Welterweight Championship Bout: Matt Hughes vs. B. J. "The Prodigy" Penn
MATT HUGHES: American wrestler, striker, two-time Junior College All-American, two-time NCAA All-American, Shooto veteran, RINGS veteran, WEF veteran, Superbrawl veteran, Warriors War veteran, Extreme Challenge 21 and 29 tournament winner, current UFC Welterweight Champion, trains with Jens Pulver, Jeremy Horn, Tim Sylvia, Tony Fryklund, Pat Miletich and the rest of the Miletich Fighting Systems team, with a record of 33-3 in MMA, making his 10th appearance (8-1) in the UFC.
Abbreviated Fight History: Matt began wrestling in high school and was a member of the High School All-America Wrestling Team his senior year. He won two, 145-lb. Illinois High School State Wrestling titles and became a two time junior college All-American. At Eastern Illinois University, Matt was a two-time NCAA All-American. He began fighting MMA in 1997 and has competed against many of the top fighters in the sport. He debuted in the UFC in 1999 and fought regularly for the organization beginning in 2001. He claimed his welterweight title at UFC 34 against Carlos Newton and will make his 6th title defense Saturday night against B.J. Penn. Below are some of Hughes' more significant contests:
Hughes/Dennis Hallman: Other than the bout with "Pele", the mysterious "Dennis Hallman Factor" is responsible for Matt's only other MMA losses with more than 30 victories to his credit. Both fights were extremely quick. Hughes is 0-2 against Hallman and neither fight lasted 30 seconds.
Hughes/Jose Landi-jons: Hughes also fought in the Shidokan Warrior's War 1 tournament and was also given the opportunity to get an early flight back to the home…courtesy of one Jose "Pele" Landi-jons and a well placed knee.
Hughes/Carlos Newton: A lot of people feel Matt Hughes got the biggest gift of his career at UFC 34. One could easily argue that given the fact Hughes and then UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton were both knocked out when they hit the canvas, the fighters should've been restarted. The mysterious "first one to regain consciousness wins" rule that was apparently used to govern their match was in a word: bogus. Both athletes fought a terrific battle. After the first round it was anyone's fight. With that in mind, it was a shame it ended the way it did and I feel a more decisive victory was in order. But so be it, the bout is history. Hughes left no question as to whether he was the champion in the rematch, stopping Newton
Hughes/Hayato Sakurai: Hughes dominated the entire bout but Sakurai is always in a fight and can turn the tables quickly. However it didn't happen here and Sakurai hasn't been quite as dominant since the loss. The fight opened very competitively. Sakurai threw a handful of kicks and had a near submission in the opening moments but from there on it was all Hughes. Hayato had not fought inside a cage before and had a hard time defending against Hughes' elbows. Sakurai caught Hughes with one good punch that momentarily stunned him but the rest of the bout was a series of slams by Matt to pound the fight right out of Hayato. In the fourth round, Hughes closed the deal by putting Sakurai against the fence and ground'n'pounding him until McCarthy pulled him off.
Hughes/Sean Sherk: It was a fight people had wanted to see for at least a year. Two fighters so evenly matched up physically and stylistically. Both have excellent take down abilities and punishing ground'n'pound skills. Hughes dominated the first two rounds with good takedowns, positioning and opened a big cut over Sherk's right eye. It was taken care of in the corner and the bout continued. Sherk got two takedowns in round 3 and was able to land some strikes on the feet, some of which opened a cut over Hughes right eye. Again, it was nothing serious, and the bout continued. The fourth bout was dominated by Hughes again, throwing sharp elbows from the mat. And in the final round, Sherk got a takedown but the fight was out of his hands at that point. Not only did Sean lose the decision but as a slap in the face, Zuffa terminated his contract.
Hughes/Frank Trigg: Trigg shoots in and gets an easy takedown but cannot establish mount. Hughes has Trigg's leg and slides out from underneath. They grapple back and forth to establish control with Trigg on top for most of the struggle. Hughes is able to sit out and grab Trigg's legs. This allows him to stand, slam Frank and take side position. From the bottom Trigg is working for a Kimura armlock. Matt frees himself and gets back to his knees and controls Frank's upper body. Trigg is able to grab a leg and bring Hughes to the mat where they fight inside Matt's guard. Punching down from a standing position, Trigg appears in control. They are constantly working to establish control of one another and the advantage changes rapidly. Hughes eventually gets Trigg's back with one hook in. They struggle but Hughes eventually gets the second leg in and establishes the rear choke. Trigg taps as he falls toward the floor and the belt stays around Matt Hughes' waist.
Also worthy of note Hughes battled: Victor Hunsaker (win/TKO), Valeri Ignatov (win/decision), Joe Doerksen (win/submission), Akihiro Gono (win/decision), Dave Menne (win/decision), LaVerne Clark (win/decision), Jorge Pereira (win/TKO), Alexandre Barros (win/decision), Marcelo Aguiar (win/TKO), Hiromitsu Kanehara (win/decision), Christopher Haseman (win/decision), Chatt Lavender (win/submission) and Gil Castillo (win/TKO)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Wrestling is his main strength but his striking has come on in recent bouts. He is by no means a one dimensional wrestler. His ground game has always been strong but Hughes is a fight on top of the sport that continues to get better. He's just a superior athlete and it gets increasingly more difficult to attempt to narrow down a weakness. With athletes like Couture fighting to 40 years of age, at just 30 years old (his "prime" fighting years), we may never see Matt Hughes go away.
