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.

UFC Balance Of Power Regains Normalcy

With the wins of Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre on Saturday night, the pair finalized UFC's return to general predictability (a good thing) following a span of upsets which stretched from 68 to 71, effectively throwing three of the five title pictures in disarray. With Sherk's win (let's forget about the steroids for a moment), Couture's first successful defense of the HW title, and St. Pierre displaying his ability to shake the Serra blues, it appears that we can start narrowing the talent into some Superfights.

No need to give Gonzaga another title shot now. And after St. Pierre's dismantling of Koscheck, it's obvious that St. Pierre and Hughes are the only guys who deserve to be on the top of that division. Not Sanchez, not Kos, not Parisyan, and certainly none of the other guys who were said to be in line for a title shot. Just the best of the best. Had Koscheck won the fight on Saturday, it would've taken even more legitimacy from the division and possibly...just possibly set up for Koscheck-Serra. Instead of being forced to witness that eyesore, it looks as if we're on track for GSP-Hughes III, which is the best fight for the fighters, the fans, and of course, the sport.

Couture's huge win marks the reality of his second coming in the UFC as he has now dispatched of two contenders (Sylvia and Gonzaga) who have at times been heralded as greats, but have now been reduced to pawns. This is significant because now Couture can start wading through the real contenders, the PRIDE guys. Similar to the Koscheck-Serra scenario, I think I speak for everyone when I say we really dodged a bullet with the potential Gonzaga-Nogueira matchup. Instead, we should be treated to Couture-CC, Couture-Nog, or even Couture-Fedor. With CC's recent loss and Nog's less than stellar opening show, there really is no contender in the UFC who should be considered a favorite against "The Natural." It may be up to White to sign someone who can fill these shoes.

The narrowing of competition continues at UFC 75 with the Henderson-Rampage match, a virtual win-win for the UFC. With a Liddell and Shogun wins at 76, the UFC should be set up perfectly for a winter to remember. Silva and Franklin will kick things off with what should be a war. We will most likely see Shogun against the winner of Rampage-Henderson. Couture will almost definitely fight Cro Cop or Nogueira. And barring something amazing happening, Hughes will get another crack at GSP. It may have not been the most exciting event in the world, but UFC 74 has now set the stage for the success that is to come.

White: Fedor Won't Relate To UFC Fans

Dana White, while talking about the most talented free agent (and martial artist) in the universe, said that he just wouldn't relate to UFC fans. Now whether this is simply an excuse for the lack of contract or White actually believes this, no one knows. But what is known is that the man simply recognized by his first name, Fedor, needs a place to fight. Never has one man been so dominant. Even Matt Hughes suffered a legendary defeat at the hands of BJ Penn at UFC 46. Fedor has no such blemish.

White compared Fedor's potential entrance to that of Cro Cop, citing over and over again that for whatever reason, Fedor is simply not ready:

The hard core fans who know who Fedor is are a minority. Believe me when I tell you that. My (UFC) fans don't know who he is. I'd have to build him up. You can't just say 'Fedor's here,' and open the doors and expect people to come in. It doesn't work that way.

I even had to build up Cro Cop. It's taking a while for us to do that. After we introduce him to our fans, then you can do that kind of a thing.

Okay, so there's probably something to be said for the bloodthirsty fans who come to the events just to see a knockout. But for every one of those, I'd bet that there are two fans who have taken the time to understand the intricacies of the ground game and other minutia of the sport. It is growing rapidly and newer fans will take the time to learn MMA the right way. Whether or not White thinks Fedor can relate to these fans (it obvious he doesn't), he has a duty to the fans to bring Fedor in. When Zuffa purchased PRIDE, White made it clear that his intention was to huddle the world's best under one tent. Until Fedor is under that tent, White hasn't done anything.

Wanderlei Addition Makes UFC 79 Card Top Notch

It's been expected for months, but Wanderlei (pictured, credit: PRIDE FC) finally confirmed that he'll be making his UFC debut at UFC 79 on December 29th. Although it's unknown who will face "The Axe Murderer," whoever it is will have his hands full: Wanderlei has been training with Randy Couture. Many are hoping that Liddell will be Wanderlei's first match up, which doesn't bode well for The Iceman. After all, who knows Liddell's style better than the man who has faced him the most amount of times? Additionally, Wanderlei holds two wins over Rampage Jackson who holds two wins over Liddell. The math isn't good.

