Minnesota Martial Arts Academy
May 13th, 2009
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Last week, Matt Pena and I went up and trained with Sean Sherk and several other fighters at Greg Nelson’s Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. We were there from Monday through Saturday afternoon. I had a great training session and also a good time. One thing about that gym is that they’ve got some tough guys in there. No wonder Sean has done as good as he has. The week before that, I was in Salt Lake City training with Jeremy Horn. So the last two weeks have been great. This week I’ll stay at home training at the HIT Squad and try to spend some time with my family before I leave for the UFC on Tuesday. Getting this close to the fight it gets hectic, today I had to get on the phone with the Nevada Athletic Commission for my license. Yesterday I was on a conference call with Matt Serra, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. They do it that way so any interviewer can call in, listen to all the questions that someone else has been asking and then ask their own if they want. I still have several interviews left to do, I just need to tell myself that it comes with the job as I’m not big on being interviewed. I also finally got my shorts lined out with my sponsors on it and my banner. That stuff sometimes gets a little hectic. Got my cornermen all lined out, so I think I’m ready to go for the fight. I’ll try to check in one more time before I leave on Tuesday, so I will talk to you all again next week. |
69 Responses to “Minnesota Martial Arts Academy”
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May 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Time to do what you do best Matt.
God bless brother
May 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Good Luck Matt– we will be there rooting you on!
May 13th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I’ll be honest. If you lose, I’m never watching UFC again. I just don’t like the idea that a loud-mouthed jerk like Serra could win and not learn his lesson or be humbled and can keep walking around talking smack. PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE shut him up for me.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Matt, Glad to hear you are surrounded by giants so to speak. I’m so ready to see you in that octagon. I can’t imagine what Serra is saying because anytime the man speaks it makes me want to jump in the ring so there is your motivation. God Bless and thanks again for taking your time for us. Ground and pound!!
May 13th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Choke. Him. Out.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
God Bless You Matt. You are going to destroy Sarah.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Gonna be there to cheer you on, Matt. I agree with Mark, you need to teach him a lesson. Get him!
May 13th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hey Matt, Good luck and beat him bad. I used to like him until he started talking carp about you. I though you came across as a great guy. Reminded me of a big brother giving his little brother a hard time but in a friendly kind of way. Maybe Serra never had a friend or an older brother.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
My wife and I will be praying for you, my brother. We would like to see the “big mouth”
get put down. Maybe a Frank Trigg style choke out!
God Bless you,
May 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Look forward to seeing your arm raised in victory! Best of wishes from a fan in Saskatchewan, Canada!. I sure would like to see you get that belt back from GSP.
May 13th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
The entire AFO Family will be rooting you on here in New England. GNP that big mouth, my god he needs it!! This should be a walk in the park for you……. Half of you he’ll never be
May 13th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Hopefully hughes destroys serra and then serra goes back to 155 to just get destroyed by sherk.
Good luck matt, make your last fight your best!!!
May 13th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
That’s awesome Matt. That week of training at Minnesota MMA will really help your already awesome conditioning. The caveman type training they do there is brutal. Good Luck!!! We’ll be praying for you here in Iowa
May 13th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Matt, Your buddies here at Driven TV will be watching you crush Serra. Do what you do best buddie. GOD Bless you!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Matt, good luck in the fight, we’ll be having a big party here (in Ontario) and look forward to a great fight night. Kick some major Serra butt!
May 13th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Good Luck Matt!!! Im headed to Vegas a week from tomorrow to watch ya ground & pound serra in person!
God Bless & I’ll be prayin for ya.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Somebody just told me tonight that they saw Hughes at MMAA training with Sherk. They said he looked ginormous and ripped and that his “abs looked great” (whatever that is supposed to mean).
This next UFC card is a great one and I cannot wait for next weekend!
I’m looking forward to the Hughes and Sherk fights the most. I’ll pick Sherk to win, but I don’t know about the Serra vs Hughes fight. Hughes is arguably the better fighter (historically of course, maybe not any more?) but Serra is the king of lucky punches and has a decent submission game. It’s hard to say… I wouldn’t put money on that fight because I think it could go either way (although my hunch is that Country Breakfast will be served).
May 13th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Matt, you have a lot more people than you will ever know that are pulling for you.
May 14th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Looking forward to Saturday night to see you crush Serra and Machinda shut Rashad up.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Do work Matt… Best of luck, not like you’ll need it!
