Matt Hughes Begining of the end?

[pittbullJudoka]

By now evryone knows that Thiago Alves dominated Matt Hughes this past weekend. My question tothe mma fans of this site is are: Are the fighters Hughes is facing luck? I think not or they wouldn't be fighting in the UFC. Is it possible that the sport has past Matt's training by such ait has Royce Gracie? Has father time caught Hughes? Has leaving Miletich taken effect on him? Or has opening his owngymand train others to fight while trying to prepare himself proven too much for Matt?

Hughes has fought six times in the last two years. Of those six fights Hughes lost three of them. He stated on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter he had two or three fights left in him. Following his fight against Alves MMAweekly has inteview that he states two or three. But over all in his last six preformances he has looked a little lack lusted in my opinion in four of those six fights which I've seen all but one which was the most recent.

Alves from what I have read just picked Hughes are so much so that he had time Hughes's pattern out and knew the shot for the takedown was coming and landed a devistating flying knee. For this to happen Hughes had to have set into a very destinctive pattern. Is this a result frombreaking his regular training cylce at Militch?

Now we move back to his last fight with St. Pierre. This one I watch with great antisipation of a great back and forth fight. St. Pierre came out very crisp and snappy with his technique. Even seemingly to take Hughes out of his game and taking him down at will. St. Pierre battered Hughes at the end of the round and close to a possible stoppage. As the camera zoomed in on Hughes on his stool the look on his face was and odd one for Hughes. What I saw was a fatigued, mentally broken and worried Hughes. He looked as ifhe was close to tears. Of course this is strictly my opinion. The second round should Hughes no love either. St. Pierre again dominated Hughes throwing him to the ground and ultimately securing an arm bar in what many consider and odd position. Hughes was caught in a manner that left both arms tied up and unable to tap. So his only option was to verbly submit. "Tap Tap I'm out" or something to that effect. Has this submission loss in this manner gotten in Matt's head? I mean no worse way to loose to a very competitive guy like Hughes than to have to verbal say I quite he beat me.

Now we move back to Hughes vs. Lytle. This was a very boring fight to watch. Now mind you I don'tmind watching a fight go all three rounds but it need to be exciting. Matt didn't dare box with Lytle because of Lytle's boxing back ground. He would take him down and try to pound him out but Lytle is good enough on the ground that he avoided any real damage. But in turn Matt has some heavy hips so Lytle had nochanceof getting up. In the post fight interview in the ring MAtt stated that he done what he had to get the "w". This being said it seemed he was fighting to not loose and wanted avoid all risk.

Here we find ourselves back at St. Pierre again. Matt came out agressive until Pierre accidently kicked him in the groin. After a short recovery time the fight resumed. After getting over the fear of another low blow GSP threw a couple well placed inside thigh kicks. Again Hughes goes down holding the groin but on the replay you can clearly see the kick never gets close enough to the groin to warrent this stoppage. GSP calms down a eventaully end the round with a nice ground and pound that would to most fighters. Early in the second GSP fants a kick to get Hughes to reach and thekick lands on his skull. This kick was the begining of the end for Hughes sending him to the canvas. GSP jumps on Hughes and pound out a REf stoppage.

Hughes vs. Penn was a great example the times are changing. It's been awhile since I've watched this one. But if memory serves me correct Penn was working the jab very effectively. Hughes could not get the take down foralmost two rounds. Hughes got a nice ground and pound at the end of the second. Between rounds Penn took his time getting to his corner. Penn looked fatigued starting the third. Hughes secured the take down and finally got the ref stoppage. Over all if Penn had not gotten injured in the second Hughes would have been finished. Hughes was not have any luck with his take downs or striking.

Hughes meets a legend in Royce Gracie. Hughes came put agressive. Of course he had not fear of Gracie's stand up. And rightfully so. Hughes got a great take down and I thought I was either see Gracie tap of Hughes break his arm. Truthfully I was hoping for the latter of the two. Then I thought I seen him get a win via rear naked choke. But ultimately a win via red stppage. And in my opinion this was the last fight that Hughes looked good and focused also the last timehe looked like himself.

So is Hughes on his last hu ra? Is this a slup every fighter goes through and will he be able to pull out of it? Did St. Pierre mentally break Hughes with the verbal sub? Is runnung and training at his own gym away for Miletich Fighting System taking its' toll on him? Has mmapast him by as he saidit had Gracie after their fight? Or is it a combination of all these things. And truely how many fights or years does Matt Hughes have left.

In my opinion I think that Hughes domination days are over. He has had a great ride racking up a great record of 42 wins and 7 losses. He has fought some of the best in the would some of them in their prime and let's face it some not. He's gotwins over the like of St. Pierre, Penn, Gracie, Trigg, Sherk, and Carlos Newton. His defeatscame buy great fighter also St. Pierre x2, Alves. Penn, Dennis Hallman x2, and Jose Landi-Jons (also beat Pat Miletich). He never lost via decion which impressive.

