UFC
UFC 135 bout with Josh Koscheck the final fight on Matt Hughes' contract; future to be determined after event
Sep 19, 2011 - 9:00:35 PM UFC 135 bout with Josh Koscheck the final fight on Matt Hughes' contract; future to be determined after event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

When he fights Josh Koscheck this Saturday night at UFC 135, Matt Hughes will be taking part in the final fight on his contract. His future in the UFC beyond Saturday, however, is something that will be determined afterward.

"My wife tells me I'm done fighting," Hughes said during a media conference call on Monday. "She wanted me to retire after the [fight with] B.J. [Penn last November]."

"The outcome of this fight won't really matter, to be honest. After this fight, win or lose, doesn't matter, I'll talk to the UFC and we'll... see what I feel like, and we'll see what the UFC wants to do."

Hughes said the competition of the sport is what drives him to continue on.

"It's competition, I think that's what drives your top athletes in the UFC is the fact that you love getting in there against one other person and mixing it up," Hughes said. "The fact that it's just me and another person competing in there, that's my big drive."

If that drive continues after Saturday night win or lose, he will find a way to continue fighting. If not, UFC 135 could be the final fight in the long and successful career of Matt Hughes.

Penick's Analysis: Hughes doesn't have any more to accomplish in his career, so every fight he takes is simply a chance to continue competing and providing for his family. If Saturday marks his final fight, it will simply mean the closing chapter to the career of one of the best welterweights to have competed in the sport to this point. Win or lose, he's given fans plenty to love and hate about him throughout the years, and plenty of memories in the cage to keep his hall of fame legacy intact.