Former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes recently hinted in an interview that he is considering a return to MMA action.
Another retired welterweight in Mike Swick says that if Hughes returns, then he would like the first shot at the legends.
“I saw this interview with Matt Hughes where he was talking about coming back, if he could find a fight that he thought he could win,” Swick said on the Three Amigos Podcast. “All fingers were pointing to Royce Gracie, and obviously now it’s a little bit more open that he’s pursuing this fight with Royce Gracie, and I couldn’t resist. I am trying every single angle I can to get that fight because I don’t want to fight anyone else. I honestly don’t. But Matt Hughes is somebody that I wanted to fight in the prime of my career, when he was a champion. I fought on the undercard — I was co-main event of the fight when he fought Gracie the first time [at UFC 60 in 2006]. We fought at the same time, I was a contender and he was the champion, and we were relevant at the same time.”
Swick recently started his own MMA promotion, Primal FC, which held its first event a little over a week ago.
The retired TUF alumni wants fans to know he is doing everything he can to make the fight with Hughes happen.
“He wants to fight a 50-year-old Gracie now,” Swick continued. “And so I had to step in, and I’m doing everything in my power to get this fight. I’ve always wanted the fight, and I don’t think he should fight Gracie. I think Gracie’s done enough, he’s a legend, he can live his life and have a good time. If Matt Hughes wants to fight, and he wants some money and he wants to have a fight again, then I think he should earn it, and I think he should fight me. I’ll come back and I’ll take that fight in a second. So, I’m doing everything in my power to get this fight. He’s ignoring all of my attempts — I’ve been on Twitter, I’ve been on Instagram, and we’re about to follow up with some more stuff — I am literally trying everything I can to get that fight.”
It is unknown at this time that if the fight were to come to fruition, where the fight would be held, whether in Swick's promotion or somewhere else.
