How good was Matt Hughes as a grappler?

[orca]

put gsp higher if jones is a human weapon
he was a human blanket lol

 

[DrRodentia]

He tapped Royce Gracie nuff said

How many top guys of that era of Hughes wouldn't have done the same, though?

 

[Conor Strickland]

Come on.

That armbar he got on GSP was slick af

That's a dope AV you got there, Sherbro

 

[HHJ]

That's a dope AV you got there, Sherbro

Thx bruh

Adesanya has been targeted for termination

@Arqueto is the GOAT

 

[joy2day]

A+:
Khabib
Chimaev
Islam
Jones

A:
DC
GSP
MM
Cejudo

B+
BJ
Fedor
Shields
Maia
Weidman
Usman
Couture
Velasquez
Werdum
Jacaré
Charles
Merab
Davis
Rashad
Arman
Hughes

B
Barnett
Big Nog
Mir
Colby
Woodley
Sterling
Tito
Saku
Mendes
Cruz
Fitch
Arona

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

I'd put him at B+ based on OPs list.

Guy was clearly strong as an ox too.

 

[ThePimblettEra]

That doesnt matter.

You can tell when someone is good just by watching them do it.

You dont need to know who the fuck the guy is that DJ suplexed into an armbar.

You just need to know that he suplexed someone into an armbar

By your logic: a prelim fighter could go out into the public and start suplexing randoms into an armbar.
And this makes them an A+ grappler.

Got it.

 

[Streeter]

Cain certainly got back up and so did Couture.

The others are Mir who wasn't good at getting back up, and Carwin who was completely gassed. Very small sample size.

Don't get in my way of re writing history! Bork Lazer was Unstoppable!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HHJ]

By your logic: a prelim fighter could go out into the public and start suplexing randoms into an armbar.
And this makes them an A+ grappler.

Got it.

No. He fought a professional fighter.

Tell any other fighter to go out and do that and see if they can.

You know the kind of balls you need to even attempt this let alone pull it off

Ya see all you need to see. I'm sure some people shut off their TV after seeing that.

And sat in awed silence and contemplation.

 

[LostMyBlackBelt]

Cain certainly got back up and so did Couture.

The others are Mir who wasn't good at getting back up, and Carwin who was completely gassed. Very small sample size.

Cain was a very good wrestler himself, and had legs like tree trunks (at least when his knees worked). I don't remember anyone holding Randy down either, but I am not sure of that.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

B+

He at least had the cajones to try his luck in ADCC unlike others.

 

[FistfulOfDynamite221]

I've watched some Hughes old fights and I realized he had a bjj well above average UFC elite wreslters. He has around thirteen subs in his career, a pretty expressive number for a wreslter

In which class of the best grapplers in history would you place him?

A+:
Khabib
Chimaev
Islam
Jones

A:
DC
GSP
MM
Cejudo

B+
BJ
Fedor
Shields
Maia
Weidman
Usman
Couture
Velasquez
Werdum
Jacaré
Charles
Merab
Davis
Rashad
Arman
Hughes

B
Barnett
Big Nog
Mir
Colby
Woodley
Sterling
Tito
Saku
Mendes
Cruz
Fitch
Arona

I can only think of him carrying that one guy across the ring, forgot his name tho

 

[Intermission]

At the time he was very good. That was a pretty slick arm bar he hit on GSP. His win over Royce was also impressive but I feel like that was more of a brute strength thing.

Royce was far past his prime

 

[Intermission]

He was pretty awesome. Held his own against Tito in ADCC even though it looked like a cartoon because of the size difference.

Since when is Tito the gold standard of grappling?

 

[uled]

He tapped Royce Gracie nuff said

Did he?

 

[Clark Rogers]

Idk OP but I'm sure you could go out behind the barn and find out.

 

[mkt]

Royce was far past his prime

Royce was about the same as ever. He had very little damage in his prime because he mostly had favorable matches against guys with zero ground game.

 

[Intermission]

Royce was about the same as ever. He had very little damage in his prime because he mostly had favorable matches against guys with zero ground game.

Im not talking about injuries, just ageing . He looked like he had aids against Hughes and was noticeably frail. Offered no resistance at any point.

Not that he was ever a great grappler but using that fight as an example of anything is silly

 

[mkt]

How many top guys of that era of Hughes wouldn't have done the same, though?

I doubt many WWs in the early 2000s would submit Royce. It's possible they could, but that's like the hardest route to victory. Just force him to stand and get a KO/TKO or dominant UD win. Or even take him down and do some GnP and control him, but don't play his game with too many scrambles going for subs. No reason to risk that when there are easier ways to win. Don't try to beat him in his strongest area.

Renzo had a lot of losses in the early 2000s but Sakuraba was the only guy to submit him. Guys like BJ Penn just walked out and KO'd him. I think young BJ might have subbed him or at least won a UD in a grappling match, but why risk it?

 

[mkt]

Im not talking about injuries, just ageing . He looked like he had aids against Hughes and was noticeably frail. Offered no resistance at any point.

Not that he was ever a great grappler but using that fight as an example of anything is silly

Royce always looked frail unless he roided to the gills like the last Sakuraba fight. He had a skinny dad bod in the early UFCs, but you couldn't really tell because of his gi.