Where are all the Royce Gracie fans that told me how bad he would beat Matt Hughes? Whos still the Champ now?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu changed the way we trained for fighting in the US. If you pick up a copy of the first UFC you'll see that Shamrock, who was at the time a champion Japanese shoot fighter, was the only fighter prepared to fight on the ground besides Gracie. Royce shut all of his opponents down within minutes because of that advantage. Fighters like Matt Hughes are as rounded as they are because of that Gracie influence. They've stepped up their ground skills to be able to survive on the mat. But that's also created a need for ground fighters to step up their striking skills as well. You probably noticed that Royce looked a little more prepared to strike on his feet than he has been in previous matches.

The Huges vs Gracie fight was disappointing, though. If you've ever trained in BJJ you'd know that Royce made an amateur mistake when he gave up his back to Matt. People have brought up that he is past his prime, but he didn't lose because he wasn't physically prepared. He lost because of a critical error that gave Hughes and incredible position.

I'd like to see a rematch. I'm not saying that Royce would win. I would just rather see him lose a better fight than that.

I've been watching the UFC since it first started, and it's changed a lot since it started. I think that when Gracie was in his prime, he probably would have beaten Matt Hughes, although that would have made Matt Hughes about 19 years old, a pure wrestler, etc...The UFC's fused the Gracie style Jiu Jitsu into the overall game. Look at all of the best fighters of today, they all try to incorporate as much as they can into their game. Fighters have included ground submissions, ground and pound, well versed stand up, defense, everything. It's about finding a weakness in your opponent's game. If one thing's not working, try something else. If anything, Gracie should have known he was going to get his butt kicked, but be happy that so many people have recognized his style of fighting as an essential tool to dominating within the octagon.

hughes actually used jiu jitsu on gracie(armbar). the best mma fighters crosstrain in different disciplines to have the best all around ability. hughes, fedor, cro cop, rich franklin, dan henderson, josh barnett, etc. the gracies only train thier style.

Personally even though I don't like Hughes, I knew he would win. He's more aggressive and he seems aLOT bigger...not that size matters really in UFC...