Matt Hughes (fighter)

Matthew Allen Hughes is an American mixed martial artist, UFC Hall of Famer, and former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. Hughes put together two separate six-fight winning streaks in the UFC, won the welterweight title on two occasions, defended the belt a record seven times, and holds the record for most wins in the UFC. He holds notable victories over such fighters as Dave Menne, Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Joe Riggs, Royce Gracie, B.J. Penn, Chris Lytle, Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie, Ricardo Almeida, and remains one of only two men to ever defeat Georges St-Pierre.Hughes was born in Hillsboro, Illinois. Hughes has two siblings, a sister and his twin brother Mark. During their high school days they both played football and wrestled.
Hughes went to college at Southwestern Illinois College, a two-year college located in Belleville, Illinois before transferring to Lincoln College, in Lincoln, Illinois and then on to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. His freshman and sophomore years, he made the NJCAA All-American Team, and his final two years he was listed on the NCAA Division I All-American Teams.Hughes was a two-time 155 lb IHSA (Illinois High School Association) Class A state wrestling champion. He won in 1991 and 1992 while attending Hillsboro (IL) High School. Furthermore, Hughes is a two-time Division I All-American wrestler, with an 8th and a 5th place finish in the 157 lb division.
Hughes has competed in the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, in which he held a record of 2–2. This consists of wins over Ricardo Almeida and Jeremy Horn, and losses to Jeff Monson and Tito Ortiz.In September 2006, Hughes defended his title in a rematch against B.J. Penn, stopping him in the third round. Hughes trapped Penn's arm and landed approximately 40 blows to the defenseless Penn's unprotected face, forcing the referee to stop the fight.Hughes faced BJ Penn on November 20, 2010, for the third time at UFC 123. Penn came out strong in the first few seconds of the opening round, catching one of Hughes' kicks and knocking him off balance with a counter hook. Penn then connected with an overhand right that dropped Hughes, following up with three clean shots to the jaw. The bout was ended at 21 seconds into the first round, with his trilogy against Penn ending with 1 win to 2 losses to BJ. The fight marked the first time Hughes had been knocked out (he had previously lost via technical knockout). Post-fight Hughes hinted that the loss was one step closer to retirement.
Hughes was set to face Diego Sanchez on September 24, 2011 at UFC 135, however Sanchez broke his hand and was replaced by Josh Koscheck. Hughes suffered a knockout loss to Koscheck one second before the final bell of the first round.Hughes is a born again Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his website. Hughes and his wife Audra have two daughters together and they each have a son from a previous relationship. The couple's second daughter was born on January 2, 2010. He published his autobiography, Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History.