Hughes bullish on the Iceman <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Matt Hughes is many things. Father. Husband. Friend. Professional athlete. Undoubtedly the greatest welterweight to ever compete in the Octagon. He’s also not one to follow the pack when it comes to dealing with the media. Interviewing Hughes is a welcome respite from the ever growing realm of athletes who give nothing but canned, pre-prepared and utterly meaningless answers to every interview question he or she encounters. Of course, he certainly gives his share of drab, dull answers that he might as well be reading off a script. But those are reserved for questions he deems to be insulting or insanely repetitive. Ask him one of those questions, and the interviewer is lucky if he gets a one or two word reply. If Hughes is feeling a bit froggy, he will be much more abrasive, snapping an obviously annoyed, “I don’t know” or “ask me another question.” Yet, if you ask him something a bit different or toss out a question that he deems to be interesting, an engaging conversation is likely to unfold. And Hughes is often very candid during those moments. Such was the case during Tuesday’s global media call. After listening to more than one scribe suggest that Chuck Liddell’s current two-fight losing streak was the result of declining skills that comes with advancing age, Hughes gave an impromptu opinion on the co-main event at UFC 79 – Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva. “A lot of people are talking about Chuck’s age or him having two losses in a row,” Hughes added after talking about his relationship with the former 205-lb champion. “I really don’t think that is going to be a factor [in the fight]. If you look at Randy Couture, he’s 43 or 44 years old right now, and some would say that he is the best fighter that he has ever been. And Chuck is not that old yet. “ Speaking from experience, Hughes refused to read too much into the Liddell’s back-to-back losses. “There was a time when I had two losses in a row – one in the UFC and one to Jose Pele Landi-Jons – and I was about to retire,” he remembered. “[But I] ended up winning the world title and defending it nine times in a row. People don’t understand that if you haven’t lost two fights in your career, then you haven’t fought the right people, to be honest. It’s just unfortunate for Chuck that they were two losses in a row.” Hughes has a point. Most hardcore fans that remember the sport’s dark days probably remember Hughes’ two-fight losing streak, and most probably wrote him off at that point in his career. In fact, he was the betting underdog when he stepped into the Octagon to face Carlos Newton for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 34. Hughes took the title from Newton that night. Since that date, only two men can boast victory over the greatest champion in the division’s history BJ Penn and Georges St-Pierre. Of course, Hughes also owns wins over those men, as well as Royce Gracie, Chris Lytle, Frank Trigg (twice) and Joe Riggs. In short, the greatest welterweight ever racked up 13 straight wins after suffering the only two-loss streak of his storied career. Hughes sees no reason why Liddell cannot enjoy similar success going forward, though he was very clear that the “Iceman” doesn’t have to win this fight, or even show up on December 29th, to secure his place in history. “Chuck’s legacy, if you will, is going to live forever,” he surmised. “He has done so much in this sport. He is surely going to be in the Hall of Fame [when he retires]. He could retire right now, without fighting this fight, and still be [considered] one of the greatest in his weight class.” But Liddell isn’t retiring before December 29th. Instead, he is going to answer a question that lingers in the collective minds of hardcore fans: who was the best light heavyweight of the last five years? Hughes seems to think that the edge goes to Liddell. “I think that if Chuck comes to the fight in shape against Wanderlei Silva, then this is going to be a great match for him. There is no doubt about it. Chuck is my buddy, and I’m always going to be rooting for him.” Matt Hughes is certainly bullish in his support for Liddell at UFC 79. Most UFC stars have an opinion on a fight of this magnitude. It’s refreshing to actually hear one be so open and honest with his.</div>