I would like to think that he's is in a slup and willpull outabout a three to five fight win streak before he retires. At the rate Hughes fights that will put his retirement around the end of 2009 to the middle of 2010. This guess is based on him fighting about twice a year which is his average taking a fight every four to six months.

So what's evryones take on the remaindure of the career of Matt Hughes?

[bushido_man96]

I think that the talent level is starting to really come around in the UFC, and parity is greater. It isn't like Hughes is losing to C rated fighters. He just needs to respark his training, and maybe adjust it in a few ways.

We see losses come to those who seem to be on top come quite often now. In the UFC, it is "who knows" most of the time, anyways. That is what I like about MMA over Boxing; in Boxing, it always seemed that you knew who was on top. In the UFC, it just isn't that way. And that is what makes it great.

[tallgeese]

How's maybe?

I think it's a question if he still wants to do it as bad as he did before. Certainly he's slumping and that happens. It's obvious as well that he needs to reinvent his game to continue to compete, people have been watch his style for years now and working on the stratigies to defeat it.

If he heads to training camp, puts the effort in and comes out as a different fighter, he could easily stand at the top of the hill again for a while. Or, he has been there and done that, the time and effort to do all that may just not appeal to him anymore. In which case he could hang it up with pride in what he's done.

I think we're just gonna have to see what he and the organization decide to do .

[ShoriKid]

Like Bushidoman, I think the talent level has gone way, way up in the past..three years? for the UFC. It's not that they have passed Hughes by, but they are closing in on him. I think there is a combination of things putting him in this fighting slump right now. St. Pierre winning is a combination of a man getting an excellent camp and having all of the physical tools sharper than anyone else. Not discrediting the man, but he's one of the ultimate packages of fighter out there.

Back to Hughes and what the root of his problem is. I think part of his trouble has been that he dominated for long enough that he lost his competitive edge. And he lost his focus. Between sitting on top of the division for so long and opening his own gym I think he's taken his eye off the ball and forgotten that there are some really dangerous fighters out there. It just doesn't seem like he's had his head in the game the way he's used to. I think Father Time has contributed to this as well. He's used to being a peak preformance machine. And he's starting to feel that slip from running at top end, to being a few miles an hour off of it, if you know what I mean. Put that in with becoming more of a coach than he'd had to be to run his own gym, and he's looking at a lot of younger fighters comign up who still have that. It's hard for athletes to deal with as they start to see the physical attributes lessen over time and slow down a bit. Mentally they start to see defeat as an option. Once that enters a fighter's head, not that they might lose and be motivated to train harder to avoid it, but that losing is something they CAN do and it's okay.

So Hughes faces ALves, who by all reports is a MASSIVE 170lb-er, who is young, focused like a laser beam, well trained and on a roll. And in the back of his head while Hughes is training is that, I'm older, not as strong as I was, this kid is a monster, I CAN lose to him. Not, "I might lose...time to go put in ten more rounds with the MT coach!", but "I CAN lose to this kid, he's a hot fighter right now, and I'm getting a little older...better go run some drills for the guys at the gym.."

Hughes' game plan by Shorikid:

Get back to Miletich to train. Or bring the whole dang gym to you! Get a camp that is on par, if not better than any other you've put in place before.

Train your stand up! Not to knock people out, which I know he wants to do, but to learn to MOVE YOUR HEAD! and CHECK leg kicks! Seriously, it's basic defenses that he needs to work on. It's not that he's going to beat a St. Pierre on his feet, but he can stop eating jabs and straight rights and quick getting his legs hammered so baddly that he ducks into a kick in the attempt to catch a leg for a take down.

Get it the heck out of your head that your an old man!! You need to remember, you are Matt-Freakin'!!-Hughes. The most dominant welterweight in the history of the UFC. You are a beast. You have more than 40 pro fights and these snot nosed punks with 20 fights and 10 years your junior had best learn to fear you or else. And if they don't fear the Hughes, then the Hughes must put the fear of him INTO them!

Seriously, it breaks down that simply as I see it. Get refocused on his training for fights. Improve the basic tools of stand up defense, that will let him do what he needs to get to his place. Get his head back right. Forget that losing is even an exceptable outcome.

If he doen't do these things, then yes, I see Hughes getting a couple of fights more before retiring and giving lack-luster performances while doing it. I want to see Hughes go out with style. I want to see a couple of more dominant victories and one or two wars that go back and forth with top level welterweights. I just don't know if he'll listen to my training plan and get there or not.

[marie curie]

I forsee another bad fight or two before he can adjust his style from young go-go-go to older patience-skill-cunning. I think we've seen others succefully make the transition...as well as not, so it will be interesting to see what actually happens to him

[bushido_man96]

He just needs to go see the new Hulk movie, and get pumped up! Well, it worked for me, anyways.

But in all seriousness, I think that Shorikid has nailed it, really. He needs to either set himself to training for fights, and do it, or go with his gym.