May 14th, 2009 at 8:52 am
after u beat Serra will you slam his balls in the octagon door? hahaha.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Neighbors from LITCHFIELD, IL.,
Mr. Hughes — in our book, you are the winner !!!!! Fight your best fight, and walk away like the dignified man you are. The Lord Bless you.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:42 am
MAKE HIM TAPOUT!!!!!!!!!
May 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
MATT HUGHES confio en tu poder de lucha. Serra es superable , tan solo basta con tu fuerza al 100% , tu regreso es por el cinturon de la UFC .Sabes a mi hijo le puse tu nombre .
May 14th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Matt: Please, please, please no submissions. Ground and pound for a Ko/Tko. Punish that stubby little east coast jerk!
May 14th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Matt Go beat that wannabe champ up. Being a upcoming fighter my self I look to You and Sean sherk as well as Brock lesnar and houston Alexander as my idles I want to be as good as you guys someday. Hopefully i can come to Minnesota Mix martial arts this summer and the Hit Squad to train. May god bless matt your still a great fighter and i have faith you can dominate in the UFC once again!
May 14th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Go get him Matt. Rock Him and Sock Him and Drop Him!
May 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
MATT PLEASE PUT SERRA TO SLEEP AND GO FOR THE BELT YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE AT 170 THAT CAN BEAT GSP
May 14th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Good Luck MATT! Please crack his jaw. I’ll be watchin.
May 14th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Good Luck, Matt! Please shut him up, once and for all. After that, would love to see you go for the Belt again.
May 14th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Tap him out!!!!
He will be humilated.
Good luck.
May 14th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
serra needs a one way ticket on air hughes if you know what I mean
May 14th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Matt,
Good Luck, I will pray for you. It would be really cool if after you beat him you went on to get the title back from that greasy GSP.
God Bless.
Joe
May 15th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Matt,
My bros and I are getting real hyped up for this fight! We’re praying for you man! May God grant you the speed and the power to beat the brakes off Serra!
God Bless!!
May 15th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I was told there is a guy at Minnesota Martial Arts Academy by the name of Volkmann that has some real potential and spared with Hughes. The guy is a 3x all american wrestler and recently won a grappling title in Europe
Does anyone know anything about this guy; from what I heard he is tough as nails?
Thanks Tim
May 15th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Matt, I’m a big MMA fan, and a fan of yours. Unfortunately for me, I won’t get to see the fight but nonetheless, I wish you the best of luck against Serra. I think it’s going to be a great fight and I hope you open up a good ole fashioned can of whoop ass. Good luck, champ.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Matt,
I would say I wish you luck, but you don’t need it. You haven’t made it where you are because of luck, but rather your hard work and dedication. I have always loved watching you fight because you are who you are. You’re hard working, honest, true to your word and values, and that makes a great champion with our without the belt. Do I want you to beat Serra….HELL YES, but in my opion you have already beaten him on so many levels other than the octogan. My prayers with you and your family and when it is time, flip the switch and go do what you best!
A dedicated fan,
Angelo
May 15th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Just wanted to say good luck Matt! I hope you finally shut this guy up! As a fellow christian and Illinoisian I cannot wait to see you finish him off!!
May 15th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Dear Matt Im a big fan and would luv 4 u to shut up serra he just got to be full of himself and i dont think he has anything 4 ya and i think u could get that belt back i mean look at randy that is b4 the Brock trian hit him but he still made a come and u could to but whatever you decide after this thanks 4 the great fights
May 15th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Matt –
I’ve always appreciated your strong work ethic, moral values and determination to be the best at what you do. God strength be with you. I’ll be pulling for you champ! (Belt or no belt, Matt you are a true champion)
God bless!
-Joel
May 15th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Go for the throat…….Dalton style!!
May 16th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Good luck – do your thing bro,
May 16th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Kick some greasy Italian ass Matt!
May 16th, 2009 at 4:49 am
All the training, the fighting and the mental preparations will lead you to victory.
Let the bigmouth do the talking and you do the winning. God hunting/ Thomas from Sweden
May 16th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Good luck on your fight. Do not know if I will get to watch it live yet. We are still in the playoffs so it depends on how we do. Either way I will watch it, maybe on Pay Per View or Live.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Matt please pick up serra ans slam him like the old days!!!! The only reason I became a fan of mma is because of your fights. Good luck and do the business on that cocky little man!!!
May 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Best of luck Huuuggghhheeesss!!!! Can’t wait for you to smash Serra…I think he’s just going to get outclassed plain and simple. You guys are equal on jiu jitsu, striking about even (I’d give the edge to you), and then there’s wrestling and we know who will dominate that.
