BJ Penn has been the most frustrating fighter above all others in the UFC. Limitless potential, incredible skill, and the Hawaiian still hasn't figured out the right recipe in order to become a dominant champion. His prowess is obvious, as he still remains a prodigy before his time, earning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt within just a few years into the game, winning tournaments, transitioning into mixed martial arts and holding both titles in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, BJ Penn will be remembered for some time. However, after succumbing to his second consecutive loss to current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, in an uninspired performance which saw the former champion drop a land slide of a decision to the New Jersey native, BJ Penn should have the right motivation when he steps into the cage in November to face rival Matt Hughes. ...

Heading into his upcoming UFC 123 bout with BJ Penn, Matt Hughes finds himself in a very interesting position: a big win over Penn would likely grant him a title shot, or at the very least a contender eliminator fight. And judging on how Penn has performed recently, it’s very possible that Hughes could come out the winner in the trilogy fight. The former long-reigning UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC Hall of Fame member spoke to the Montreal Gazette recently and clued us in on where he’s at mentally. ...

With his recent submission victory over Ricardo Almeida, Matt Hughes has now put himself back up there with the lower tier of welterweight championship contenders.  No, he hasn't earned the top status that Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch have yet in vying for Georges St. Pierre's title; but he's certainly become relevant again.   BJ Penn was considered the greatest lightweight fighter in the world just six months ago, but with two consecutive losses to Frankie Edgar, he now finds himself in a similar situation to Hughes.  In other words, both fighters need a win at ufc 123 if they want to become truly worthy of a shot at a belt anytime in the future.  That said, their third fight at UFC 123 won't be about today.  Rather, it will be about yesteryear.  It's a fight for longtime MMA fans. ...

The UFC made official today, after putting out its exclusive press release today, that UFC 123 is officially coming to Detroit on November 20th. The event is set to take place in Auburn Hills (a suburb of Detroit) at the Palace in Auburn Hills, and will feature one of the more stacked cards of the year. ...

After a prolonged period of restless uncertainty, the future is now set for famed ufc fighter BJ Penn. Widely regarded as the best Lightweight Mixed Martial Artist of all time, “Baby Jay” has hit some tough times recently, and although a November return was seemingly confirmed, an opponent was still very much unknown. No longer. It’s recently been confirmed by MMAFighting that BJ Penn will meet arch-rival Matt Hughes at UFC 123, which is scheduled to take place November 20 in Detroit, Michigan. It is widely believed that the fight will be the co-main event of a show headlined by a Light Heavyweight showdown between former UFC Light Heavyweight Champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton Jackson. ...

Heading into his UFC 118 Lightweight Championship fight with current champion Frank Edgar, former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion BJ Penn has perhaps never been more focused on getting his belt back. Penn lost his Lightweight championship at UFC 112 via a very controversial Unanimous Decision loss to Edgar, a decision that was in fact so controversial that it convinced UFC President Dana White and other assorted UFC top brass to make an immediate rematch. Penn’s focus is entirely zeroed-in on reclaiming his championship and returning to his once-dominant ways, but Penn recently stated that a return to the UFC’s Welterweight division was not out of the question. ...

Now that UFC 117 is now in the books, after one of the promotion's best night of fights in recent memory, where middleweight champion Anderson Silva defended his title against top contender Chael Sonnen, Matt Hughes solidified himself in the 170 pound division, and Junior dos Santos became the next challenger after Cain Velasquez, for the UFC heavyweight title. ...

Matt Hughes epitomizes his signature walkout music, “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr. This is a man that has tasted both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in a career that dates back to 1998. With his recent win against Ricardo Almeida being his forty-fifth win out of fifty-two professional fights, and his third win in a row, Matt Hughes continues to prove that he’s got a whole lot of gas left in his tank, despite earlier calls for him to retire given his two back-to-back and quite humbling losses to Georges St. Pierre in 2007 and Thiago Alves in 2008. Now a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, I think Hughes is destined for another Welterweight Title shot for one simple reason: because he doesn’t want it anymore. ...

