At thirty-six years of age, a lot of folks question whether Matt Hughes is any condition to go up against the UFC’s top fighters, especially after his jarring losses to Georges St.-Pierre and Thiago Alves. However, the wrestling leviathan showed he’s still got gas in his tank after his impressive wins over Matt Serra, Renzo Gracie and Ricardo “Cachorrão” Almeida.
Hughes in tie-breaker with BJ. Photo: Josh Hedges
Next up on Hughes’s calendar for his 53rd fight – 45 wins and seven losses –, he has a date with an old acquaintance: BJ Penn. The showdown is set November 20 in Michigan, at UFC 123.
The two have faced off on two occasions. On the first, at UFC 46 in January 2004, Penn won by first-round rear-naked choke, taking Hughes’s welterweight title. The next time around Hughes evened the score, winning by second-round knockout at UFC 63 in September 2006.
Tough task for BJ, who is coming off back-to-back losses to Frankie Edgar, who put an end to Penn’s right at lightweight. The matchup with Hughes, to be at welterweight, is a great opportunity for BJ to get back on his feet.
The bout is set to be the co-main event under headlining Quinton Jackson vs Lyoto Machida.
Check out the likely card
UFC 123
Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA
November 20, 2010
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida
Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos
Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis
Matt Brown vs. Rory MacDonald
Dennis Hallman vs. Karo Parisyan
Nik Lentz vs. Tyson Griffin
Paul Kelly vs. Gabe Ruediger
Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza