“Matt Hughes, he’s been a great champion. I don’t have anything against him. I’m definitely going to try to hype the fight up as much as possible if we could get it, but I don’t know if he wants to fight me. I think he wants to fight Matt Serra and retire, but if he’s willing to step up, I’ll sign that contract tomorrow.”
– Josh Koscheck tells MMAWeekly.com that he’s still eager to take on former welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, which would match up two of the best wrestlers in the organization. “Kos” reveals that he is still contract-less, but his management team is in talks with the UFC on an extension. Hughes will more than likely fight Matt Serra if he loses to Georges St. Pierre next month, making a showdown with Koscheck unlikely in the near future.
March 8th, 2008
36 Comments »
yes, first, who cares
I would ratehr see Hughes beat down Serra before he retires too. I’m not a Hughes fan, but I don’t see Serra beating him.
And then he drops the whole ” I would never fight a friend…” “Money talks”. Ha!
The two biggest a-holes in the UFC beat the crap out of each other. How can you go wrong?
Matt hughes is a coward, he wont fight koschek
What does Hughes get by fighting Kos? Its lose lose for him. I also hope he fights Serra and hangs it up and yes I am a HUGE Matt Hughes Fan. Then again even if Hughes never gets the title back (and Im sure he wont) if he stays competitive, more power to him, because once its over its over.
To bnf… Hughes and Kos may not be your cup o tea but Id say the bigger a-holes are Serra and Ortiz based on what they say before and after fights and outside the cage.
Forget this. He should HAVE to fight Diego for the sheepish way he edged out a victory against a sick opponent. Diego deserves redemption when hes back to full strength.
I think Matt has to know he can’t beat Koscheck. I really think Matt will spend the rest of his career using the leverage he has in the UFC to take fights he thinks he can win.
[quote comment=”352424″]What does Hughes get by fighting Kos? Its lose lose for him. I also hope he fights Serra and hangs it up and yes I am a HUGE Matt Hughes Fan. Then again even if Hughes never gets the title back (and Im sure he wont) if he stays competitive, more power to him, because once its over its over.
To bnf… Hughes and Kos may not be your cup o tea but Id say the bigger a-holes are Serra and Ortiz based on what they say before and after fights and outside the cage.[/quote]
I think the biggest insight into these guys true character was shown on TUF. Serra and Ortiz were great coaches and genuinly cared about the guys on the shown. Tell me what you thought about Hughes. The only word that comes to my mind is a-hole.
Yea I like Matt Serra, he talks alot of shit before the fight but hes mostly just joking around you know? maybe he needs to get that in there so hes actually motivated to fight the other guy. I think he could probably sumbit Hughes with a triangle or arm bar, he has decent jiu jitsu!
[quote comment=”352423″]Matt hughes is a coward, he wont fight koschek[/quote]
yeah hughes is a coward that is why he took a 3rd fight with GSP when he knew there was a good chance he would lose! it shows the amount of respect for the sport and fighters in MMA….very inmature of you to say soemthing so ridiculous like that…why dont you go in there and fight serra gsp kos or hughes!
[quote comment=”352454″][quote comment=”352424″]What does Hughes get by fighting Kos? Its lose lose for him. I also hope he fights Serra and hangs it up and yes I am a HUGE Matt Hughes Fan. Then again even if Hughes never gets the title back (and Im sure he wont) if he stays competitive, more power to him, because once its over its over.
To bnf… Hughes and Kos may not be your cup o tea but Id say the bigger a-holes are Serra and Ortiz based on what they say before and after fights and outside the cage.[/quote]
I think the biggest insight into these guys true character was shown on TUF. Serra and Ortiz were great coaches and genuinly cared about the guys on the shown. Tell me what you thought about Hughes. The only word that comes to my mind is a-hole.[/quote]
He may be an a-hole! but thats why team hughes made it to the finals!…he didtn come in there to be firedns he came in there to make them UFC quality fighters…to train there asses off! yeah serra is a great mentor but he made alot of bad coaching decisions….like bringing his friend as a contestant….becuz it was firend favor! that sorry excuse of an mma fighter joe scorola! and then he made more fun of gsp and hughes then training most of the time!
