| IFBB Heavyweight
Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Canada Age: 20 Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0 
|
i no the fight isn't for a while but......
Breakdown – Matt Hughes vs Royce Gracie
By Thomas Gerbasi
In 1993, who would have thought that the Ultimate Fighting Championship would not only still be around, but that it would actually be the flagship organization for the fastest growing sport in the world? Even more stunning is the fact that the tournament winner from that first event, Royce Gracie, will be gracing the Octagon once again when he faces the UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, at UFC 60 on May 27th. And sure, it's a feel good story to see the Hall of Famer back in the house he built almost 13 years ago, but has he bit off more than he can chew against Hughes? Let's break it down and find out.
Matt Hughes - UFC Welterweight Champion
Strengths - Pound for pound one of the strongest men in the sport, Hughes is a rock with arms and legs who can pretty much do whatever he wants to do with you if he can get his hands on you. And if the Illinois native puts his hands on you, he can submit you, slam you, or pound you out. It's a varied mixed martial arts arsenal that makes him very dangerous at all times, and though he doesn't have one punch kayo power, he can rattle opponents enough to where they lose focus, allowing him to get inside and utilize his top-notch wrestling skills. Add in his training team at the Miletich Fighting Systems camp, and you've got a fighter who is not only one of the top fighters in the world, but one that trains with the best as well. That's a dangerous combination. With over 40 fights to his credit, Hughes is also one of the most experienced champions in the game, a fact that has allowed him to see a wide mix of styles over the years, while keeping him impervious to the pressure that usually comes with defending your title in a high pressure, high exposure atmosphere.
Weaknesses - Three of Hughes' four losses have all come via submission, with the breakdown being one armbar, one guillotine and one rear naked choke. In other words, Hughes isn't just susceptible to one form of submission, he's run the gamut. Needless to say, submission is Gracie's game, and supporters of the Brazilian legend cite Hughes' losses as proof of their man's superior chances on May 27. But if anything, Hughes' losses have come from a mixture of over aggression and arrogance, where Hughes believed his strength would get him out of any situation, no matter how tricky. Against Gracie, Hughes will know what's at stake, and he will most likely act accordingly in terms of gameplan. If he does get caught, he'll have no one to blame but himself. Also on the negative side, the story of Hughes training a couple of weeks (or barely at all) for fights has become legendary. If he thinks he's taking on an old (39 years old) man, will he take it easy in camp?
Notable Win -WSub1 Frank Trigg - April 16, 2005 - Perhaps the most intense and intriguing one round fight you'll ever see, Hughes survived a low blow, a follow-up barrage and a tight submission attempt from one of the best 170-pounders in the world to pull off a dramatic comeback in defense of his title. After walking through his trial by fire, Hughes picked Trigg up, walked him across the ring to the delight of the MGM Grand crowd and moments later sunk in the finishing rear naked choke. The win, more than any other, showed that Hughes had a champion's heart and could come back from adversity against a world-class challenger. And it was exciting to boot. You can't ask for much more than that.
Notable Loss -LSub1 BJ Penn - January 31, 2004 - In one of the biggest UFC upsets ever, Hawaii's Penn rose from the lightweight division to tackle and beat Hughes in his first fight ever at welterweight. Hughes, overconfident and completely sure of victory, was stunned by Penn's strength and skill, and late in the first round was caught by Penn's rear naked choke and forced to tap out. It was a hard road back for Hughes to regain the title, but perhaps he was taught a valuable lesson in that he could never underestimate any fighter ever again.
Keys to Victory - Hughes must impose his will on Gracie, but in an intelligent fashion. If he rushes Gracie over aggressively, he could easily get caught and submitted. So Hughes' key is to work his standup on Gracie and stun him enough to get a smart takedown on him. Once on the mat, he must continue to keep his cool by methodically pounding on Gracie while implementing his superior strength advantage. If Hughes stays smart and stays strong, he could make it an easy night, but only if his focus is completely on the fight at hand.
