Sherdog’s Top 10: Greatest Fighters of the 2000s

7. Matt Hughes

Sherdog's third-greatest welterweight of all time finishes seventh here. Hughes started out as a great wrestler, added legendary ground-and-pound and stifling top control to that formula as well as an excellent BJJ game, exceptionally rare for his time. He also had limitless cardio and some of the greatest toughness and heart the sport has ever seen, orchestrating amazing comebacks in fights where he appeared to be dead to rights. His striking and defense improved over the years, to the point where he knocked out Renzo Gracie with his boxing in one of his last victories, but it was always a relatively weak point. In the early to mid-2000s, Hughes set the standard for dominant champions and was frequently cited as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

That is not to say Hughes was perfect or unbeatable. Turning pro in 1998, he suffered notable losses in the early 2000s, being submitted in December 2000 by Dennis Hallman in just 20 seconds at UFC 29 and then losing his very next fight in February 2001 to Jose Landi-Jons via brutal knee. However, later that same year, Hughes captured the UFC welterweight crown against Carlos Newton in a thrilling double knockout called in his favor. That was the start of a period where he went 12-1, becoming a two-time welterweight champion with an incredible seven total title defenses. He demolished Newton in a rematch, prompting a fourth-round stoppage, finished the great Hayato Sakurai in the fourth as well, won a dominant decision over Sean Sherk, twice submitted Frank Trigg in the first round, both wildly exciting affairs for as long as they lasted, easily destroyed Sherdog's second greatest fighter of the 90s, Royce Gracie, in the first, and even submitted Georges St. Pierre, whom we will discuss later, in their initial meeting. His only loss during this time was a first-round submission to B.J. Penn in January 2004 to end his first title reign, though Hughes would gain his revenge in September 2006, surviving an early storm to finish Penn in the third.

Alas, MMA was evolving and Hughes lost his title to St. Pierre via knockout in their rematch. The rubber match went little better, with St. Pierre now demonstrating his dominance in grappling as well as striking, tapping Hughes in the second. After a further knockout loss against top contender Thiago Alves, Hughes ended the decade with a decision triumph over another former welterweight champion in Matt Serra. However, for five years of the 2000s, Hughes was one of MMA's greatest champions.

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