10 MMA Fights That Changed The Business
7. UFC 60: Hughes def. Gracie
Before GSP dominated the Welterweight Division, there was Matt Hughes. Hughes controlled the division for much of the 2000s, using his blend of wrestling and BJJ to take opponents down and either Ground and Pound them to victory, or make them tap out. Hughes run with the title occurred during the boom that the UFC experienced following the success of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.
Arguably being the most complete fighter at the time, and also being the closest in weight class, a catchweight fight was booked for Hughes to square off with UFC Legend Royce Gracie. The Gracie family is synonymous with the development of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, with Royce winning the early UFC tournaments due to his BJJ techniques outmatching the brute force of much larger opponents. The Hughes-Gracie fight was promoted under the pretense of a pseudo Master vs. Student storyline, where Hughes became the successful fighter he was due to Royce Gracies influence on the fighting style.
Gracie had defeated bigger and stronger opponents in the past, but Hughes youth, strength, and technique were too much for the UFC 1 Champion. Hughes managed a take down on Gracie a few short minutes into the contest and quickly caught Royce in a kimura. Even though it had appeared that Gracies elbow had hyper extended while in the hold, he was too prideful to tap out. Knowing this to be the case, Hughes transitioned to take Gracies back and forced the TKO stoppage with overpowering head strikes.
The match was meant as a showcase for how far MMA fighters, and the UFC as a company, had evolved since Gracies era. The sport was no longer in the business of promoting both athletes and hearsay tough guys on the same card. The playing field and show production had both improved dramatically.