Jeff Hughes (born May 17, 1988) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

. A professional since 2014, he has also fought in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

, where he was a former heavyweight champion.

Background

Hughes was born and raised in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio. It is located approximately south of Cleveland and south of Akron in Northeast Ohio. The city lies on the edge of Ohio's extensive Amish country, particularly in Holmes and ...

. He played basketball and wrestled in high school. He then turned to MMA after he graduated from high school in his hometown of Canton, Ohio.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After compiling an amateur record of 11-3 from 2007 until 2013, Hughes started his professional MMA career in 2014 and fought under numerous organizations, notably

where he was the Heavyweight Champion twice. He amassed a record of 9-1 before competing in Dana White's Contender Series 14.

Dana White's Contender Series

Hughes appeared in Dana White's Contender Series 14 web-series program on July 24, 2018, facing

Josh Appelt Josh Appelt is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he has competed for Bellator and King of the Cage. Background Born and raised in California, Appelt wrestled ...

. He won the fight via first-round TKO. With this win, Hughes was awarded a contract with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Hughes made his UFC debut on March 9, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

against

Daniel Spitz Daniel Spitz (born July 31, 1990) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2013 until 2019, he competed for King of the Cage and the UFC. Background Spitz was born in Spokane, Washington, United States. He atten ...

. However, Spitz pulled out of the fight in February citing injury and he was replaced by Maurice Greene. He lost the fight via a split decision. Hughes faced

Todd Duffee Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

on September 14, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 158 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 158'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 16'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 14, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouv ...

. The bout ended in the first round as a no contest due to an accidental eye poke that rendered Duffee unable to continue. Hughes faced

Raphael Pessoa Raphael Pessoa (born March 9, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division of Absolute Championship Akhmat, Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA). He also formerly competed ...

on October 26, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 162 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 162'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 20'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 26, 2019 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Hughes was expected to face promotional newcomer

Carlos Felipe Carlos Felipe (born January 12, 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional since 2014, he most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

on March 14, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 170 ''UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 170'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 28'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 14, 2020 at Ginásio Nilson Nelson in B ...

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the event was eventually postponed . Hughes faced

Juan Espino Juan Espino (born 9 October 1980) is a Spanish retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight (MMA), heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Grappling Juan Espino started in Canarian wres ...

on September 27, 2020 at

UFC 253 ''UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 27, 2020 at the du Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event was orig ...

. He lost the fight via submission in round one. On October 2, 2020 it was reported that Hughes was released by the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

** Legacy Fighting Alliance Heavyweight Champion (Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Jeff 1988 births Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people American male mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Norfolk, Virginia Mixed martial artists from Virginia