In a battle that will mimic the UFC 60 showdown between Matt Hughes and Royce Gracie, UFC 112 will feature a welterweight tilt between the winner of that battle, former UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes (43-7, 16-5 UFC), and another Gracie legend in PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1, 0-0 UFC).
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Wow… another lame legends match-up in which a past-his-prime Matt Hughes will lay on top of a well-past-his-prime Gracie who simply can’t hang in competitive MMA fights any longer. To be perfectly honest, that’s about as excited as I feel for this bout, but there are a number of factors that come into play and make this, at the very least, something to be semi-interested in viewing on Saturday night.
We won’t delve into the training aspects of this fight or the style match-up too much because it’s pretty obvious as to how this fight is going to play out. Renzo is a sixth-degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the family that basically popularized its use in mixed martial arts competition. Matt Hughes is one of the most dominant UFC champions of this era, and he’s a very strong, controlling wrestler from top control with a variety of ways to end the fight on the ground.
That type of style match-up would normally bring up discussion about fighters canceling each other out and slugging it out like sloppy bar patrons on a Saturday night. But Matt Hughes doesn’t play that game, and Renzo has had his fair share of historical beatdowns in the striking department. No, no…. this fight is going to the ground, and it could be somewhat reminiscent of Hughes’ battle with Matt Serra. Only this time, the judging may actually favor Gracie’s huge edge in experience as he can be fairly active from his back.
The other major focal point is the decline of Matt Hughes. Obviously, a prime Matt Hughes would have likely dominated Matt Serra with a lot of strength and positional dominance stemming from strength, but it’s apparent that Hughes is suffering from some decreases in his abilities as he begins to edge toward his upper 30’s. Renzo, on the other hand, is already past that point in his career as he’s at the ripe age of 43. Fortunately for Renzo, he’s never relied solely on overwhelming strength to submit opponents, and that does give him a little leeway as to the effects of aging completely crushing his technical attributes as a fighter.
Renzo can likely gain some insight from Matt Serra’s fight. Serra was able to work off his back effectively, and many fans feel that Hughes should have lost the decision. If Renzo can work his brilliant Brazilian jiu-jitsu magic against Hughes and strengthen his physique enough to provide a challenge for Hughes in the control department, he could create some real problems.
Like any match-up however, there are plenty of questions that can be answered until we see these two mix in the Octagon. Charismatic, geniune, and full of knowledge that he’s willing to pass on to anyone willing to learn, Renzo Gracie truly embodies the traditional role of a great ambassador of the sport. Most fans will root for Renzo solely based on that alone.
For me, I’m going to try to remain objective. Hughes has only lost to the current champion Georges St. Pierre, a former #1 contender and potentially could become a #1 contender once again in Thiago Alves, and current lightweight champion B.J. Penn in the last six years. While he looks to be losing a step, I’m not about to say he’s going to be defeated by a fighter who hasn’t fought in three years. I’ll take Matt Hughes via decision.