UFC Hall of Famer, and one of the most recognized fighter's in the sport today, Matt Hughes will step into the octagon for the 52nd time, against welterweight contender, Ricardo Almeida. A Renzo Gracie student, Almeida has made a successful transition to the 170 pound division after a well established career as a middleweight, which has seen him garner wins over the likes of Kendall Grove, Kazuo Misako, and perennial contender Nate Marquardt. Matt Hughes, has had a long and storied career in the UFC. After making his debut nearly 10 years ago, a 20 second submission loss to nemesis Dennis Hallman, Hughes would then go on to capture the welterweight title with a knockout slam over then champion Carlos Newton, and would then go on to set the precedent for 5 consecutive defenses--the most ever cemented in the welterweight division. ...

The Gracie Killer used to be PRIDE legend Kazushi Sakuraba, but recently Matt Hughes has been vying for that title.  Along with this, Gracie fighters like Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, and Matt Serra have all fallen to him in recent years.  Now Ricardo Almeida, a Renzo Gracie protege, will get his chance to crack the Hughes puzzle at UFC 117.  Of course, Hughes is still a pretty difficult guy to beat.  But below are some reasons that Almeida stands the best chance of all the Gracie fighters to date of upending Hughes. 1. Almeida is a big welterweight: Almeida was doing well in the UFC middleweight division, defeating fighters like Rob Yundt, Matt Horwich, and Kendall Grove.  So the fact that he's now a 170 pounder means that he's a pretty big welterweight, which is not an advantage that Gracie fighters like Serra, Royce, and Renzo enjoyed.  Hughes is still a big, strong guy, but his size and strength won't be near as obvious here as it was against the former Gracie stylists he's taken on. 2. Almeida is more than serviceable on his feet: From a defensive stand up perspective, Almeida is pretty good; in fact, he hasn't been stopped by TKO since Andrei Semenov in 2002.  And since that time he's laced them up against good stand up fighters like Matt Brown, Kendall Grove, Patrick Cote, and Nate Marquardt.  Is he excellent offensively on his feet?  No.  But he can definitely compare with Hughes there, which was Renzo's undoing.  Of the aforementioned, only Serra held a distinct advantage on his feet against Hughes. 3. Almeida has great BJJ credentials: Sure, they all did.  Still, it's worth noting that this is a guy who has placed in the top three at the ADCC on three separate occasions.  Almeida possesses a 3rd degree black belt in BJJ under Renzo Gracie.  If he gets put on his back, he can still fight.  If he ends up on top of Hughes, that's bad news for the former UFC welterweight champion. 4. Motivation: Almeida truly respects and admires Renzo Gracie; they are close.  Further, as seen in this interview, he is not turning away from the idea that this is a revenge match.  And it's a revenge match for a man that Almeida thought enough of to name his own child after.  In other words, he is motivated. In the end, does this mean that Hughes will fall to Almeida?  Not necessarily.  But Almeida should be his staunchest test since taking on Thiago Alves, let alone the most appropriate sized of all his Gracie fighter opponents to date.  Interestingly, the winner will immediately find themselves in the mix at 170.  Looking forward to this one. ...

Immediately after Matt Hughes (44-7) defeated Renzo Gracie (13-7-1) at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, an animated Ricardo Almeida approached matchmaker Joe Silva near the Octagon steps and asked to Hughes next. Almeida wanted retribution for the Gracie Fight Team, which now has three losses to Hughes.  In addition to Renzo Gracie, Hughes has stopped Royce Gracie (UFC 60) and Matt Serra (UFC 98).  Along with Almeida, all are Gracie Jiu Jitsu black belts.  Joe Silva soon granted Almeida’s Octagon wish.  The man who made his name fighting in Japan vows to defeat Hughes – the American MMA legend – on August 7^th at UFC 117 in Oakland, CA. ...

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (42-7) became the eighth person inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on Friday. ...

Yesterday on MMA Gospel Radio we had a massive three hour show with five amazing guests, one of which was Ryan Thomas (12-4) who just recently lost via one of the worst stoppages in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. He lost to Ben Askren (4-0) via a non verbal submission due to an arm triangle. The referee thought he had gone out when he was not even close to being put to sleep. What follows is MMA Gospel's interview with Ryan, done by Gary Friedman, that aired last night. This is the first installment of that amazing interview. ...

Last night I was unfortunate enough to watch mixed martial arts (MMA) take a step back, a ten year step back. Strikeforce allowed the members of the Cesar Gracie camp to put a beating on a man for simply asking for a rematch live on national television. ...

