While it’s still not 100 percent clear about his current condition, Hughes’ family did release statements to let concerned fans know about his health. According to both his sister and brother, including the hospital, Hughes is stable but not very responsive.

Beth Hughes Ulrici stated,

He has some minor lacerations and bruising and is currently being weaned from his ventilator. He is not yet awake and not responding as we would like to see but we see the fight in him.

Mark Hughes Ulrici added,

Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support, Please understand that there are many false reports out there by people who say they are close to the family. We will post another update here when we have more news.

Matt’s strength and determination along with God’s Mercy and Grace will bring him through this. … We ask that you all continue to pray.

The HSHS St. John’s hospital has been keeping their Facebook page updated with Hughes’ recovery progress.

Former UFC fighter and Hillsboro native Matt Hughes is currently in stable condition, but he remains minimally responsive. Hughes’ family asks that you keep Matt in your thoughts and prayers.

Stay tuned to Yell! Magazine for much more daily news in MMA.

On Friday, multiple online MMA source, including the HSHS St. John’s Hospital, reported that Hughes was struck by an on-coming train following an attempt to cross a railroad in Raymond, Ill. The accident happened around 10:45 a.m. and Hughes was airlifted to a hospital in Springfield, Ill.

The HSHS St. John’s Hospital released a statement via Facebook,

Former UFC fighter and Hillsboro native Matt Hughes was airlifted to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in the noon hour on Friday, June 16, 2017. The HSHS St. John’s Regional Trauma Team stabilized him and continues to help him in his recovery.

Hughes’ family asks that you respect their privacy during this difficult time. They ask that you keep Matt in your thoughts and prayers.

According to UFC President Dana White, Hughes is seriously injured and apparently has a head trauma. The promotion also a released a thoughtful message via Twitter.

Our thoughts are with Matt Hughes and his family. pic.twitter.com/TF6BaHSa85

— UFC (@ufc) June 16, 2017

Hughes has been stabilized by a trauma team and is still attempting to recover from the incident. Stay tuned to Yell! Magazine for much more daily news in MMA.

Earlier this month, Hughes was interviewed on AT&T’s original series Undeniable with Joe Buck and addressed his interest to fight again. Following the interview, which will be released in its entirety this summer/early fall, Hughes approached Bellator with the idea of facing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu legend for a rematch.

Speaking with MMAFighting.com, Gracie revealed he welcomes the idea.

Man, that would be great. Everybody wants to see this second fight. I’d be in the fight. The strategy was right. Everything we planned and imagined he would do, he did. But I wasn’t in the fight.

Apparently, Bellator officials have not approached Gracie to book the fight with Hughes yet, but it sounds like he 100% ready to take on the challenge again if they do.

I never stopped training, I never stopped working out. My body is in great shape, the machine is working. There’s only one way to find out (who would win): we have to do it again.

He continued,

Boy, if you want to fight me right now, I’ll meet you there [laughs]. When you’re a fighter, you have to be ready all the time. There’s no ‘I need a month’. It’s always time. When you’re a fighter, any time is time to fight. I won’t ask for more time, say ‘I need to get ready’. You’re a warrior or you’re not.

Gracie, 50, was last seen inside the cage when he defeated Ken Shamrock for the second time at Bellator 149 in February 2016. He lost to Hughes at UFC 60 via TKO and also tested positive for anabolic steroids after the match. The judges’ decision was not overturned.

Are you interested in seeing this rematch? Let us know in the comment section below.

CONTRIBUTOR JEFF BLATNICK AND THE HUGHES VS TRIGG II FIGHT TO BE HONORED AT UFC FAN EXPO ON JULY 11

The first inductees for the new look UFC Hall of Fame have been announced. Jeff Blatnick – a key personality during the UFC’s formative years – and the April 2005 rematch between Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg will be inducted as in this year’s Contributor and Fight categories, respectively.

The announcements were made moments ago on UFC Tonight, the UFC’s official magazine show on FOX Sports 1. The formal induction will take place at a gala event on Saturday, July 11 at the UFC Fan Expo, during the UFC’s annual International Fight Week.

Jeff Blatnick will be posthumously inducted as a UFC Hall of Fame Contributor, in recognition for his historically significant services to the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts.

