No matter what the circumstances around it, you have to get the job done, but Hughes was fortunate to catch GSP when he did and deal with Penn at his weight instead of 155. But he fought the fights he had to and got the job done... even if he is a *****.
I question whether even a prime Hughes would be able to beat Alves, Fitch and Kos. I just think he dominated a weak and un-developed era, much like Tito did at Lt Heavyweight.
he was at his best when he used to get in and bull guys around the octagon. before he started believing his own hype sometime around the first gsp fight he started taking a passive relaxed approach and hes never been the same fighter since.
True, I think he was a great fighter, and believe me he was the first fighter I remember saying to myself "wow, that guy can kick some ass", but I just cant help to think what would've been if he came up now, instead of back then.
Like many I once considered Matt Hughes the greatest welterweight on Earth. But if the guy was in his prime now, his lack of striking ability would prove his undoing against many of the top contenders. When you consider a (once dominant) champion like Matt Hughes (And Tito Ortiz) as fighters who, if in their "Prime" today, could struggle to make the top 3-5 then I guess it shows just quickly the sport of MMA has evolved, or that maybe they weren't that "Great"! It is probably a combination of both.
MMA has evolved now. Fighters are so much more complete. Wouldn't you say the same about all the powerhouses of that era i.e. Ortiz. However Ortiz has fought in this era and seems to doing well despite being past it. Even Hughes has done okay versus Alves, Serra and it is generally accepted that he is old now. I think Hughes, Ortiz and fighters like them have further grown as fighters but are not at their best anymore. Plus their styles of wrestling and GNP are hard to shake at such an advanced stage. Look at some of Hughes boxing in the HL video and then look at some of his boxing now. Seems to be much less wild and cleaner.
interesting! thing is, we speak of evolution in fighters yet carlos newton of old had more to his arsenal than thiago alves has now! prime hughes beats alves! sorry he just does! again the gsp,penn and gracie wins speak for themselves.
"Prime" Hughes' dreadful stand-up would imo mean that he would struggle with Alves. Whilst I accept that "Prime" Hughes may well have defeated Alves (Who is almost certainly "Pre-prime") his poor stand-up would have ensured that Alves was always dangerous, and for my part I believe that Thiago would have beat Matt. Sorry,imo he just does. We must remember that Matt's "Striking" has developed "Past prime" (And it is still crap). At his best Matt Hughes was an incredibly strong and hugely talented wrestler/grappler with hideous ground and pound, but his striking was (For that level) rubbish, which means that a destructive striker (like Alves) is (Stylistically) his worst type of opponent. His wins over GSP and BJ were impressive, but not as impressive as their victories over him! And BJ's was when most considered Hughes at his best (Though I accept that his contempt for BJ as an opponent undoubtedly played a part in that defeat). As for Royce, well that fight just emphasised the point of evolution in MMA. With regards Carlos Newton (Who is only 33!!!), I agree that he may very well have (Had) "More tools in the box" than Alves, but Carlos, for all his wonderful grappling skills, was never the most formidable striker (Though a decent one, nonetheless). In short, he was not the worst type of match-up for Matt (As it proved). "Prime" Matt Hughes-vs-John Fitch would have been a good fight, as would "Prime" Matt-vs-Koscheck.
:good Good post!! It is entirely possible that Matt Hughes could have been an even greater fighter, if the rumours regarding his attitude to training are to be believed!! If Hughes had been "Prime" today, I believe that he would have been an even greater fighter!! I have no doubt that his striking (Which he patently ignored for years) would have been hugely improved!! And "Prime" Matt Hughes, with much improved striking is almost unbeatable!!
good stuff dublyn though i think you tend to concentrate too much on the striking aspect,of course alves would utilise his kickboxing to better effect but hughes was freakishly durable and his ground game far surpasses alves's!