Matt Hughes facts for kids

Matt Hughes

Matthew Allen Hughes (born December 13, 1978 in Hillsboro, Illinois) is a retired American mixed martial artist. Hughes is a former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer. He put together two separate six-fight winning streaks. He defeated all the available opposition in his weight class. He defeated six former UFC Champions. Hughes also was the coach for the reality shows The Ultimate Fighter 2 and The Ultimate Fighter 6. He was the host of Trophy Hunters TV.

On June 16, 2017, Hughes was hospitalized with a serious head injury after a train struck the passenger side of his truck at a crossing near his home in Montgomery County, Illinois.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Welterweight Champion (two times)
  • Seven successful title defenses
  • Second most successful welterweight title defenses (seven)
  • Tapout of the Night (four times)
  • Submission of the Night (one time)
  • Fight of the Night (one time)
  • UFC Hall of Fame
  • Third most wins in the UFC (eighteen)
  • Most finishes in the Welterweight division (Thirteen)
  • Two separate six-fight win streaks in the UFC
  • Defeated all but one (Pat Miletich) of the other UFC welterweight champions while active
  • Defeated six different UFC champions
• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2006 NHB Fighter of the Year
  • Black Belt Magazine Hall of Famer
• Bleacher Report
  • 2000s Welterweight of the Decade.
• Sports Illustrated
  • 2000s #3 Fighter of the Decade
  • UFC's #4 Greatest Fight vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005
  • UFC's #1 Greatest Fight vs. B.J. Penn on September 23, 2006
• About.com
  • 2000s #5 Fight of the Decade vs. B.J. Penn on September 23, 2006
  • 2000s #3 Fight of the Decade vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005
• Fight Matrix
  • 1999 Fighter of the Year 3rd Place
  • 2002 Fighter of the Year
  • 2003 Fighter of the Year 3rd Place
  • 2004 Fighter of the Year 3rd Place
  • 2005 Fighter of the Year 3rd Place
• MMAFighting
  • 2002 Welterweight Fighter of the Year
  • 2003 Welterweight Fighter of the Year
  • 2005 Submission of the Year vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005
• Yahoo! Sports
  • 2000s #6 Fight of the Decade vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005

Amateur wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division 1 All-American Team (Two times)
  • NCAA Division 1 158 lb - 8th place out of Eastern Illinois University (1996)
  • NCAA Division 1 158 lb - 5th place out of Eastern Illinois University (1997)
• National Junior College Athletic Association
  • NJCAA All-American Team (Two times)
  • NJCAA Hall of Fame
• Eastern Illinois University
  • EIU Athletic Hall of Fame
• Illinois High School Association
  • IHSA Class A State Wrestling Champion 145 lb (1991)
  • IHSA Class A State Wrestling Champion 145 lb (1992)

Submission grappling

• Grapplers Quest
  • 2002 Grapplers Quest West Championships Middleweight Advanced Champion (2/23/02)

Books

• (2008) Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. ISBN: 978-1-4169-4883-4.