UFC President Dana White said: “Jeff Blatnick is a name that newer fans may not be familiar with, but this guy was a huge part on the UFC’s development in the 1990s. He pushed for greater regulation, unified rules and – because he was an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling – he had credibility with everyone in the sport. It is our honor to recognize his huge contributions to the UFC by inducting him into the UFC Hall of Fame.”

Blatnick’s story is an incredible one. In 1982 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a form of cancer – and had to undergo life-saving surgery and chemotherapy. Astonishingly, he won the super-heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in Los Angeles less than two years later. He became a national hero and inspiration for cancer patients worldwide.

A decade later, Blatnick caught an early UFC event. He immediately recognized the sport behind the spectacle and joined the organization as lead color commentator from UFC 4 (December 1994) through to UFC 34 (November 2001). In those seven years at Octagonside, Blatnick educated a generation of fight fans on the finer points of grappling and sportsmanship. But, perhaps more importantly, as the Commissioner of the UFC (1998 to 2001) Blatnick is widely credited with coining the term “mixed martial arts” and championing its use to describe the emerging sport.

As Commissioner, Blatnick served as a key member of the group who drew up what would become the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts – the framework for all regulated MMA around the world to this day. In his later years, the New York born Blatnick served as an MMA judge for many different state commissions; in fact Blatnick’s final contribution to the UFC came as a ringside judge at the UFC 152 event, just weeks before he passed away in October 2012.

Lori Blatnick, Jeff’s widow, will accept her late husband’s UFC Hall of Fame induction on his behalf.

She said: “Jeff would have been so honored to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. It’s awesome, and it is right that he is recognized. He worked so hard to improve the sport and keep it alive in the 1990s. People in the industry, or have been around the UFC for years, they know what Jeff did behind the scenes but the viewers who watch the fights today probably haven’t heard of him. That’s probably because of Jeff’s character, he was very humble and didn’t like to talk about himself. But it is great he will now be recognized in such a huge way.”

Joining Blatnick in the class of 2015 will be Matt Hughes and Frank Trigg, who will be inducted together for their April 2005 rematch in the newly-minted Fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Hughes vs Trigg II took place on April 16, 2005, at UFC 52 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was a rematch from 2003, where UFC welterweight champion Hughes defeated reigning WFA champion Trigg inside four minutes.

Trigg won two bouts to earn a chance to avenge his loss to Hughes, and the build-up to the rematch saw Trigg goad the champion with a relentless campaign of insults.

UFC President Dana White said: “I’ve said it a million times over the last 10 years, Hughes vs Trigg II is one of my favorite fights ever. In four minutes five seconds, it showed everything that is great about the UFC.”

Hughes now becomes a two-time UFC Hall of Famer, having already been recognized by the Hall in 2010 for a legendary career which included two reigns as UFC welterweight champion.

Hughes said: “When I got my hand raised, I thought I’d just come through a tough fight. It was only afterwards, when my team were congratulating me on this great win, that I started to realize this wasn’t just another fight. Then Dana called me a few days later telling me it was the best fight he’d ever seen and, in the years since, I get asked about that one rematch with Trigg about as much as I do any big fight I’ve ever been in.”

Hughes added: “I occasionally get invited to speak to servicemen, and I try and speak to them about never giving up when they are in bad situations. The fight I use as an example is the second Trigg fight; I was in a very bad situation, I’d been hit low, I was hurt, rocked, Trigg had my back and he had me in a choke. But I didn’t panic and as long as you don’t panic, you don’t quit on yourself and you have a little time, you can get out of even the worst of situations.”

Trigg said: “This is a great honor. Every great fight has a winner and a loser, but I am very proud that, 10 years on, people still ask me about this fight. I may not have won the UFC title that night, but this goes some way to make up for that.”

The inductees in the Modern Era and Pioneer Era categories will be announced this weekend as part of scheduled UFC 187 programming.

Source: UFC

Matt Hughes Is Now VP Of Athlete Development & Government Relations At UFC

Matt Hughes, the legendary Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer and former two-time welterweight champion, officially announced his retirement from UFC competition today. He has eagerly accepted a new role as he joins the organization’s front office, taking the newly created position of Vice President of Athlete Development and Government Relations.