Intangibles - Will Hughes take Gracie lightly and train accordingly? Will Hughes be so wary of a submission that he will forget to do anything offensively? Will the pressure of facing a legend like Gracie be so much that he will be fighting not to lose as opposed to fighting to win? Will Hughes be looking forward to his rematch with Georges St. Pierre and not focusing strictly on Gracie?
Royce Gracie - UFC Hall of Famer
Strengths - A master of time and pace, Gracie's jiu-jitsu may not be as highlight reel worthy as a full-speed slam to the mat or a left hook to the jaw, but in this game, it's all about the 'W', and Gracie knows how to get the win once he's on the mat. Dangerous on the top or the bottom on the mat, the 39-year-old Brazilian can turn a situation in which he seems seconds away from defeat into a victory within seconds. It's the beauty of the art of jiu-jitsu, and Royce Gracie is a master of that art. Also key to note is Gracie's toughness, which was never more evident than during his epic UFC battle with Kimo and his 90 minute (yes, 90 minute) war in Pride against Kazushi Sakuraba.
Weaknesses - Even though Gracie's jiu-jitsu is impeccable, the rest of his game pales in comparison. Unable or unwilling to truly compete with the best strikers in the game, Gracie's game is simple - get you down and choke you out. If the match strays from the mat, then things get interesting, and not in a good way for Gracie. Therein lies the interesting aspect of this fight - could an old school jiu-jitsu ace deal with a mixed martial artist who is well rounded in all aspects of the game? Also, the fact that Gracie will be fighting in the Octagon for the first time since 1995, and with no gi no less, could make for an interesting night.
Notable Win - WSub1 Ken Shamrock - November 12, 1993 - You never forget your first, and no one will ever forget Gracie's tournament win in the first UFC over 12 years ago. The amazing thing is, Gracie won his three fights that night in a combined 4 minutes and 52 seconds - an amazing show of dominance over fighters who were not expecting the skinny kid from Rio De Janeiro to do what he did with his jiu-jitsu game. Shamrock, the middle victory of the night, was the fighter most would have expected to pull off the tournament win, as he not only looked the part, but he had enough street cred from his stint in Japan's Pancrase organization. But just 57 seconds into the bout, Gracie sunk in a rear naked choke and the fight was over.
Notable Loss -TKO by 6 Kazushi Sakuraba - May 1, 2000 - When is a loss not really a loss? When you fight 90 minutes and finally reach the point where you can't give anymore. When Gracie fought Japanese superstar (and UFC vet) Sakuraba in a 2000 Pride show, it was a fight that truly gave meaning to the phrase 'epic'. Finally forced out of the bout after the sixth round due to exhaustion and a broken femur, Gracie may have suffered his first 'official' loss (a loss to Harold Howard at UFC 3 when the towel was thrown in by his corner before the start of the bout), but he made even more fans in defeat with his gritty showing against a fighter considered to be one of the best in the world at the time.
Keys to Victory - Force Hughes into a mistake. If Gracie can goad Hughes into being over aggressive, he can get the opening he needs to pounce. Gracie may even allow Hughes to get a takedown if it leads to him getting to the mat. Of course if that takedown is one of Hughes' trademark slams, then all bets are off. Gracie must also be prepared to go three hard rounds with a dangerous fighter who could be stronger than any previous opponent – an no, the 6-9, over 400-pound Akebono doesn't count.
Intangibles - Is five fights in six years enough to get ready for Matt Hughes, or is Gracie, at 39, just well preserved for the fight of his career? Is Gracie too one-dimensional to handle Hughes, or does he have some tricks up his sleeve for May 27th? Will he be able to survive Hughes' thunder long enough to find an opening for a finisher? Is Gracie here for the payday, or is he coming with a gameplan and the conditioning to win and throw the welterweight division into disarray? And if he does win, where does he go from here in the UFC? Hughes has gone on record saying that he will try to work his standup with Gracie; if this happens will Gracie's ego force him into a firefight? Will Gracie stick to his gameplan and be willing to hear some boos in order to set up the moves that will lead to victory? |
Royce won by submission but never evolved pass that. Royce was great back in the day but he doesn't have a stand up game and Matt does so as long as matt plays his game he will win.