411mania MMA Interview: Matt Hughes

Posted by John Curry on 05.26.2008

One of the most prolific fighters in the history of Mixed Martial Arts sits down with 411mania’s John Curry to discuss fighting Thiago Alves, trucks, mullets, and more.



Matt Hughes will go down in history as one of, if not the, best MMA fighter ever. With a career record of 41 wins and only 6 losses, Hughes is one of the most dominant fighters ever. His legacy includes wins over Royce Gracie, BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Frank Trigg, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk and Akihiro Gono. But who is Matt Hughes outside of the Cage. 411mania found out. Matt Hughes is a family man who thrives on hard work and helping others. His goals in life do not involve owning the largest mansion or driving the fastest car in Beverly Hills but revolve around his dedication to his family, his faith and his hometown. I present to you Matt Hughes.


411ManiaMr. Hughes, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join 411mania. Almost fans and journalist who follow the sport of MMA consider you a legend and one of the greatest, if not the greatest MMA fighter of all time. What a lot of casual fans don't know is that you were actually an accomplished athlete before your MMA career, can you fill our readers in on what you accomplished before your MMA career?

Matt Hughes "Absolutely. Before I took up MMA I was a 2 time state champion wrestler. I was actually undefeated my Junior and Senior years of high school. After high school I was a 2 time Junior College All American at Lincoln College. I then transferred to Eastern Illinois University where I was a Division I All American. What a lot of people don't know is that I didn't take this sport (MMA) up as a career goal but as a hobby. I really liked the concept of competition and hard work. I absolutely love hard work as weird as that sounds."

411mania Speaking of you starting out I recently caught an old DVD of one of your earlier fights for WFS. How was that experience?

MH "You know I had the most fun at those small shows than I have ever had. It was just me and the guys traveling around the country fighting, building camaraderie and all. I had the best time. It was me, Jens (Pulver), Jeremy (Horn), Pat (Miletich) and others. It was just great fun. There wasn't the worry of everything else or the pressures that comes from the UFC and those things that go with a larger company. The autograph shows, the photo sessions, just everything that goes with the big business."



411mania On the other side of the spectrum of small shows, you have fought in front of some the largest crowds, especially in Japan. How is the experience of fighting in Japan versus the smaller shows.

MH " Fighting in Japan is absolutely awesome. The fans never boo anyone. I guess they view the fights similar to a chess match. They want to see how two guys who are willing to fight for their entertainment do. They have a different appreciation for the technical aspects of the game as well as the desire to see a stand up brawl. The only thing I didn't really care for, aside from the fact that my family couldn't travel with me to Japan, was the food. Don't get me wrong, I eat some of the food, like sushi, but I am a country guy. I am the meat and potatoes kind of guy. *laughs* "


411Mania Can you tell us what your daily routine for training is? What do you spend most of your time working on?

MH My training routine is kind of different recently. Take for example today. I got up about 6:30 and ran. I then went over to my neighbor's house because his tree had fallen down. So I wanted to help him with that so we cut down the tree the rest of the way. Then spent the day splitting the wood we cut down and piling it up. So I had a pretty good workout today doing that. Normally though, I wake up at 6:20 and eat breakfast, go for a good run or a hard bike ride then I go lift weights for an hour. I come back have a little lunch, spend some time with my wife and 20 month daughter, then my son gets home from school about 3:30 in the afternoon and I make sure I am there. I am a family man first and a fighter second. About 6 I go back down to the gym and spar and work on takedowns until about 7:30 pm. I really work on my stand up. That is an area I like to improve on. I have the wrestling down I think *laughs* but I like to work on my stand-up."

411ManiaYou wrote your autobiography titled " Made in America: The Most Dominant Champion in UFC History" and rumor has it you are working on another book, can you give us a little preview about what your next book will be about? What do you hope your readers walk away with from your books?

MH "That rumor is false *laughs* to b honest with you all I am doing is training now. Almost three times a day average. I think the misunderstanding came from when Random House was going to release the book on paperback they were going to add two more chapters to the book but they decided not to. If I do decide to write another book I am going to wait until after retirement to do it.

411mania Speaking of retirement, you mentioned on TUF 5 that you planned to retire in the near future. Are you still planning to retire?

MH "Yes I am still planning on retiring soon. As to when I don' know. I mean the fighters are getting younger and I'm getting older *laughs* Honestly I want to spend time with my wife who has been completely understanding and strong throughout my whole career, my kids, and my hometown. This is just the best place to be and I want to spend all of my time here."

411Mania A lot of people think it is a touchy subject but I see no shame in discussing it as to refuse to discuss it is to deny it, it is my understanding that you have become a born-again Christian, can you tell us what led you to that step and how has it changed your life?