However, Wanderlei will probably be given a warm up bout a la Shogun-Griffin, Rampage-Eastman. We'll have to wait for the Wanderlei-Liddell fight, which will probably happen after Wanderlei faces the winner of Rampage-Henderson. Dana White has said Liddell needs two wins before a title shot, so he'll beat up on Jardine, fight someone else around the the time of the Wanderlei-Rampage/Hendo bout, and then get the winner of that.

Whether or not we get to see Liddell at UFC 79 is still up in the air, but Wandy will definitely be there. His introduction, along with the Hughes-Serra title fight will make this winter card one of the best of the year. Hughes and Serra seem to have a real grudge against one another (not just this Tito Ortiz hyped drama) and should put on a war for the fans. Personally, I'm hoping to see the title belt returned to a real Champion, but I'll be happy enough if Hughes and Serra produce more than three rounds of action. A truly great card features a mixture of striking and ground work across a variety of weight classes. UFC 79, with the help of Wanderlei Silva, is shaping up to be just that.

Hybrid MMA vs. Traditional Styles: Which Is The Better Pick?

When beginning training in Mixed Martial Arts, one must make a crucial decision. Is it more beneficial to get a well-rounded MMA experience or instead, focus in on one discipline and learn to master it? This is the essential question behind the idea of MMA and why the UFC was founded in the first place: to determine which fighting style was superior. In looking for that answer, the creators of UFC got more than they bargained for. While intially, it appeared that certain styles were dominant, over time, a hybridization took place. Do fighters benefit from mastering different techniques from various schools of thought or are they just better off knowing one very, very well?

Matt Hughes (pictured) would agree with the first choice: that a hybridization was necessary and benficial to his career. He displayed this most prominently at UFC 60 when he defeated Royce Gracie using a combination of Gracie's very own Jiu-Jitsu coupled with his extensive wrestling background. Gracie, limited in the scope of what he could handle, caved under the different looks Hughes was throwing at him and got grounded and pounded to a loss. Such is the benefit of learning multiple styles of martial arts. They can be switched on and off like a light switch, combined and separated to create the ultimate in distraction and strategy. If a fight can master a striking and a grappling technique (compared to someone in a single discipline, who is only good standing up or only good on the ground), he will have created a strategy capable of taking out any styled opponent. Nick Diaz is a great example of this as he is well-versed in both boxing and jiu-jitsu. In his fight against Robbie Lawler, Diaz elected to stand, picking his spots and eventually knocking out the Ruthless one. More recently, against Takanori Gomi, Diaz took the fight to the floor, executing one of the most difficult submissions in all of MMA, the gogoplata. Chances are, if Diaz was a master of just one of those disciplines, he would not have been able to take both fights. By learning a hybrid style, the embodiment of what Mixed Martial Arts means, a fighter can be dynamic, dangerous, and successful against opponents of any kind.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for perfecting one discipline. Royce Gracie, although defeated by Hughes, ran through every other singular discipline with his take on classic BJJ. Karo Parisyan (pictured) has brought a classic Judo background with him, and has made it work with flying colors, owning wins over Diaz and current Welterweight champ Matt Serra. Many wrestlers, such as Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, have been very successful while remaining true to their disciplines. While they may throw elements of other styles in from time to time, they will rely on and look to their wrestling backgrounds when it is time to win a fight. If a fighter can use his background in one style as a defensive mechanism in order to open up offense (see: Karo Parisyan), then he may be as successful as a fighter who is constantly switching up techniques in the middle of the fight. Switching to southpaw will often get a fighter knocked out, but switching entire disciplines can get your career ended.

This decision is an important one that every fighter must make at some point in their training. Whether one decides to take a more rounded approach to martial arts or hone in on one style, two facts remain. Fighters have won with each and fighters have lost with each. It is up to the individual practitioner of the sport to decide how hard he will train, how much he will invest, and how much he will get out of it.