Matt Hughes became the newest member of the UFC Hall of Fame on May 28, when he was inducted at the UFC Fan Expo. Hughes joins Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Charles “Mask” Lewis as members of the Hall of Fame.
Hughes (44-7) is considered by many to be the most dominant welterweight fighter in the history of the sport. In recent years, Hughes is best known for his multiple appearances on The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show.
Hughes spoke to UFC.com on the honor.
“I just never thought about it, to be honest, so yeah, it came out of the blue. I really thought a lot about it the first couple of days after Dana told me, and I really didn’t know what to think about it. I’ve always been the type of guy who thought that somebody who gets inducted into the Hall of Fame needs to be a retired individual. That’s just my train of thought. But I’m very privileged and I thank the UFC.”
“I took this up as just a hobby, something to occupy my time and to vent some aggressiveness and be competitive. I never thought that I would be in the position that I’m in today… Shaking hands, signing autographs, being a world title holder and being inducted into the Hall of Fame, this is beyond what I ever would have pictured my life being. I’m supposed to be that guy that’s got a shovel or a hammer in his hands, and he’s working hard. That’s just who I am.”
Here is a list of accomplishments in Hughes’ career:
• 44 pro wins
• 17 UFC wins (most all-time)
• 2 welterweight championship reigns
• 7 successful title defenses (most ever)
• 9 championship fight wins (tied with Randy Couture for most ever)
• 5 knockout wins in championship fights (tied with Couture and Chuck Liddell for most ever)
• 5 successful consecutive welterweight title defenses (1st all-time)
• 12 welterweight championship fights (1st all-time)
• 27 welterweight championship rounds fought (tied for 1st all-time with Georges St-Pierre)
• 3 submission wins in welterweight championship fights (1st all-time)
• 6 former or current UFC champions defeated by Hughes (St-Pierre, Serra, BJ Penn, Dave Menne, Sean Sherk, Carlos Newton)
Hughes is far from being done, however. His next fight is scheduled against Ricardo Almeida and is likely to take place at UFC 117 in August.