Matt Hughes appears as one of the titular coaches featured in the Spike TV network’s mixed martial arts contest reality series The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra. He is a mixed martial artist who was born on October 13, 1973 in Hillsboro, Illinois, as well as a former UFC World Welterweight Champion. During his earlier high school days, Hughes was a two-time 145 lb. state wrestling champion associated with the Illinois High School Association Class A back in 1991 and 1992. As a professional fighter, his theme song is “A Country Boy Can Survive,” performed by Hank Williams, Jr.

He has previously trained together with Miletich Fighting Systems for a long time, though he left the organization in 2007 in order to start his own group, named Team Hughes. His new team operates out of the H.I.T. Squad gym based in Granite City, Illinois, and among its members are EliteXC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, Marc Fiore, and Matt Pena. Among Hughes’ most notable characteristics as a fighter is his considerable physical strength, coupled with his ground and pound approach to combat. He has won in numerous UFC matches against the likes of BJ Penn, Hayato Sakurai, and Royce Gracie.



(Photo courtesy of UFC)