Welterweight wrestlers Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck collide at UFC 135 in Denver tonight. Hughes (45-8, 18 -6 UFC) is a UFC Hall of Famer and the former long-time welterweight champ of the organization. Koscheck (15-5, 13-5 UFC) was one of the first stars of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that broke MMA in the U.S.
Hughes is coming off a quick KO loss to B.J. Penn at UFC 123 last November. Koscheck is fighting for the first time since suffering a shattered orbital bone while challenging Georges St. Pierre for the title at UFC 124 last December.
The 37-year-old Hughes is on the last fight of his UFC contract and may very well retire after this bout, win or lose. The 34-year-old Koscheck took the fight on short notice when Diego Sanchez suffered an injury in training camp.
Koscheck has been calling out Hughes for a long time. This is his chance to put a UFC legend on his victim's list. It's a bad match up for Matt who's always relied on his wrestling, but Koscheck was a NCAA national champion.
| Aspect | Hughes | Points | Koscheck | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range Fighting | ||||
| Boxing | Some Power | 1 | Lots of Power | Koscheck |
| Kickboxing | Rudimentary | 1 | American Kickboxing Academy | Koscheck |
| Wrestling | Excellent | 1 | National Champ | Koscheck |
| Clinch Fighting | ||||
| Dirty Boxing | Mean | 1 | Felonious Assault | Tie |
| Thai Clinch | Tough | 1 | Effective | Tie |
| Throws/Trips | Excellent | 1 | Better Than Excellent | Koscheck |
| Ground Fighting | ||||
| Positional Control | Lockdown | 1 | Very Good | Hughes |
| Scrambling | Tumbler | 1 | Extreme | Koscheck |
| Ground and Pound | Puts the Pound | 1 | Battery | Hughes |
| Submissions | Very Good | 1 | Limited | Hughes |
| Intangibles | Last Fight? | 1 | 19 Days Notice | Tie |
| Overall | Happy Trails | 3/5 | Dreams Come True | Koscheck |