This past Saturday night was probably the last time MMA legend Matt Hughes will ever headline a UFC fight card. The event was entitled bedlam and, after Hughes’ overwhelming defeat, that may be the perfect word to describe his future. The 34 year-old Hughes has never lost three out of four fights during his illustrious career. Furthermore, he has never been man-handled quite the way he was at UFC 85.
The tide may have turned as 24 year-old Thiago Alves came out and dominated Hughes en route to a second round victory. Hughes’ run for a third welterweight championship was foiled and it is likely that Alves will now be the one making a title run. Alves was better in ever facet of the game, particularly with his tenacity. Hughes just didn’t have the same killer instinct he has displayed in years’ past.
So what lies ahead for Hughes? Bedlam like he has never known before. Saturday night provided tangible evidence that Hughes’ career may be winding down. More and more, excuses have surfaced as reasons for Hughes’ recent lack of success. A lapse in training and a devotion to his status as a coach on the Ultimate Fighter have been two of the scapegoats scurrying through the UFC rumor mill. But in the past, no scapegoats ever mulled within Hughes’ vicinity. There comes a time in every fighter’s career that he must acknowledge that his once superior skills are declining. Sooner or later, every fighter must step out of the octagon for the very last time. That day may be rapidly closing in on Hughes’ future.
Bedlam also found its way into a few other fights during Saturday night’s action. Brandon Vera lost by a technical knockout to Fabricio Werdum in the first round of their heavyweight bout . The questionable stoppage came with only twenty seconds left in the first round after Werdum unleashed a flurry of blows on Vera. However, none of the blows appeared to be that ferocious and Vera seemed capable of weathering Werdum’s storm. A visibly upset Vera pleaded his case immediately following the stoppage, but his pleas were to no avail.
Bedlam could also be the best way to describe the judge’s scorecards following Thales Leites’ split decision victory over Nate Marquardt. Marquardt suffered some point deductions, but still seemed to do plenty in order to emerge victorious. Leites showed tremendous heart staying in the fight, but the only thing he truly proved was that he could take a beating. Utter shock spread across Marquardt’s face following the decision and it looked as if some similar shockwave’s traced across Leites’ face as well.
Yet, the main spotlight remained focused on Hughes’ defeat and what it will do not only to his future, but the future of the sport. Hughes has been one of the reasons the UFC has grown in popularity over the last decade. He has also been one of the most recognizable faces in the world of mixed martial arts. Now, that face may be starting to fade away. Hughes insists that he will fight once more, hoping to meet Matt Serra in the Octagon. But after his recent performances, that might not be such a favorable idea for Hughes or the sport. Hughes’ heart may be willing, but his body isn’t what it once was.
Hughes first showed signs of slowing down when Georges St. Pierre handed him the fifth loss of his career in November of 2006. A rematch against GSP more than a year later netted the same results. Hughes proclaimed he would return and make an unprecedented third run at the welterweight title, but he wasn’t counting on Alves. Now, more than ever, a title run will be extremely difficult and may even bordering on improbable. Not only has the incurable disease of age started to gain ground on Hughes, but so has the competition. The crowded pool of fighters is much deeper than it was when Hughes first broke onto the scene. And, at the ripe old age of 34, Hughes doesn’t have the same skills needed to fight off that competition.
In essence, the level of competition Hughes helped create is exactly what has led to his demise. That simple fact in itself has its fair share of bedlam, not to mention irony. As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow, it is a likelihood that not too many fighters will be able to experience the same type of reign that Hughes once enjoyed. And his most recent loss should not affect his legendary status, although it will affect his future.
Royce Gracie recently returned to the octagon only to show that he was not what the champion he once was. Ironically, Gracie’s final defeat came at the hand of Hughes. Perhaps Hughes can now look back and learn something from that bout. Hindsight may teach him that even the greatest of champions cannot retain their elite status forever. A continued pursuit of a third title may turn out to mar an otherwise stellar career. Now that so many eyes are fixed to the world of mixed martial arts, many could look back on Hughes’ career and simply remember the unfortunate series of defeats that ended his career. Such a remembrance wouldn’t be fair to Hughes or the sport. In fact, such thinking could be considered sheer and utter bedlam.
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On an Alburquerque radio show, Keith Jardine let slip that he would take on Brandon Vera at UFC 89. Jardine is looking to rebound from his previous loss to Wanderlei Silva. And after Vera’s showing last week at UFC Fight Night 14, Jardine may have found the perfect stepping stone back into the win column.
