses (second reign), Seven successful title defenses (overall), Second most title defenses in the UFC welterweight division (Seven), Second most title fights in the UFC welterweight division (Twelve), Second most finishes in UFC title fights (Eight), Second most fights in UFC history (Twenty-five), Extreme Challenge 21 Tournament Runner-up. From The Web [54] He was caught in a very tight triangle choke in the first round,[55] but after winning the second and third rounds, was awarded with the victory. In 2005, Hughes participated as a coach opposite Rich Franklin in the second season of the Spike TV reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter. This video makes me sad but inspires me with his tenacity and the love of his wife and kids. [91][92] Despite the fact that after the preliminary round, Team Hughes's record was 26, both Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer of Team Hughes made it to the finals. Post-fight Hughes hinted that the loss moved him one step closer to retirement. Hes been in, or close to, the main event of nearly every card hes been on. [89], In late mid-2007, Hughes left the Miletich camp with Miletich stablemate Robbie Lawler, longtime boxing coach Matt Pena, and wrestling/conditioning teacher Marc Fiore to form The H.I.T. [116] Hughes landed a huge left hook that knocked Almeida down, sinking in the very deep choke which earned him the Submission of the Night honors. [123] However, Sanchez missed the bout with an injury and was replaced by Josh Koscheck. Hughes weathered an early outburst by B.J. The official description, courtesy of the UFC: Matt Hughes was a dominant UFC champion, but after his hall of fame career came to a close, he faced his toughest fight ever, this time, for his. COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE: Matt Hughes' Fight for Survival. Unfortunately, with Penn tied up at 155 for the forseeable future, the timing of this fight just doesn't seem likely.Rickson Gracie: If Hughes wants to cement his "Gracie Hunter" image, he needs to go after the big dog. I started training too much, too hard, for too long. In the rubber match, he was outclassed by his grappling. [34], He successfully defended his championship belt at UFC 36: Worlds Collide, defeating former Shooto Middleweight Champion Hayato Sakurai via TKO due to strikes at 3:01 of the fourth round. Matt Hughes was one of the most dominant UFC champions' in the sport's history but his true battles began after retirement. ). Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! After his KO loss to Thiago Alves a short while later, there were calls for his retirement. Originally airing on UFC FIGHT PASS, UFC 25 Years in Short is a 25-part documentary series celebrating the UFC silver anniversary. On October 7, 2014, Hughes parented with Producer Joe David Garza and became the host of a new series entitled The Takedown with Matt Hughes, which aired on Sundays on the Sportsman Channel. Instead, Hughes completely. TheBlue Corneris MMA Junkies blog space. [67], Hughes defeated Riggs in the first round by submission via kimura from the half-guard at 3:28. To be honest, I don't know what goes on now. Hughes started the second round with powerful leg kicks, but after that Gracie returned to his in-and-out punching style. [68] The armlock earned Hughes his last Tapout of the Night award.[49][66]. [58], Hughes successfully retained his title against Trigg in their historic rematch at UFC 52: Couture vs. Liddell 2.