MH "It is a great experience. It is the biggest thing in my life to have Jesus Christ in my heart. One of the things I am always asked is "how can you be a Christian and fight?" I have two answers for this. First if you look at the bible in the Old Testament God was a violent man. He did a lot of things to children and families and destroyed cities. Even in the New Testament Jesus was a violent man. Look at how he was when he flipped the tables in the Tabernacle. Second, I think intent has a lot to do with it. I never enter the cage with the thought that I am going to hurt my opponent. I understand that there is the possibility for me to get hurt or my opponent to get hurt. But I don't enter the cage with the hopes of hurting anyone. How I found God happened on a mission trip to Mexico. I didn't go to Mexico looking for God or any answers to questions. A bunch of my friends were going down to Mexico to work on an orphanage and they needed skilled laborers. They asked me if I wanted to go and I reluctantly said yes for three reasons. First, I love hard work. Any chance I get to work hard with my hands I am aways up for it. Second, I like to help people. Third, I saw the opportunity to build a fellowship with my friends. I figured it would be a great experience for us to just be together and hang out together. Again, by no means did I go to look for God. The experience was great and I found God while I was there. Since I found Jesus Christ, I try not to worry as much anymore. I think my life is easier because I don't worry as much. I know I can always ask God for help. I have daily prayer. I tell you being a Christian is a lot like being on a roller coaster. There are a lot of ups and downs, but it is the greatest experience you can have.







411ManiaYou recently left the Miletich Camp to start your own fight team, Team Hughes, which fights out the H.I.T Squad in Granite City, Illinois. How is running your own school different? Do you find it better or worse than training under someone else?

MH "I really don't know. I guess I like having my own guys who can work on different things ad having a little control over everything that happens. I love having my own gym and facility where I make the final decisions. Don't get me wrong I miss the guys down there at Miletich but I love being closer to home where I can spend more time with my family and my hometown. I have the final say in everything. I had a guy come in offering to pay me to put a soda machine in my gym and I told him no. I think soda is the worst thing that kids or anyone to drink. So I only sell water and Gatorade in my gym. I had a guy come from the local Budweiser plant and offer to sponsor us if I advertised Budweiser products in my gym. I told him no. I don't want kids coming in here and working out with Budweiser signs hanging around. What if one of those kids works out and thinks I condone drinking and they go out and get drunk and god forbid get in an accident. I don't want that to happen at all. This is just the kind of control I have in my own gym. I won't sacrifice my beliefs for anything. I mean, those two could have paid my rent for almost a year but sometimes there are more important things than bills."




411Mania I have noticed that you have recently been turned to plastic by Round 5. Tell us about being an action figure and where we diehard fans can find one?

MH "Tito (Ortiz), Randy (Couture), Rampage (Jackson), and myself were all made into action figures by Round 5. I am very happy with them but it isn't a big deal to me. I still put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else. I was approached by them I didn't seek them out. I try not to think too much about those kinds of things as I try to stay grounded. If anyone is interested in seeing the figures or the book they can just come to my website, www.matt-hughes.com and check it out."

411Mania I understand you have a big boy truck in the works. Tell us a little about your trucks.



MH My new truck I am working on is a '66 Chevy body that sits on a '06 Chevy frame. The '66 Chevy body is my favorite style. I am having a Duramax diesel engine put in it. I am not going to put much of a lift on it as it is going to be my daily driver truck. I have a truck that I use to run around the farm and go mudding in. It is an 1984 Chevy with 502 cubic inch big block engine and 45" Boggers. I have a snorkel kit that goes directly into the cab so I can monitor if anything is going into the engine. There isn't a whole lot that that truck will get stuck in. Every time people come around they want to take it out and run it and I am cool with that."

411mania One of the problems I encounter in life is the fake country boy, the guy who is just country as long as he can get the chicks, that isn't the case with you. You actually live the farm life. No big mansions for you. With all of the success you have had why don't we see Matt Hughes in Beverly Hills?



MH "The truth is I have a great hometown. I have great people who I have surrounded myself with here in Hillsboro(Illinois). By no means am I going to take my kids out of Hillsboro. I want them to grow up here and hopefully stay here when they are older. The town is just absolutely perfect for me and they have done so much for me and family throughout my life. If you have ever seen Joe Dirt it is like my own little Silvertown. I plan on spending my life here and if I am lucky I will die here."

411Mania One of the things I always ask in an interview regards submissions. What better time to ask about submissions that from one of the greatest submission wrestlers in the world? What is the most painful submission you have ever been put in either in training or a fight? What is your favorite one to use?

MH "The most painful submissions I have been put in are the ankle locks and the arm bars. They are just painful. I don't really find chokeholds that painful. My favorite submission to use is the key lock. If you watch my fight with Joe Riggs that's the submission I used to defeat him."

411Mania You were the coach on TUF 6 after guest coaching with your longtime friend Jens Pulver. How did that experience help you become a better coach and a better fighter?

