Matt Hughes Interview

Former Welterweight champ Matt Hughes is currently preparing for his fight against current champion Matt Serra after finishing the filming of TUF 6, on which Hughes was a coach. In this interview, Hughes discusses Frank Trigg, his upcoming fight against Serra, PRIDE fighters, steroids, and more.

Ben Zeidler: How’s it going Matt?
Matt Hughes: Going great, how about you?

BZ: Can’t complain, it’s almost the weekend.
MH: (Laughs) When I’m not training, it’s always the weekend.

BZ: My first taste of UFC was your second fight with Trigg, and it was the reason I became involved in MMA, so thank you for that. Can you just talk a little bit about that fight?
MH: Frank is one of those guys who likes to run his mouth before the fight, but I didn’t let it get to me. I don’t know why he doesn’t like me, but he doesn’t and I don’t like him because he always runs his mouth. Prior to the fight, he got really close to me and his lips almost touched mine, I don’t know if he was trying to kiss me or what, but I didn’t like it and I pushed him back. I didn’t know how I would beat him but I knew I would. Whether it was going to be on a punch or a kick or submissions, I was going to win that fight. It went to the clinch early and his knee hit squarely in my groin. I turned to Yamasaki because sometimes the refs miss it and if you don’t act hurt, they won’t know you got hit. He didn’t do anything, and then Frank went after me and landed a few good shots. I’ll be honest, I was dazed, and the next thing I knew, he was mounted and I had his waist. I’m sitting there thinking what do I have to do to get out of here? I had my feet up against the fence and was able to generate a little bit of momentum and try to “oomp” him over. It didn’t work and he got my back. I was never concerned, not once, when Trigg was on my back.

BZ: He’s got a lot of trouble with that rear naked choke. He never knows how to finish it when he’s got it, and then he always gets beat by it.
MH: I know, it’s like he knows nothing about the rear naked choke. Anyway, I reversed him and I was pissed. If I hit someone low, I will back away and let him recover or let the referee get involved. He wasn’t like that. He used it to his advantage and I didn’t like that. I got on top of him and I didn’t want the ref to stop it, I didn’t want time to run out, I just wanted to finish it on my own. I wanted blood -- I was that pissed. This prick pissed me off enough to where when I got his back, I was hoping he’d roll back just so I could punch him more. He did roll back and I hit him with a big elbow and cut him. Then, he gave me his back and it was all over. With Trigg, all you have to do is give him a tough time and he makes mistakes. He doesn’t want to be in there, and I gave him an opportunity to leave the fight and he took it.

BZ: Can you tell us about your high school wrestler career and how you got started wrestling? Was your Dad into it?
MH: My dad was crazy into it, and so I did it with my brother growing up. My cousin was into it too. I wrestled varsity as a Freshman, the next year, I went to states and the rest is history.

BZ: I’ve actually heard that your brother, Mark, is the superior wrestler. Would he ever consider getting in the Octagon?
MH: I wouldn’t say he’s the superior wrestler. I won states twice and he was second once. He actually fought in the UFC, though. And he won, but it just wasn’t a big thing when it happened. He always said he wanted to try it and he did, and it no one made a big deal about it so he got out

BZ: Most fighters choose more intimidating music for their entrances. You decided to go with a little Hank Williams. How did you choose your entrance music for the fight?
MH: It really reflects me and who I am, and that’s why I went for it. The first time I asked, the UFC said no. They felt that it was too slow, so they gave me two options: “American Bad Ass” or “Let The Bodies Hit The Floor”.

BZ: Neither of those really sound like you.
MH: Exactly. So I said whatever and had some other music once, but then they let me do what I wanted because I kept winning.

BZ: Who do you see as the up and comers in the Welterweight division? 5 years, 10 years?
MH: 10 years? That’s a long time.

BZ: Okay, okay, 5 years.
MH: 5 years…Georges will still be around, barring injury. Diego and Kos, those guys. And I actually think Diego will be around longer than Koscheck, even though Kos technically won the fight. I was actually more impressed with Sanchez and I thought he won that fight.

BZ: Me too. I always get hell for my rankings because I put Diego first, but I think he’s the stronger of the two.
MH: Yeah, I think he’ll be around for a while. Fitch is tough too, but he’s not at the top of the food chain yet. He’s still got a little work to do.

BZ: How prepared do you feel you are for your upcoming fight with Matt Serra?
MH: We’re still early, so I haven’t started my full intensive training. But I promise you I’ll be ready because I don’t like him. He runs his mouth and I don’t like that. Also, when my kids watch the tape of me beating him, I want to look my best, so you can bet that I’ll be in shape for that one.

BZ: Can you give us a prediction for the fight?
I don’t know how I’m going to beat him, but you can bet that I’ll find a way. You can’t predict how you’re going to end a fight, you just go in with the best game plan you have and find a way to win.

