Matt Hughes trilogy of fights with MMA royalty B.J. Penn is credited as being one of the most memorable fight series in the history of the UFC. In the first fight Penn stunned the world by returning to the UFC from K1, moving up to the 170-lb division and upsetting the long-reigning champion with a first round submission finish. Though he would be stripped of the title when he once again defected to K1, Penn would face Hughes again at UFC 63 in a fight which would be praised as 2006s fight of the year. In a back and forth affair which Penn had mostly been winning, Hughes eventually managed to drag Penn to the ground before securing a crucifix position and unloading on B.Js face until Big John McCarthy was forced to stop the fight. Their final fight four years later at UFC 123 would be the complete opposite of this legendary second clash, as the Prodigy immediately caught Hughes with strikes and knocked him out in just 21 seconds, However, what the history books wont record is that although Penn beat Hughes two out of three times, Hughes was the much larger man who really should have overwhelmed the smaller Hawaiian. Indeed, Matt was always considered to be an extremely large, strong welterweight while B.J Penn was just too indolent to cut weight the Prodigy has thankfully now seen the error of his ways and will be fighting at featherweight in his next bout, two classes bellow Hughes preferred 170-lb division. Penn has always been known as a fighter who will fight anyone at any time; he has even had an open-weight fight with former light-heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida. It hurts the legacy of Matt Hughes that such a pivotal trilogy of fights in his career were against a man so much smaller than him. Though both men stand at 59, Hughes ripped physique and broad shoulders make Penn look minuscule. Ironically the two fighters are now very close friends.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