How He Can Beat Penn: Doing what he does so well. Taking opponents to the mat and pounding them until they've had enough. Penn is great on the mat but Hughes has handled many a jiu-jitsu player in the past. Also, B.J. never been slammed in a pro fight the way Matt is going to drop him.
B. J. PENN: American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the Nova Uniao team, has trained with the John Lewis, Andre Pederneiras, Tony DeSouza and the rest of Lewis/Pederneiras Vale Tudo Team in Las Vegas, Frank Shamrock, Javier Mendes and the fighters at American Kickboxing Academy,
Abbreviated Fight History: Penn was introduced to a tae kwon do instructor in 1996who had taken some jiu-jitsu lessons. The instructor got B.J. to come wrestle with him and he tapped Penn out opening Below are some of Penn's more significant contests:
Penn/Joey Gilbert: From the bell they exchange on the feet trading punches and elbows. Penn gets a takedown and works for mount but Gilbert has his head tight. B.J. gets full mount and begins to strike and when Joey turns to escape gets his back. Gilbert tries to role but it's not enough to shake Penn and the go to the ground where B.J. works for the rear choke. Penn can't sink it so he covers Gilbert's mouth with his hand and eventually both fighters are back to their feet. The exchange is initiated by Penn and lands a knee and some solid hands to the head. Gilbert, without his mouthpiece, appears flustered. B.J. scores another takedown and rests in sidemount. They exchange strikes from inside Gilbert's guard. When Penn tries to pass, Gilbert turns and Penn seizes his back with 10 seconds left in the round. Penn unloads from rear mount and finishes Gilbert with strikes to the head just before the bell rings.
Penn/Din Thomas: Early in the bout Penn kneed him in the face, dropping him to the mat. Penn rushed in to finish Din off with strikes but Big John got there before B.J. could inflict too much more damage.
Penn/Caol Uno: At UFC 34: High Voltage, Uno's rise to another shot at the title was deflated by B. J. Penn. It was over so quickly, Caol couldn't show any skills that day and it was the first time he had been knocked out in his fighting career. The rematch was a completely different fight.
Penn/Jens Pulver: B.J. got his title shot against Jens Pulver at UFC 35. The Penn who faced Pulver was far more conservative and cautious in his approach. The fighter who usually went ballistic when he heard the bell was nowhere to be found. Pulver controlled the pace of the bout and took home the belt.
Penn/Takanori Gomi: Penn and Gomi stood and traded early with Gomi getting the worst of it. B.J. was handling him standing and made Takanori bleed profusely. Once on the mat, Penn put on a submission clinic where Gomi was able to reverse position but never seize control of the bout, B.J. and convincingly Grounded'n'Pounded Gomi until he tapped out in the third round from a rear choke.
Also worthy of note: Penn battled Matt Serra (win/decision)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Penn's strength is his ground game. He's the most highly decorated American jiu-jitsu player in combat sports. B.J. has shown solid hands as well but when the experience of the competition is better, he relies more on his jiu-jitsu. A possible weakness in the past could be over thinking his gameplan. He wanted to come out on fire against Jens Pulver but the bout went the distance. He seemed to have lost his fire after that, going the distance with 2 of his next 3 opponents after having stopped all 3 opponents prior to Pulver. Luckily for the fans, the fire appears to be back with the stoppage of Gomi.
How He Can Beat Hughes: On the ground. Hughes has been working his stand-up game more and is far more comfortable and experienced at this weight. Penn needs to bring this to the mat and see if Hughes can counter the submissions of a BJJ black belt.
MY PICK: Matt Hughes. He's the best in the world at this weight and this is the most difficult assignment Penn could've possibly given himself. No one would've questioned him if he chose to take a fight or two as a welterweight before climbing in with the champion for the title. Yes, he was a top contender at 155lbs but this will make a huge difference in his speed and stamina, especially on the ground. I realize he wanted to make the move and has been training to fight at this weight but Hughes is a cardio machine and makes everyone he faces work the whole time. B.J. cannot match Matt's strength. It might help if Penn has Dennis Hallman sitting in his corner as a good luck charm but otherwise I don't see B.J. winning it. I feel it will be Hughes by TKO from strikes in the 2nd Round.
DOWN THE ROAD:
Hughes/Akihiro Gono: It's tough to find someone for Hughes to face at this weight anymore. These two fought 1999 and Hughes took a decision. Akihiro has only lost twice (12-2-5, once by decision) since that time bout.
Hughes/Royce Gracie: The bout that was supposed to be the big draw at the 10th Anniversary show. The only way it could happen now is in Japan and you know what that means.
Penn/Carlos Newton: A grappling fan's dream bout. Newton will finally face someone who moves at the same pace on the ground as he does.
Penn/Frank Trigg: Frank has a fight left on his UFC contract and if B.J. decides to stay at this weight it would be a solid match-up.