Matt Hughes' Words For Fedor Emelianenko In His Retirement
If you search 'legendary' in an MMA dictionary, you will find a picture of Matt Hughes beneath it. Next to his picture would be Fedor Emelianenko and many others that we'd need more time to mention today.
Before Emelianenko's retirement at Bellator 290, we reached out to Matt Hughes and asked for some words from one legend to another. He graciously gave us a several-paragraph Email That we'll share with you today.
"In Fedor's and my time, he was the man. No one wanted to fight him, NO ONE.
He beat everyone that was someone in his Pride days. The best of the BEST. Along with a ten-year unbeaten streak.
When you think of the BEST to ever do it in sports, they're always referred to by their first name. Boxing had Ali, and MMA has Fedor!
MMA has a lot of irony to it. Ryan Bader was the top pick on The Ultimate Fighter, coached by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the man that Fedor won his first Heavyweight title from (in pride).
Who would've thought that young kid that won The Ultimate Fighter would be Fedor's last fight this many years later!
Fedor is an enduring legend. He did things how Fedor wanted. And most importantly, he did all of his talking in the cage.
Unfortunately, like all of us, he aged, and he has to close this chapter of his life. I'm honored to witness the end of a truly incredible career.
Thank you, Fedor, for your remarkable contribution to our sport.
-Matt"
Every word Hughes gave Fedor, one could apply to him as well. The pair are some of the greatest pioneers in MMA history, and the sport wouldn't be what it is today without them.
It wouldn't be a Matt Hughes article if we didn't give him his flowers for what he's done inside and outside the octagon.
Hughes is a 2x UFC Welterweight champion with seven title defenses to his name. He's one of few men to enter the illustrious UFC Hall of Fame and has beaten legends like Georges Saint-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Matt Serra, and Carlos Newton.
His longevity extended from 1998-2011 in MMA, an over twenty-year career. Although, despite retiring from MMA in 2011, Matt Hughes was still in for the biggest fight of his life.
On June 16, 2017, Hughes was hit by a train in a near-fatal accident. He was in a coma for 19 days following the incident and suffered severe brain damage. After waking up, Hughes had to re-learn simple things like talking and walking.
He proved that years later, he was still the fighter he always has been and has returned to capabilities far beyond what the average man would be able. The MMA world was silent for the 19 days that Hughes was taken from it and nearly lost one of its greatest icons.
Now, well-repositioned in his place as one of the living greats, Hughes has given a heartfelt farewell to Fedor Emelianenko in his final march to battle.
