Matt Hughes Plans 1 or 2 Fights in 2011, But Retirement Looming

Matt Hughes at UFC 52

Despite coming off of a 21-second knockout loss at the hands of BJ Penn at UFC 123 last November, Matt Hughes isn’t exactly ready to hang up the gloves.

Yes, he’s been laying low since the Penn fight, but Hughes says he will return to the Octagon later this year, probably some time around the end of summer or early fall. He’s not, however, planning on fighting three times this year like he did in 2010. He says more like “one, maybe two fights tops.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m 37 years old, my competitors are around 28 years old. It’s about time for Matt Hughes to find something else to do,” Hughes revealed in an interview with HDNet’s Ron Kruck. “I don’t have a whole lot of fights left in me.”

Already a UFC Hall of Famer, having won the UFC welterweight title on two different occasions, defending said belt seven times, and racking up 18 victories in the Octagon, Matt Hughes won’t quickly be forgotten once he does hang up the gloves for the final time.

Watch Kruck’s full Inside MMA interview with Hughes below…