Hughes Feeling Relieved About Fight

by Andre Courtemanche

“I’m getting paid pretty good money and they’re not going to let me have a tune-up fight for what they’re paying me.” Matt Hughes

Former UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes says he feels so much less stress now that his only duty is to get in a cage with an expert fighter trying to bash his brains out. “I can be the old Matt again. There’s not near as much pressure now,” said a relieved Hughes about fighting without the added challenge of trying to keep his title. “I get to go out and try to win this time. When you’re the champ, you go out to not lose and try to keep the championship.”

At UFC 48: “Payback,” on Saturday, June 19, Hughes will be looking to rebound from his surprise UFC 46 title-losing submission defeat to BJ Penn by returning to face undefeated newcomer Charuto Verissimo.

 “I know he’s got somewhat quick hands, but I don’t think he has the best technique,” said Hughes of the Brazilian/Hawaiian who made his presence felt in his UFC debut last January with a dominating victory over Carlos Newton. “He obviously has great ground skills, but he doesn’t have many fights and hasn’t been really roughed up. That is the key: roughing him up. Carlos tried to just straight grapple with him; you can’t do that against this guy.”

Hughes has had time to go over what happened against Penn and doesn’t seem ill at ease with having suffered just his fourth loss in thirty five fights. “As soon as my mom saw me that night, she knew something was wrong. I didn’t feel quite the same as I usually do. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t feeling right, I was up to fighting. It’s hard to explain. I’m not taking anything away from BJ. I just didn’t win that night. He was the better man on that given night and that’s it. It doesn’t mean he’s better than me. He was better that day, and that’s it.”

 Even though he is regarded as the strongest welterweight fighter in the world, after five successful defenses over three years, the weight of the pressure to keep his title apparently got too heavy. By all accounts, Hughes had an uncharacteristically sloppy performance against Penn, culminating in him inexplicably reaching for the ankle while Penn had control of his back. “What happened there was when I was on my back, he swung my feet in into my head and I was dazed, so I went back to the old wrestling days. I went back to what was natural. In wrestling, going for the leg is natural and that’s what I did and BJ just sunk the choke in when he saw the opportunity.”

So does Hughes thirst for revenge at night? Is it the driving force behind his return?  “Nope. I don’t care,” he said. “I’ve never asked for any rematches from people who beat me. I’ve never asked to fight anybody. That’s the way I’ve always been. I couldn’t really care less. I fight whoever is on the opposite side of the cage.