BZ: The winner of the fight will most likely get St. Pierre. Do you think you can beat him? How will you change your strategy from the last fight?
MH: I don’t want to look past Serra, but if I get to fight Georges again, things will change. Definitely. I will definitely change my stand up and maybe my take downs. I only tried one take down in our last fight and I didn’t even give it 100%. I promise that lots will change.

BZ You’ve beat just about everyone in the business. Which win of yours would you call your biggest? The second against BJ?
MH: Yeah, that’s what I was going to say. The second against BJ. He beat me before so it was a really big win to get that back. He walks around thinking he can beat Heavyweights, so it was good to just beat him up.

BZ: You’ve said you have 2 or 3 fights left in you. That leaves the win against Serra and the win against St. Pierre. Who would you want for a retirement fight?
MH: I don’t think I’d want a retirement fight. I’ve toyed with going up to 185, but I don’t know if I’d do that. I wanted to fight Diego because he used to run his mouth, but he stopped that recently. He seems like an all right guy. Also, Diego hasn’t won in a while, so it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to fight him.

BZ: Dennis Hallman has seemed to have your number in the past, but that was seven years ago. How confident are you now that you could beat him, and how much have you grown as a fighter since those losses?
MH: Anyone has a chance in any fight, so I can’t say I’d walk through him, but I know I would beat him. I fought him when I was young and I made drastic mistakes both times. Would I make those mistakes again? No. The funny thing is that he beat me twice quick but he can’t beat anyone else. I’d take him on again, but he can’t even get in the mix or crack the top 20.

BZ: How did you feel when you received the honor of being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter?
MH: To be honest, I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to leave my family and the Midwest, but Dana wanted me to, so I did it. But I wouldn’t call it an honor.

BZ: Can you tell us about your experiences so far on the show?
MH: You know, I have a great group of guys -- no doubt about it. I wouldn’t change them for anything, they’re just really good people.

BZ: Who are the most promising guys on the show thus far?
MH: Mac Danzig, definitely. He’s already won a fight for our team and he’s a promising fighter.

BZ: Can you give us your prediction for Franklin-Silva II? I know you’re good friends with Franklin…you guys both did MFS together.
MH: Yep, Rich is one of my good buddies and he’s a smart fighter. I promise that the fight will not be the same. He is going to come in with a great game plan. I don’t know what he’s got planned, but it won’t the same and it will be a great plan. We have talked strategy yet, but if you think it’s going to be the same fight, you’re wrong.

BZ: As long as he doesn’t try to trade knees with Silva, he should be fine.
MH: Yeah, you won’t see that again.

BZ: What do you think is going on with the recent string of upsets in the UFC? Are the classic fighters just getting older?
MH: This is one of those sports where anything can happen. Maybe Chuck wasn’t prepared and Keith just capitalized on that. As far as Serra beating Georges, again, anything can happen. Serra threw a punch and the punch has to land somewhere. Cro Cop amazingly lost two in a row; it’s just the way the sport goes. It’s too hard to predict this stuff. I had Liddell, Diego, and Shogun all winning at the last event.

BZ: I know, it’s impossible to pick these days. I had GSP at UFC 69, Cro Cop at 70, and Liddell at 71. I’ve stopped making predictions. Now I just tell people to bet on whoever I don’t pick to win.
MH: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s too tough to call.

BZ: The PRIDE guys really seem to be having a hard time with the UFC guys. Is that due to PRIDE being weaker than people thought, UFC guys being better, or something else entirely?
MH: Before Shogun, I would say that it’s the new environment, but he was throwing elbows and using the cage effectively. He was definitely prepared to fight in the UFC. So now, I think it has to be that the PRIDE guys are a little overrated.

BZ: More and more fighters are getting caught with steroids lately. Why do fighters take them if they know they'll probably get caught?
MH: I really can’t answer that at all…I don’t know, I’ve never been a supporter. I don’t want to name names but I know for a fact that some of my opponent’s have been using steroids when they fought me. And to me, it’s like, I know I’m a better athlete, so if you need to take steroids to compete with me, you’re already in trouble. They’re bad for your body no doubt about it, and the rules are in place to protect us so guys need to start realizing that.

BZ: Can you tell us more about the Rancho3M orphanage in Mexico which you support?
MH: I do lots of charity work in my home town too, which it means a lot to me. And the orphanage is just something I started helping out because it’s a great cause. Proceeds from website go to the orphanage to help them out as much as I can.

BZ: Are there any sponsors that you'd like to thank?
MH: Yeah, I’ve got a great group of guys over at One More Round, and they’re coming out with some really good MMA clothing. It’s high end stuff but it’s really nice. Go to matt-hughes.com and check it out.

BZ: Would you like to say something to your fans?
MH: I’ve got the greatest fans in the world. We have a really strong site with a great forum where people can ask me questions and I’ll answer them. And I do a big blog entry every Wednesday, so go check it out. Thanks.

(Interview originally conducted for MMAMadness.com)