Saturday the UFC will be live in Abu Dhabi for UFC 112 and we will witness Fighters.com eighth-ranked and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (41-7) taking another another Gracie. This time it is Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) who is tasked with the challenge of defeating the dominant wrestler. Sure, this is a fight of two past their prime fighters but there is more to this fight than just that. ...

This Saturday Fighters.com sixth-ranked middleweight Demian Maia (11-1) will step inside the Octagon to do battle against Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion "The Spider" Anderson Silva (25-4). This will not be the walk in the park for Silva most seem to believe. ...

There was once a time when the Gracie name struck fear in the hearts of their opponents. That time has passed and now Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) is headed to Abu Dahbi for UFC 112 to defend the family name and put them back on top. ...

What may possibly be the most explosive fight on the Strikeforece: Miami card Saturday night is the fight between "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (16-5) and Melvin Manhoef (23-5-1). Last night on MMA Gospel Radio we had a great discussion on this fight and I thought I would break it down further here and tell you why Robbie Lawlers only way to lose in this fight would be his ego. ...

Fighters.com's fifth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) has one chance at beating Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  It's a slim chance, despite the hype that is being spun to convince us that the Hardy versus St. Pierre matchup is competitive. ...

A matchup between Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) and tenth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) has been rescheduled for UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10, according to Tatame. ...

"I finish fights," declared Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) soon after losing a unanimous decision to then UFC lightweight champion “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) at UFC 64 in Las Vegas in 2006. ...

UFC 112 will occur April 10 in Abu Dhabi and feature a previously reported matchup between Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (43-7) and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1), Hughes confirmed at his website Thursday. ...

Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (43-7) mentioned an April 10 return to the UFC Octagon in a blog post at his website Tuesday. ...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked welterweight “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) took one small step ahead in the 170-pound rankings this month after winning a three-round unanimous decision over now tenth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3) at UFC 105 in Manchester November 14 and a giant leap into a title fight versus Fighters.com and UFC Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2), probably at UFC 110 in Sydney February 21. ...

A welterweight showdown between former UFC champion Matt Hughes (43-7) and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) is rumored take place at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6, according to a report by Jeremy Botter at Heavy.com. ...

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (19-2) awaits the winner between ninth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-2) and tenth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (22-6) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.  According to UFC President Dana White, St. Pierre will defend his title versus the winner in Britain. ...

UFC welterweight Matt Hughes (41-7) publicly confirmed Wednesday's Fighters.com report that he recently signed a new UFC contract. At Matt-Hughes.com, Hughes blogged, "Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract." Fighters.com reported the contract is a four-fight deal that Hughes intends to lead him into retirement. ...

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) wasn't the only MMA legend UFC President Dana White locked up to retirement before UFC 102.

Welterweight Matt Hughes (41-7) signed a four-fight deal that sources inside Hughes's camp tell Fighters.com Hughes expects to lead him into retirement.

Hughes won a unanimous decision over "Terror" Matt Serra (9-6) three months ago and White announced in a pre-UFC 102 presser that Hughes won't return for at least another three months. Hughes was on hiatus for nearly an entire year before his UD over Serra.
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"There has not been discussion on [a rematch between former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes (41-7) and "Terror” Matt Serra (9-6)]. I really thought all the talking was over after the fight," Hughes's manager Brian Patton told Fighters.com Monday night in response to an interview Serra gave to MMA Weekly Monday in which Serra called for a rematch. In the excrutiatingly drawn out conclusion to The Ultimate Fighter 6, Serra lost a disappointing UD to Hughes at UFC 98 in Las Vegas 23 May. "I do feel I won that fight," said Serra at MMA Weekly. "Or, at least I should have got the nod. If not, it's a draw and let's do it again." ...

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7) may face sixth-ranked archrival “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) in April, he announced on his blog Monday. “This week, I talked to Joe Silva at the UFC and a possible date for Serra and I is in April. I don’t know the exact date right now or venue. So, that is something that I can look forward to and I can set my training up for that schedule,” Hughes wrote. Hughes and Serra, opposing coaches on TUF 6, were scheduled to set to do battle at the end of that season for then-champion Serra’s welterweight title at UFC 79 in December 2007. ...