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.

### 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 <small>vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005</small>
    - UFC's #1 Greatest Fight <small>vs. B.J. Penn on September 23, 2006</small>
- **About.com**
    - 2000s #5 Fight of the Decade <small>vs. B.J. Penn on September 23, 2006</small>
    - 2000s #3 Fight of the Decade <small>vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005</small>
- **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 <small>vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005</small>
- **Yahoo! Sports**
    - 2000s #6 Fight of the Decade <small>vs. Frank Trigg on April 16, 2005</small>

### Amateur wrestling

- **National Collegiate Athletic Association**
    - NCAA Division 1 All-American Team (Two times)
    - NCAA Division 1 158 lb - 8th place <small>out of Eastern Illinois University</small> (1996)
    - NCAA Division 1 158 lb - 5th place <small>out of Eastern Illinois University</small> (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. .

## Other websites

- Matt Hughes' official website
- Official UFC Profile
- IMDB page
- Matt Hughes' training facility
- Matt Hughes profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame