Polar opposites inside and outside the cage,
B.J. Penn and
Matt
Hughes
were natural foils.
Their personalities, talents and ways of life clashed on three
different occasions between Jan. 31, 2004 and Nov. 20, 2010,
providing the sport with some of its most memorable results and
enduring images. Penn proved superior, emerging victorious in their
first encounter and again in their third, even as both men
established themselves as true all-time greats. Hughes was inducted
into the pioneer wing of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame in 2010, while Penn
was enshrined in the modern wing in 2015. Now more than a decade
removed from their rubber match, the two remain inextricably linked
by what took place between them once the Octagon door closed.
As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a
by-the-numbers look at what made Hughes vs. Penn so
unforgettable:
2,485: Days between the first and third Penn-Hughes meetings. Penn
became the promotion’s second two-division champion when he
submitted the
Pat Miletich
protégé for the welterweight crown at UFC 46 in January 2004. They
split their two subsequent rematches, as Hughes put away the
Hawaiian with punches at UFC 63 in September 2006 and Penn knocked
out the Hillsboro, Illinois, native at UFC 123 in November
2010.
16,404: Fans to witness the third chapter of the Penn-Hughes
rivalry in the UFC 123 co-main event at The Palace of Auburn Hills
in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the highest attendance figure of
the trilogy and helped generate a $2.1 million gate.
400,000: Buys for the one pay-per-view—UFC 63—headlined by
Penn-Hughes. Their first pairing at UFC 46 played second fiddle to
the
Vitor
Belfort-
Randy
Couture rematch, while their third clash at UFC 123 provided
backup for the
Quinton
Jackson-
Lyoto
Machida main event.
1,133: Seconds of fight time for the Penn-Hughes series. They
battled one another inside the Octagon for a total of 18:53—the
equivalent of nearly four rounds.
179: Combined total strikes landed by Penn and Hughes in their
trilogy. Their second showdown under the UFC 163 marquee was
responsible for 70% of them (126).
10: Takedown attempts from Hughes in his three appearances against
Penn. He completed only one of them, as he managed to get “The
Prodigy” on the mat in their second encounter. Penn, meanwhile,
whiffed on his one and only try.
1: Significant strike by which Hughes outlanded Penn in their feud
at 170 pounds. He connected on 42 such strikes while absorbing 41
of them in return.
59: Percent success rate for Penn on his significant strike
attempts (41-for-69) against Hughes, well above his 48% career
mark.
4: Submission attempts levied against one another, three of them by
Penn. He remains the only man to ever subdue Hughes—a four-time
collegiate All-American wrestler—via rear-naked choke.
419: Seconds of control time for Hughes in the rivalry. Penn was
credited with 371.