Under the Microscope: Analyzing Welterweight Greats

Matt Hughes was MMA’s first true dominant welterweight. | Photo: Splash

Matt Hughes

* Welterweight Record: 19-7 (.731)
* Opponent Winning Percentage: .715
* Longest Winning Streak: 18
* Record in Major Welterweight Title Fights: 9-3
* Finish Percentage: 68.4
* Finished Percentage: 100
* Notable Victories: Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn, Matt Serra
* Career Accomplishments: Two-time UFC welterweight champion, with seven title defenses; three-time UFC “Performance of the Night” bonus winner; 2010 UFC Hall of Fame inductee

CASE FOR: Longtime mantle bearer of the greatest welterweight of all-time title, Hughes was one of the first truly dominant champions in the UFC in any division. His two title reigns combine to make one of the greatest welterweight primes anyone can boast, including a top-tier finish rate. Outside of the statistics, Hughes has the narrative elements that truly separate the best from the rest: the love-him-or-hate-him persona, competitive rivalries and a mystique of being unbeatable for several years in his prime. The UFC hall of famer is not simply in the debate as one of the greatest welterweights of all-time but also one of the greatest champions of all-time -- period.

CASE AGAINST: Two words stand in the way of Hughes and the G.O.A.T. claim: one of. His reign was one of the best, his finish rate one of the best, his strength of opposition ... you get the picture. To be blunt, very few superlatives can be rightly attributed to Hughes. To boot, he was on the losing end of two of his three rivalries, against B.J. Penn and George St. Pierre. The icing on the cake, of course, is that he was handily defeated in each of his losses, which does not help his case. Had St. Pierre not come along, Hughes would almost certainly be the de facto nominee.

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