Is Matt Hughes Done?

Georges St. Pierres’ second destruction of Matt Hughes in as many years seemed to confirm what the MMA world had long suspected. In short, Hughes is done. Once the poster boy of the UFC and the welterweight division, especially, Hughes had made his name with wins over Frank Trigg, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Royce Gracie, and yes, even GSP.

His UFC 43 submission loss to BJ Penn was largely seen as a hiccup, and one which Hughes avenged soon thereafter. In between the Penn loss and subsequent Penn win, Hughes ran roughshod over the entire division, racking up five straight wins.

The best fighter to never have a nickname seemed primed to beat St. Pierre in what would be their second match up. Unfortunately for Hughes, even the best laid plans don’t always pan out. However, those who watched the fight at UFC 65 were too quick to attribute the TKO win to GSP’s ability. Yes, the Canadian was brilliant and he did execute a great game plan. But, there was something else. Hughes was not himself.

Matt was sluggish and did not appear to have confidence in his abilities. In the past, he would often press his opponent against the cage or look for an early take down. Instead, Hughes seemed complacent and happy enough to wait for St. Pierre to make a move.

Hughes then took on Chris Lytle, and while he did win a decision, it should not have been that close. The old Matt Hughes would have embarrassed Lytle and finished him in one. After all, this is the same man who once finished GSP in one round!

Matt had another chance to avenge a loss at UFC 79 when Georges St. Pierre agreed to fight him on short notice. Just like their meeting at UFC 65, Hughes seemed tentative – maybe even more so – and was simply outmatched once again. It was St. Pierre who was the aggressor, and predictably, it was St. Pierre who was the victor.

Not since Hughes’ UFC 63 match up with BJ Penn have we seen the killer instinct displayed throughout his long title run. Critics even found fault with his early rounds against Penn and suggest that one must go back as far as UFC 60 to find a great performance from Matt Hughes.

It’s one thing to be past your prime and lagging a little in ability. However, it’s another to disgrace your legacy with lazy performances every time you step into the octagon.

New Coaches Announced For TUF 8

Before the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, Dana White booked one of the most gregarious and popular fighters, Rampage Jackson, to be one of the coaches. One of the choice reasons for doing so is that the country’s talent pool is severely waning. Just compare some of the early winners (Forrest, Rashad, etc.) to this year’s favorite (C.B. Dolloway). The point is: the well has run dry. And so, it made complete sense that Rampage was booked in an effort to boost ratings.

For the next season, the eighth installment, logic tells us that the talent pool will be even shallower. The logical thing for the UFC to do, as a result, would be to book coaches even wilder than Rampage. It’s probably impossible to find someone quite as hilarious, but the coaches should be well spoken, talented, and American. Not one, but all of these things.

Instead, the UFC inexplicably chose fighters that, together, represent what one coach should be. You know its trouble when Frank Mir is the more qualified of the two coaches. He is American and well spoken, so he should be able to connect to the fans. That is, if they give him a chance to begin with. Mir is not one of the more popular fighters in the sport and many new fans don’t remember his successes more than three years ago. He may be well spoken, but what if no one listens? His talent is also still at question. Shortly after winning the heavyweight title from Tim Sylvia, Mir was involved in a bad motorcycle accident. His return saw him out of shape and on the wrong end of a knockout loss. While he has started to rebound with the Lesnar victory, Mir has not yet shown himself to be ready to take on top-flight competition.

Even worse, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has been chosen as the second coach. Yes, Nogueira is one of the most talented fighters in the world – but as a coach, that’s about all he has going for him. As far as I know, he speaks just enough English to ask for a bathroom. In front of skeptical and tough American viewers, they will not give him the time of day. They will turn the tv off or rip him apart in the forums. Will he even appear in front of the camera? Probably not – after all, what would he say? A Brazilian outsider will not relate in the least to even the greenest of TUF fans.

With these men chosen as coaches, the UFC only aims to put an end to its originally groundbreaking series – and maybe, that’s just what needs to happen.