To coincide with this appointment, UFC has also created a clear set of athlete guidelines, or Conduct Policy, memorializing the values long held by the organization. As ambassadors of the sport and the organization, UFC athletes have always been held to a high standard. The UFC recognizes that athletes face both professional and personal pressures, and with health and safety paramount, the Conduct Policy coupled with the new resource Hughes will provide in his role, best positions UFC athletes for a successful career and post-UFC future.

“Hughes will be an invaluable resource for UFC athletes,” Lawrence Epstein, UFC COO, said. “Leveraging the background and expertise he gained over a Hall of Fame career, Hughes will be dedicated to providing guidance on a wide range of issues athletes face inside and outside of the Octagon. This includes understanding the heightened social responsibility that comes with being in the public eye, to best practices when dealing with endorsements or managing finances, to the basic daily challenges of staying healthy during training, as well as the need to steer clear of illegal and/or performance-enhancing drugs. In addition to his work with UFC athletes, Hughes will engage with state athletic commissions and international federations to provide regulatory insight from the perspective of a professional athlete.”

“This is something that the UFC is implementing because they really care about their athletes,” Hughes said. “I’ve experienced ups and downs in my career and found that the UFC has supported me every step of the way. I understand the pressures and responsibilities that go along with being a professional athlete. I look forward to using my knowledge and experience to provide insight and perspective on behalf of athletes and the organization.”

“Matt is one of those guys that was there from the early days and helped grow MMA to the modern, professional sport it is today,” UFC president Dana White said. “He has been in the sport since the late 1990s and really seen it all. Matt is a two-time world champion in the UFC, he’s coached The Ultimate Fighter reality series twice, has fought all over the world and has been in every situation a fighter can be in. Matt’s expertise makes him highly qualified for this.”

As a two-time UFC welterweight champion (2001-2004, 2004-2006), Hughes brings a wealth of experience to the role. A graduate of Eastern Illinois University where he was a two-time All-American NCAA Division I wrestler, Hughes began his mixed martial arts career in 1998, and would go on to not only be the first man to regain the UFC’s welterweight championship, but also compete all over the United States as well as Japan, England, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait while cementing his reputation as one of the all-time greats. In recognition of his enormous contribution to the sport both inside and outside the Octagon, Hughes became the eighth man to be inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame in May 2010.

Hughes is also a successful businessman outside of the Octagon, having run an agricultural company parallel to his fighting career. His charitable and community involvement includes mentoring and helping young people of his hometown Hillsboro, Illinois, travel for mission trips.

UFC Weight Classes & UFC Champions

The UFC has had numerous champions. And unless you’re willing to watch every UFC event or scour the Internet for various sources offering different information, and then afterward try to sort through who won what when, and at what division and weight class, then you will probably become very confused.

What we at Yell! Magazine decided to do is accomplish this task for you. We will start at the beginning and inform you who was the champion at every tournament, at every event, and at every weight class with an explanation of its history. With any luck, after reading this article, you will be the most informed UFC fan on the planet.

We have broken up the list into eras with dates given for important changes to the UFC formats. Loosely speaking, there are three eras to the UFC: The Early Years (1993-1997), The Middle Years (1997-2001), and The Modern Years (2001-present).

The Early Years (1993-1997)

The early years of the UFC was a simple time. There were very few rules, no weight classes and a tournament-style fight card. Fighters would enter the octagon and fight until there was a winner. The only rules were no eye-gouging and no biting. There was also no time limit and, therefore, no rounds. The only way to win was by tap out, knock out, or a towel throw in.

Royce Gracie - UFC 1 Champion

Here is the first list of champions before any major format changes:

First UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Nov. 12, 1993-Sept. 9, 1994)

Royce Gracie became champion at the inaugural UFC tournament and defended his title at UFC 2.

Second UFC Champion – Steve Jennum (Sept. 9, 1994-Dec. 6, 1994)

Royce Gracie failed to defend his title due to exhaustion in his semifinal fight. Jennum beat Harold Howard in the final.

Third UFC Champion – Royce Gracie (Dec. 6, 1994-Feb. 16, 1995)

Royce Gracie returned to win UFC 4. As for Steve Jennum, he withdrew due to injury after his quarterfinal bout with Melton Bowan.

Do you know what the first major format change was in the UFC?