May 16th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I just want to tell you that we are rooting for ya!! I am a single mother of three boys and my 13 year old loves you. I am so glad that he can see that there is a fighter with God in his corner. Thanks for not being ashamed to let everyone see that you love Jesus. Keep up the good work, and God Bless You!!!!!
May 16th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
All I have to say about what Serra says regarding Matt is that people fear what they don’t understand, and lash out when they don’t know what to do with that fear. Obviously Matt’s personality is beyond what Serra can comprehend and that alone gives him a reason to fear matt, and therefore lash out like an idiot because he doesn’t know how else to respond to it. Get you or not, no one can deny how talented you are Matt. Please utalize that talent on the 23rd, even though its obviously more important to you and probably your wife, you still are not the only ones that want serra to shut his mouth. :) Good luck and God bless!!
May 16th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
matt,god bless you on fight night.may you get home safe.i know you will win and get some well-over due pay backg, hope this win will be the first on your path to the belt.once again,GOD BLESS from down south
May 16th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Good luck Matt. I hope you have a awesome victory in spectacular fashion. I believe you have more than one more fight in you. Keep up the hard work in the ring and more importantly outside the ring, you are a good role model.
Thanks
May 16th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Matt, the entire Mid-West is pulling for you in this one. You are the better man, the better fighter, and the better champion. Prove it in the cage. Don’t hesitate to pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself, and once you take him down, be relentless until the ref pulls you off the bloody mess that was Matt Serra.
May 16th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Matt, everyone is going to go nuts if you pick him up, walk across the Octagon and drop him (classic Matt Hughes style). We haven’t seen that in a while, so that is my request ;-)
Praying for you from Russia.
May 17th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Matt, Let out the old school smashing machine.Go old testament.I want to see the best parts of the Bible, a storm of fire and wrath.
May 17th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Good luck Matt! Bring out the old Hughes and shut this guy up once and for all. May God bless you with the speed and power you need for victory! Many prays are coming your way from your fans…
May 17th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Will be there to cheer you on, good luck. It’s time to do work.. Iron Sharpens Iron, You know what to do brother!
May 18th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Good luck matt!!! kick matt “the error” Serras ass…he needs 2 shut up…
May 18th, 2009 at 4:17 am
your a great fighter matt. trully a great role modle for everyone.
rest on jesus man, and if you go down, go down swinging.
wish i could meet you brother. good luck.
prayers and thoughts with you.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Hey Buddy, the gang from Southern Iowa can’t wait for Saturday night! See ya at the weigh-ins.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Matt you have to win there is just no other way around it. Your the best good luck.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Love watching your fights and your approach to the sport … and to life … just watched Ultimate Fighter Season Three … KICK THAT JERK SERRA’S BUTT!!!!!!!!!
May 18th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
LET’S SEE SOME OLD SCHOOL MATT HUGHES AND GROUND AND POUND SERRA OUT COLD
May 19th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Kick MATT SERRA’s BUTT!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Matt, my name is Kirk the first time I watched any UFC was you & BJPENN. You beat him that night and I was rooting for you. I was irritated by his cocky demeanor and overconfidence, he talks too much………..like Matt Serra! I hope you are victorious and leave everything in the octagon this Saturday Night. You are one of the few UFC fighters that has influenced me to take up BJJ, Muay Thai, and MMA. For me it’s getting my physical health right w/ God and to toughen up my mind and build confidence. I believe God has given you a gift to share (and punish) others w/. Matt Serra is all mouth, I hope you make him look like an amature. WRECK THAT PUNK!!!!
May 21st, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Fight like you know how MATT!! We will be screaming at the TV from UTAH!! You are soooooooo going to BEAT MATT SERRA and shut him up once and for all!!!!
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:27 am
Waterloo illinois is pulling for you matt whoop his ass.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 am
We love and support you wether you win or loose dude!
Your a legend, and one of the most likable personalities in the sport.
May 24th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Matt, Great job on the victory!!!!! I watched his post fight interview and he didn’t have his hat on and you knocked him around pretty good, I appreciate that!!! Can’t wait for the next blog. God Bless, John
May 24th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Great job last night Matt, the AFO is very happy for ya. Please tell us your game plan going in, I can’t believe how big you looked last night. That was the biggest you looked in any fight (atleast I think) Were you not planing on using any stand up last night? Most your punches didnt really look like power punches, more just set ups for take downs