What’s the story?
As reported by ESPN, former UFC Champion Matt Hughes was involved in a serious accident involving a collision between his pickup truck and an oncoming train. Hughes had to be airlifted to a medical facility following head trauma as a result of the accident.
In case you didn’t know...
Matt Hughes is a UFC Hall of Famer and a former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion. The 43-year-old holds an MMA record of 45 wins and 9 losses and was recently considering a return to MMA after having retired from the sport in 2013 following his loss to Josh Koscheck.
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Hughes lives in Hillsboro, Illinois with his wife. The couple has had two daughters together and one son each from previous engagements.
The heart of the matter
Matt Hughes was driving his pickup truck while he was on the Beelers trail when he reportedly had a collision with a train in Raymond, Illinois. Hughes, as per local press, attempted to pass from the front of the train but the train ended up hitting the passenger side of his vehicle.
The site of the accident is located a few miles north of Hughes’ home in Hillsboro, Illinois. The incident happened on the morning of Friday, 16th June 2017 at around 10:45 AM and was first confirmed by UFC President Dana White via Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
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It was also subsequently confirmed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office UnderSheriff Rick Robbins that the accident had indeed taken place and that his officers had been summoned to the scene. Robbins also stated that Hughes had been airlifted to a hospital in Springfield, Illinois.
Hughes’ family is also at the hospital currently, as reported by Robbins. As per Dana White, Hughes was helping a friend at the time of his accident. The crossing where Hughes’ accident happened was also the site of an accident last month where 5 people aged in their 70s and 80s had lost their lives due to a similar collision with a freight train.
The impact
Matt Hughes is currently admitted to a medical facility in Springfield, Illinois. While the exact details of his injuries are not exactly clear at this time, Hughes has suffered from head trauma, as per Dana White.
White was scheduled to fly to Paris for an appearance, but he will probably be cancelling the trip due to Hughes’ accident. As soon as the news of the incident spread, several UFC stars started tweeting out their prayers and best wishes for Hughes and his family.
Author’s take
Matt Hughes is undoubtedly one of the biggest legends of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The accident is unfortunate but every single MMA fan will be hoping that Hughes pulls through and makes a complete recovery.
My thoughts and prayers are with Hughes and his family in this difficult time and I hope that we get some positive news regarding his condition soon.
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