i think kos will be able to take him, ive always liked hughes, even after that wierd book he felt he needed us to read, i would rather just see him fight serra as his last fight and get out
i think hughes should fight kos then fight serra then retire, if he fights now maybe his last fight will be at the end of the year in dec to go out the year with a bang
i know i’m in the minority, so don’t get your panties in a bunch, but i don’t see hughes finishing serra in a matchup. i’ll give him the favoured nod of a decision, but i think if he does win, he’ll eek it out by lnp. i could see serra taking him out on the feet, or submitting him. i dunno…hughes has lost his lustre. until he really dominates another top guy i think the sport may have surpassed him. a matchup with koscheck i think would be very very bad for hughes. who knows, he’s got more experience than kos, but kos will be looking to put a serious beatdown on matt, and his standup has come along nicely, and he obviously has the better ground control if it goes there.
it might be downhill for Hughes. have him fight anderson silva after serra, and kos!
Is it me or is Matt Hughes ducking Josh Koscheck? Matt Hughes has been called out numerous times by Josh Koscheck for what almost 3 years now in the UFC, and Matt Hughes still wont even acknowledge him.
I understand that Hughes was a champion untill GSP at UFC 65, but when Hughes fought at UFC 68 and Koscheck at 69, they should of made that match instead of Deigo/Kosh and Lytle/Hughes.
I would love to see Koscheck beat the living daylights out of Hughes.. and that takes a lot for me to say considering I strongly dislike Kosh.
[quote comment=”352423″]Matt hughes is a coward, he wont fight koschek[/quote]
Yeah I guess you’re right, he’s a coward. He took on GSP even though he could’ve waited for Serra to heel. What a coward!!! Some bloggers need to get a clue…
[quote comment=”352440″]I think Matt has to know he can’t beat Koscheck. I really think Matt will spend the rest of his career using the leverage he has in the UFC to take fights he thinks he can win.[/quote]
Why wouldn’t he? Hasn’t he earned the right to pick his fights carefully? Wouldn’t you do the same thingif you were in Hughes’position?
The fight game is slowly passing Hughes by. It’s inevitable. He was once the greatest in his weight class. To all the teenagers who post on this site, you’ll age one day too. You’ll see your physical abilities decline just like any great athlete. Unfortnuately none of you are great athletes (like Hughes, for example) and have likely never have pushed yourself, or competed, like a great athlete.
I think Hughes would crush Kos, what does Kos have that he could beat Hughes with? Theres no way his wrestling is better, his striking is par at best… Hughes’ jiu jitsu is probably 5 times better than Kos at least, I just dont see any where that Kos can take the fight and dominate Hughes… maybe Kos will get lucky and Hughes will get staph infection before the fight lol
Hughes lost to one guy(GSP) in what… 4or 5 years? Lets not send Hughes packin quite yet. And no disrespect to Kos either, he is a great fighter but Hughes is still above him. If it was BJ Penn or Fitch or anyone else alot of people wouldnt be so down on them in the same position. The guy lost to 1 man and GSP is the BEST no question! If Hughes loses to Serra, then I will lower my expectations. Until then a little respect for Hughes’ ability.
Oh yeah..I know the Hughes is older and Kos is younger but look at who each of them has beat (and how)and who they have lost to and that should clear some things up.
WADZ (hah), the sport passed him by in more ways than one. Hughes entire fighting career was based on being in terrific shape and wrestling ability. Fighters are just better now than he ever was, it’s not simply a matter of age. He’s not even that old, it’s just that being in phenomenal shape is now more the norm than th exception, and having a somewhat one-dimensional style counts for almost nothing against the likes of todays competition.
Has he earned the right to pick and choose people he thinks he can beat? That’s a matter of opinion. I’d say no. This is a sport, not a charity. Besides, he has a big head and probably won’t choose wisely.
To your last point, I am sure you’re right. All the people who disagree with you and don’t love Matt Hughes are probably fat slobs. Brilliant.
I dont think Kos could even beat Hughesus…
I’d pay for that fight. The way I see it, GSP is by far the best in ww division. After that, you have Fitch, Parysian, Serra (He sucks but he still has a belt), Kos, Sanchez, Penn. Hughes beats all of these guys excpet, maybe, Fitch. It’s true that Hughes built his name on his wrestling, but he has great submissions, and he is tough to beat. He has already beaten Penn, Serra would be a walk in the park, Kos would be interesting, but if it goes to the ground, Hughes has better submissions, and Parysian is too fat and weak for Hughes.
Penn in shape would crush Hughes, and I still think Koscheck would beat Hughes otherwise I agree with your assessment.
