UFC 135 Results: 5 Fights To Get Matt Hughes Back on Track

Before his loss to Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes told Joe Rogan that he wasn’t chasing the belt anymore, but would instead be taking only interesting fights that the UFC had to offer him.

Hughes has had a long and successful career and is widely considered one of the best welterweights of all time. He has more wins than any other fighter in the UFC and, with his career winding down, it’d be nice to see Hughes go out with a few more fights in the win column.

Nick Diaz, Should He Lose to B.J. Penn

Nick Diaz might be trouble for Hughes because of his steller boxing. Hughes would need to take Diaz to the ground right away in the fight.

Diaz is no slouch while working off his back, however. While Hughes would have to watch out for Diaz’s boxing, he'd also need to be extremely cautious on the ground.

Mike Pyle

Mike Pyle is coming off a loss to Rory MacDonald. While Pyle is trained in Muay Thai, this fight would almost certainly go to the ground.

Once there, Pyle would look for submissions while Hughes would try to do what he does best—which is a vicious ground-and-pound in combination with his elite wrestling.

This fight would be an exciting matchup between a submission specialist and a very elite wrestler.

The Loser of Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story

Martin Kampmann and Rick Story will face off on November 19th at UFC 139.

Taking on the loser of this fight will give Hughes some time away from the cage to reassess where he’d like his career to go.

Both men are great on the ground and would be excellent matchups for Hughes, who hasn’t been doing well against strikers.

Diego Sanchez

Diego Sanchez is who Matt Hughes was originally expected to face at UFC 135 before he was injured. With his return to the welterweight division, Sanchez is looking to make a run for the title.

A fight between these two would certainly be of epic proportions. The intensity that Sanchez brings into every fight is remarkable. It’d be a great test for Hughes as well, to see if he can keep pace with “The Dream.”

Jake Shields

This is a dream matchup for many MMA fans: Two great grapplers going up against one another, each fighting and struggling for submission and a dominant position.

Neither man has fared well against strikers, so you can be sure this fight would go to the ground. It would be a classic battle on the ground as two of the best in the sport searched to put the other one away.

It would also be a great fight to put on a UFC on Fox card for many of the newer fans that haven’t quite seen how exciting a good battle on the ground can be.