Veteran UFC welterweight Matt Hughes says he hasn’t made the final decision on retirement just yet, but all indications point towards Saturday night’s UFC 135 bout with Josh Koscheck being the last of his storied career.
Hughes said today on a media conference call that his bout with Koscheck is the last on his current UFC contract. After that, he’ll make a decision.
“The outcome of this fight won’t really matter,” Hughes said. “After this fight – win or lose, doesn’t matter – I’ll talk to the UFC and we’ll figure out what we want to do.”
Hughes said that his wife wanted him to retire after his last fight, a knockout loss to B.J. Penn last November, but he decided to press on and fulfill the remaining fight on his contract.
Hughes was originally scheduled to face Diego Sanchez, but Koscheck stepped up to replace Sanchez on short notice after Sanchez was injured during his training camp. And while Hughes has indicated that he’d like to ride off into the sunset, he’s also adamant that he still enjoys being a fighter.
“I consider myself a lucky man. I love going to the gym every day, twice a day. I love traveling with my buddies,” Hughes said. “It’s a great lifestyle.”