Its time to get this WW Division in order. If Kos wants Hughes that bad I say lets see the fight.
I say the next fights should go down like this…
GSP-SERRA
If GSP wins, which I strongly believe he does in dominating fashion…
GSP - FITCH
KOS - HUGHES
SANCHEZ - SERRA
If Karo beats Thiago he can wait to fight GSP or Fitch next…
This WW division needs to get these guys fighting eachother so we can see who the top contenders really are.
[quote comment=”352423″]Matt hughes is a coward, he wont fight koschek[/quote]
I don’t like MH one bit but i don’t think he’s a coward, but at the same time i don’t think he would want to lose to a former TUF competitor before he bows out.
i could see koscheck rock hughes on the feet and jus finish him off.
Matt Hughes is the greatest WW champion of all-time. Hughes is going to fight Serra next.
Koscheck is trying to push for a fight that is going to elevate him. Hughes doesn’t need to fight Kos. Hughes, like it or not, is still in the top 3 in the division.
If they would fight, Hughes would crush Kos.
Who cares if Kos fights Hughes? Give Kos Diego again, or I would love to see a Karo/Kos.
Kos needs to fight Diego again so people can quit crying about his “staph infection induced loss”, and find out what would really have happened. Personally I think Kos wins every time. Not sure if he could beat Hughes, I think not. And after watching GSP handle him I don’t think another run for the title is in the cards for him. This is probably his way of bringing attention to himself while he is in contract negotiations. Pretty smart really.
“I LOVE SPAGHETTI!!….YAAAAAAAAAY!”
I think koscheck would probably win, he’s too fast for hughes and gsp had a much harder time with koscheck than hughes, I think hughes would lose. Hughes in my eyes has a very good chance of beating serra, should fight him, then retire.
Kos does need to fight Diego again. I do see Kos winning as I beleive he is past Diego now.
Hughes at this point doesn’t “need” another win or to fight Kos. A title defense run like his and a long career before all the specialization in training, technique and fitness outweighs any future losses to up and comers like Kos.
Hughes and Serra will fight and the bad blood will provide for “no excuses” and a spirited effort from both, regardless of whether it is for a belt or a last hurrah.
Kos is too late in his call outs of Hughes. NO ONE but Thiago Silva wanted Houston Alexander and now every ground fighter want’s him.
Kos probably also want’s to be the next man on the moon?
Do something first not second.
[quote post=”5255″]Is it me or is Matt Hughes ducking Josh Koscheck? Matt Hughes has been called out numerous times by Josh Koscheck for what almost 3 years now in the UFC, and Matt Hughes still wont even acknowledge him.[/quote]
That’s exactly what Serra was always talking about on TUF. Hughes won’t even acknowledge anybody he feels is beneath him. [quote post=”5255″]Kos does need to fight Diego again. I do see Kos winning as I beleive he is past Diego now.[/quote]
Not a chance. Sanchez was more dead than alive when they fought, and Kos still couldn’t do anything but grind out a decision. A healthy Diego will beat Koscheck to a bloody, crying mess.
this is josh being a punk. he should b shoting for GSP but know he wants to fight a fighter that has said something like i want serra and then retire. what a punk! josh doesn’t want to fighter who’s heart is still all the way in this game. PUNK! TAKE THE REMATCH WITH SANCHEZ! JOSH YOUR NOT AS GOOD AS YOU THINK YOU’RE!
[quote comment=”352409″]The two biggest a-holes in the UFC beat the crap out of each other. How can you go wrong?[/quote]
lol…
I agree…I dont like kos or hughesus christ..I wouldn’t mind them fighting either, unless it turned into a wrestleing match..
It would be an intresting fight but its a bitt late. Hughes wants to fight a few more fights starting with Serra then retire which is quiet understandible he has been in the game for 10 years. Koscheck on the other hand is just obssesed with fighting Hughes i guess he wants to prove hes the better wrestler and fighter but thats another topic. It would be a good name for Koscheck if he won Matt is still a good fighter no matter what. If Hughes wins it would bring him back to the top 5 if he losses he should retire immediatly.I think Matt is the favorite he is too experienced and skilled for Koscheck and too powerful. Before matt retires he should still take a few good fights that are out for him like: Serra oviously,Karo,Diego,Fitch,and Swick and if he can beat all these guys in good fashion then maybe a last title shot would be deserved and would make sense before he retires.