MH "Well I guess I was the coach. I mean I did have a lot of great guys there with me to help me train the fighters as well as some great fighters. I mean Mac Danzig was there and he already had something like 35 or 40 fights. So I was able to learn a lot of things from the fighters as well. I mean when you coach you get to see things that make you think maybe I need to do more with my own game. You always have to improve yourself to stay competitive in this industry. Overall the experience was alright. I didn't like being away from my family as it was almost three and a half weeks before they could come out."

411Mania I have recently found a picture of you I want to ask you about. You used to rock the Mullet. Do you ever look back on that picture and say "What was I thinking?"



MH "*LAUGHS* I have to be honest, it was in style back then. Now days I just look at it and laugh. I mean the longer I keep living the more things change. Five years from now, we'll all probably be looking back at today busting up laughing at what we were wearing now."

411Mania I recently wrote an article explaining why children should be allowed to train for MMA. What are your feelings on that?

MH "I don't really have a problem with Junior High aged students learning wrestling and submissions and possibly boxing but I really just don't think that kids should be hitting other kids. A lot of kids aren't mature enough to understand what they are learning and how to have proper discipline. I have this worry that we are just turning kids into future bullies. I have an eight year old who knows I am old school and if he gets in trouble at school it will be twice as bad when he gets home. But my kid isn't a bully I have shown him things he has asked me about and explained to him when and where it is okay to use what I have taught him. You have to keep an eye on your kids. At my school MMA is only for High School age and higher. We have a wrestling class on Saturdays for Junior High kids. Anyone younger than that I will not each in my school. It might upset people but it is my gym and I don't want kids getting hurt on my behalf."

411Mania With the seemingly plagued UFC 85 event across the pond suffering a lot of injuries and other events, you took your fight with Thiago Alves on short notice. Why did you take the fight and how are you preparing for it?

MH "I took the fight because we he is just coming off of a fight which should balance my short training time. I like Thiago as he has the same respect for the sport that I do. I also like the matchup. I am used to fighting on short notice so that doesn't bother me. I just jumped into training with both feet and have been training three times a day to get ready for it"

411Mania What about Matt Serra?

MH "That fight will DEFINITELY happen. Whether or not I win or lose to Thiago, Matt Serra is next. I don't like to go into a fight with the mentality of hurting someone but my wife wants to see blood and I promise you she will get what she wants."

411ManiaTell us do you have any pre-fight or post fight rituals?

MH "No, not really. I have a good time with my friends after the fights. Before the fights my locker room is pretty easy going. We all say prayer and thank everyone for helping us out. You know nothing really superstitious."

411Mania How do you celebrate after winning a fight?

MH After a fight I like to just stay with my friends in the hotel room. Sit around and relax maybe have a few drinks. I do have a few drinks every so often but I try not to make it a habit."

411Mania What is the one aspect of your game that you are trying to improve the most on and why?

MH " I really like to work on my stand up and striking skills. I would like to improve on them. I want to have that same effect standing up that Chuck Liddell has. Just be the best well rounded fighter I can be."

411Mania You are a busy guy, you have a family, a farm, a fight school, you write books, do charity work, and are active in your church in addition to fighting. How do you balance it all?

MH "I just keep everything in order. I know that when I have a fight coming up my family has to suffer, which is unfortunate, but they understand that I won't be fighting forever. I have a great wife that understands that this is how we make our income. She is okay with it because she is a very homebody type woman who takes great care of our kids. I wish sometimes she'd like to travel more so she can come with me to my fights."

411Mania As an avid UFC fighter and fan, tell us what is the one fight you are looking forward to seeing this year and why?

MH "I don't want to sound egotistical but I am really, really looking forward to the fight against Matt Serra. I am really concentrating right now on Thiago but Serra isn't far from my mind. I am a fan of the sport first and a fighter second. I love watching Chuck (Liddell) and Rich (Franklin) fight as well."

411Mania One thing that most people would not know about you is that you have spent time with our troops. What is that experience like? How does that feel to be admired by someone who you admire?

MH "I am an entertainer only. The things I do are for people's entertainment. Those guys over there fight for our liberty and freedoms. They risk their lives every day so it is really humbling."



411Mania Is there a message you would like to send our armed forces readers?

MH "I want to tell them that I appreciate what you do. I have a full message for our troops on my website."

(Here is the aforementioned message:)

"I just want to say that I appreciate what you all are doing. It takes a special kind of person to leave their families and protect our freedoms. I fully support this war and our President and we are forever indebted to you for keeping this country free. I'm keeping you in my prayers and I hope for your safe return. God Bless. –Matt"

411Mania How do you want to be remembered 100 years from now by the MMA world?

MH "To be honest with you on my headstone I could care less if there is anything about my time in the fighting world on there. There are more things to life than fighting. I hope people remember me for who I am not the fights I was in."