Prime Matt Hughes

oldschoolmmafan

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Hypothetical question here ladies and gentleman. How would Matt hughes in his prime go against the current WWD? I already have my opinion but what do you think?
Just some food for thought.
 
Big Hughes fan but realistically I'd prolly rank him top 10 around # 6 have Woodley, Wonderboy, Lawler, Condit, and Mia ahead of him
 
Look how Maia just ran through everybody on the way to a title shot using only grappling.

Matt didn't have the submission skills of Maia but he certainly had better takedowns and was great at keeping people down.

Tyron and Rory would be his worst matchups but he could probably take everybody else down and win on the mat.
 
If e just plonked prime Matt Hughes into today's division I think he'd be a step behind the top 5. But Hughes was very adaptable and if given time to engage with new training and techniques I think he'd be an easy top 3.
 
Look how Maia just ran through everybody on the way to a title shot using only grappling.

Matt didn't have the submission skills of Maia but he certainly had better takedowns and was great at keeping people down.

Tyron and Rory would be his worst matchups but he could probably take everybody else down and win on the mat.

Khabib

Matt would run the gauntlet at WW
 
He takes them all down and gnp's them behind the barn, the. Goes and has a country breakfast after.

Name ANY current WW that has anywhere near the record of his.
 
He'd smash most guys in the top 10 I think. Which is why Woodley has the belt now.
 
Upper top 5. I don't think he beats Woodley, but most others.
 
He'd get knocked out by most of the top guys.
 
It's hard for me to imagine a mdoern Matt Hughes. For all we know, he might be like Johnny Hendricks under USADA.
 
Top 5

If Maia tried his bullshit takedowns Hughes wouldve crunched him with ease like he did to Almeida
 
What is your reasoning for this equation?
Hughes main weapon is his grappling, even if he got on top of Maia he is the one in danger. Also Maias takedowns at ww are massively underrated, only woodley has been able to stop him. Not taking anything away from hughes but his tdd is not on that level. Also i feel like in an standup fight maia has the edge.
 
Look how Maia just ran through everybody on the way to a title shot using only grappling.

Matt didn't have the submission skills of Maia but he certainly had better takedowns and was great at keeping people down.

Tyron and Rory would be his worst matchups but he could probably take everybody else down and win on the mat.

When Hughes fought BJ Penn at UFC 46 he was 41-3. He ended up finishing his career 45-9, what a workhorse, and he also finished a metric fuckton of fighters. He may not have had the grappling of Maia but who does. Hughes finished 35 fighters, 17 KO's, 18 submissions and gave GSP a loss.
 
He'd get knocked out by most of the top guys.

Not likely. He started his first 44 fights, 41-3. By the time new fans started seeing him get KO'ed by the likes of Alves, Penn, and Kos, he was in his 49th, 53rd, and 54th fight.
 
When Hughes fought BJ Penn at UFC 46 he was 41-3. He ended up finishing his career 45-9, what a workhorse, and he also finished a metric fuckton of fighters. He may not have had the grappling of Maia but who does. Hughes finished 35 fighters, 17 KO's, 18 submissions and gave GSP a loss.
Wasn't he 35-3 right before he fought Penn at UFC 46?
 
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