Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes is in the hospital following an accident where a truck he was in was hit by a moving train around 10:30 earlier this Friday. According to UFC president Dana White, Matt was near his home in Illinois helping a friend with errands when the incident occurred.
“Apparently he has head trauma,” White said when sharing the news with ESPN. “His family is traveling to him now.”
At this point we have no more details on how seriously Hughes was injured in the accident, but the fact that he was airlifted to the hospital implies the situation was serious.
Our thoughts are with Matt Hughes and his family. pic.twitter.com/TF6BaHSa85
— UFC (@ufc) June 16, 2017
Hughes is a UFC Hall of Famer and one of the greatest welterweight champions in the history of the sport. He had memorable feuds with legends like Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn, and Dana White considers his second fight with Frank Trigg to be the best fights in UFC history.
Recently, Hughes had been considering a potential comeback to MMA, saying “If I could find an opponent that I could definitely beat, I would go again, I might even be talking to an organization about that.”
Hughes has been retired since 2011, finishing his career with an impressive 45-9 record.
*UPDATE* The hospital treating Hughes just released a statement updating us on Matt’s situation, and it sounds promising!
“SPRINGFIELD–Former UFC fighter and Hillsboro native Matt Hughes was airlifted to HSHS St. John’s Hospital in the noon hour on Friday, June 16, 2017. The HSHS St. John’s Regional Trauma Team stabilized him and continues to help him in his recovery.
“Hughes’ family asks that you respect their privacy during this difficult time. They ask that you keep Matt in your thoughts and prayers”
