Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg – UFC 52
April 16, 2005
The first time [autotag]Matt Hughes[/autotag] and [autotag]Frank Trigg[/autotag] fought it was a quick first-round submission for Hughes at UFC 45, who defended his welterweight title for the fifth consecutive time.
The two faced off once again at UFC 52, but things quickly turned into a nightmare for Hughes. Just under a minute into the fight, Trigg struck Hughes below the belt in the clinch, but referee Mario Yamasaki, seemingly unaware of the illegal strike, did not stop the action.
Trigg capitalized and unleashed a barrage of strikes on Hughes, who found himself in survival mode early. Hughes looked out for a brief moment, but he continued to weather the storm. Trigg transitioned into full mount, then took Hughes’ back and sunk in a rear-naked choke.
But somehow, Hughes managed to turn out of the choke, reverse position, pick Trigg up, and slam him on the other side of the octagon.
This time, it was Hughes who took Trigg’s back and, with under a minute left in Round 1, Hughes sunk in the rear-naked choke to force the tap and retain his title.
It remains one of the most incredible turnarounds in a fight that you’ll ever see and proved that Hughes truly had the heart of a champion.
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