Matt Hughes says he is ‘fully retired’ from MMA

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes hasn’t been seen in competition since suffering a first round KO loss against Josh Koscheck at UFC 135 in September 2011.

It was his second KO loss in as many fights dating back to a first round KO loss against BJ Penn at UFC 123 in November 2010. There have not been any rumors about him returning to the octagon anytime soon, and the recently turned 39 year old fighter told an Iowa newspaper that he’s calling it a career for the most part:

“I’ve not announced my retirement, but right now it looks like I’m fully retired. The UFC still treats me well so I can be retired. It’s just funny, when God puts you on a road, you don’t know where you are going. I have all the faith that he put me there, and I have to thank him from that.”

Hughes said that he spends most of his time nowadays on the family farm or filming a hunting show that he now has on The Outdoor Channel. He also said that he’ll help some guys out with training if they ask him to do so, but he’s not interested in having a gym of his own because he wants to stay close to his family and kids.

The nine time welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer has a career record of (45-9) which began in 1998. Hughes is tied for second-most wins in UFC title fights with Randy Couture and Georges St. Pierre. Hughes also has the most wins in UFC (18), the most title fights in the UFC welterweight division (12) and most successful welterweight title defenses (seven). He indicated that Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn are the best fighters he has ever faced in MMA. Both fighters have two victories over the former champion, and both finished Hughes on both occasions. Georges St. Pierre will look to tie the seven consecutive title defenses mark when he takes on Carlos Condit at UFC 154 in November.