Georges St-Pierre: A History of the Greatest MMA Athlete

Georges St-Pierre Biography:

Georges St-Pierre was born May 19, 1981, in Saint-Isidore, Quebec. He began martial arts training at age 7, first with karate then Brazilian jujitsu and earned a black belt in both disciplines (the latter in 2008, 6 years into his professional career). St-Pierre also worked with the Canadian National wrestling team and has had training in both boxing and Muay Thai.

As an MMA professional, Georges St-Pierre originally came out of the UCC (Universal Combat Challenge), a Quebec-based MMA organization. UCC started back in 1999, and GSP had his first professional fight three years later at UCC 7 Bad Boyz (January 25, 2002). The fight was against Ivan Menjivar and GSP won it in the first round by TKO.

Georges St-Pierre (0-0-0) vs. Ivan Menjivar (UCC 7 Bad Boyz, Jan. 25, 2002):

The fight went back and forth, each getting the other on the ground, until late in the first round when GSP pushed the shorter Menjivar to the canvas and began pummeling him. The referee stopped the fight at that point, mistaking Menjivar’s shouts of “Okay, Okay” as a verbal tap-out rather than a vocal statement of well-being.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Ivan Menjivar Fight Video:

Georges St-Pierre (1-0-0) vs. Justin Bruckmann (UCC 10 Battle for the Belts 2002, June 15, 2002):

By St-Pierre’s next fight, TKO Major League MMA bought out the UCC and promoted its fights. St-Pierre’s second fight was against Justin Bruckmann for the UCC Welterweight Title and it wasn’t much of a contest with GSP winning in the first round. GSP used his strength to force Bruckmann to the mat then moved from a side mount into a full mount position. After repeated shots to Bruckmann’s head, GSP isolated Bruckmann’s arm and moved into an arm bar submission to which Bruckmann tapped out.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Justin Bruckmann Fight Video:

Georges St-Pierre (2-0-0) vs. Travis Galbraith (UCC 11 The Next Level, Oct. 11, 2002):

GSP’s third fight, like his second, was not much of a contest. Right from the bell St-Pierre used a double-legged take down and passed Galbraith’s guard with ease. When Galbraith hugged St-Pierre tight in the guard, GSP raised him and smashed him to the canvass until he released. Once St-Pierre tired Galbraith out, he finished him with a flurry of elbows and fists. The referee stopped it at 2:03.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Travis Galbraith Fight Video:

Georges St-Pierre (3-0-0) vs. Thomas Denny (UCC 12 Adrenaline, Jan. 25, 2003):

GSP has had little competition up to this point in his career, beating his three opponents in the first round. Fighting American Thomas Denny was his first real test. Denny, at the time, had 19 fights (10-9) (the record of 7-7 shown in the video below was mistaken) winning his last bout by TKO against fellow American Ian Anderson at KOTC (King of the Cage) 17 San Jacinto.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Thomas Denny Fight Video:

Although a more experienced and tougher fighter than any of St-Pierre’s previous opponents, Denny was no match for GSP. St-Pierre took Denny to the mat at will with single-leg take downs. While on the ground, GSP would easily pass Denny’s guard into a full or side mount position and then punish the American with fist, elbow, and knee strikes. Denny survived until the end of round two, when St-Pierre opened his face up with a vicious knee to the head. The referee called the fight due to the injury.

Georges St-Pierre (4-0-0) vs. Pete Spratt (TKO 14 Road Warriors, Nov. 29, 2003):

Seemingly unstoppable, Georges St-Pierre entered the ring for his fifth bout against Pete Spratt. Spratt had a record of 12-6 (again the video below was mistaken) at the time and a skill in submission holds and KO’s (6 of his 12 wins had come from submissions, another 5 from knockouts). Spratt would later become a TV star in The Ultimate Fighter 4, Blind Date, and The Rear Naked Choke show, but here he loses to GSP.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Pete Spratt Fight Video:

In this bout we see St-Pierre have to defend himself in the guard for the first time since the first round of the Menjivar fight. But it didn’t last long, St-Pierre reversed it and spent most of the bout in full mount, side control or on Spratt’s back. Spratt made his final mistake when standing with St-Pierre on his back where by GSP applied a rear naked choke to submit him. This was St-Pierre’s second submission victory and his fourth in five fights winning in the first round. As of fight number five, GSP had yet to go the distance for a decision.