Athletes
Sam Hughes Has Her Sights On Going 3-0 In 2022
UFC Strawweight Sam Hughes Entered 2022 With Big Changes And Big Goals, And She's Aiming For Big Results At UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araújo.
In December of 2021, Sam Hughes packed up her car to drive from Everett, WA to Dallas, TX.
She called Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud to let him know that she was committed to making 2022 the best year of her mixed martial arts career. Saud challenged her to write down her goals for the calendar year and see where a true year of dedication could get her.
“I had three goals. First was to get a win with Fortis, second was to sign a new UFC contract, and the third was get a three-fight winning streak,” Hughes told UFC.com. “I’ve been checking off each of these boxes on the way.”
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The only one left for Hughes to hit is a three-fight win streak, which she can cash this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araújo when she faces undefeated prospect Piera Rodriguez.
The first two wins of Hughes’ streak were massive for the rising strawweight. Her first three UFC bouts didn’t go as expected, so that’s what prompted Hughes to make the move to Dallas. She knew the pressure was on and she had to prove she belonged fighting with the best the world has to offer.
She set her mind to it, made the adjustments and has changed the tune of her UFC career thanks to her resiliency.
“The biggest thing is I have no ego. I just want to be a student, so that means I’d rather get beat up in the gym, which I do, than get beat in [the Octagon],” Hughes said. “I’m willing to learn and use some failures as positive things.”
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Hughes’ failures, combined with her training at Fortis, have given her a confidence like she’s never had before, and it was apparent in her bout with Elise Reed that she’s beaming with confidence.
Hughes dominated Reed, especially on the mat, controlling her opponent before closing the show with a barrage of unanswered strikes that stopped the fight late in the final round.
It was the breakthrough moment that Hughes had been waiting for.
Sam Hughes Dominates Elise Reed | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira
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Sam Hughes Dominates Elise Reed | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs Vieira
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“It meant everything to me. I’m not a stranger to hard work and I work my ass off every single day, but it just felt like everything came together at the right moment. Sayif was pushing me, saying that ‘We need this finish; we need a stamp on it that says we’re here and we’re willing to show everybody who we are in the strawweight division,’” Hughes said. “That’s really what it meant to me. It was an accumulation of all my hard work and my training in that moment. I’m so excited I got that finish.
“Honestly, I couldn’t wipe that smile off my face I was just so happy. I think I had that smile on my face for the next week,” Hughes added.
So, does getting a win by finish motivate her to get one against Rodriguez?
“It definitely does and that’s my full intention.”
Hughes knows she’s in for a tough scrap with the Venezuelan, who has shown she’s willing to walk through fire to get a victory. Rodriguez (8-0), who made it to the UFC thanks to a dominant decision on Dana White’s Contender Series, won her UFC debut against Kay Hansen in April and has five knockout wins to her name.
This matchup with Rodriguez is exactly the type of fight that Hughes believes she’s made for, and she can’t wait to make a splash by taking out one of the division’s top prospects.
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“She’s really good and I really truly believe this is a great matchup for me and one of the tougher opponents that I’ve ever faced. I know she’s a very good striker and has very good wrestling and I’m just going to fight her wherever the fight goes,” Hughes said. “She’s not afraid to brawl and throw punches, sit and chuck, and neither am I.
I am going to give her that first loss and I’m going to get my three-fight win streak. That’s what’s going to happen.”
UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araujo took place live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 15, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
