Their personalities, talents and ways of life clashed on three different occasions between Jan. 31, 2004 and Nov. 20, 2010, providing the sport with some of its most memorable results and enduring images. Penn proved superior, emerging victorious in their first encounter and again in their third, even as both men established themselves as true all-time greats. Hughes was inducted into the pioneer wing of the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame in 2010, while Penn was enshrined in the modern wing in 2015. Now more than a decade removed from their rubber match, the two remain inextricably linked by what took place between them once the Octagon door closed.
As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a by-the-numbers look at what made Hughes vs. Penn so unforgettable:
2,485: Days between the first and third Penn-Hughes meetings. Penn became the promotion’s second two-division champion when he submitted the Pat Miletich protégé for the welterweight crown at UFC 46 in January 2004. They split their two subsequent rematches, as Hughes put away the Hawaiian with punches at UFC 63 in September 2006 and Penn knocked out the Hillsboro, Illinois, native at UFC 123 in November 2010.
16,404: Fans to witness the third chapter of the Penn-Hughes rivalry in the UFC 123 co-main event at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the highest attendance figure of the trilogy and helped generate a $2.1 million gate.
400,000: Buys for the one pay-per-view—UFC 63—headlined by Penn-Hughes. Their first pairing at UFC 46 played second fiddle to the Vitor Belfort-Randy Couture rematch, while their third clash at UFC 123 provided backup for the Quinton Jackson-Lyoto Machida main event.
1,133: Seconds of fight time for the Penn-Hughes series. They battled one another inside the Octagon for a total of 18:53—the equivalent of nearly four rounds.
179: Combined total strikes landed by Penn and Hughes in their trilogy. Their second showdown under the UFC 163 marquee was responsible for 70% of them (126).
10: Takedown attempts from Hughes in his three appearances against Penn. He completed only one of them, as he managed to get “The Prodigy” on the mat in their second encounter. Penn, meanwhile, whiffed on his one and only try.
1: Significant strike by which Hughes outlanded Penn in their feud at 170 pounds. He connected on 42 such strikes while absorbing 41 of them in return.
59: Percent success rate for Penn on his significant strike attempts (41-for-69) against Hughes, well above his 48% career mark.
4: Submission attempts levied against one another, three of them by Penn. He remains the only man to ever subdue Hughes—a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler—via rear-naked choke.
419: Seconds of control time for Hughes in the rivalry. Penn was credited with 371.