Sherdog’s Top 10: UFC Welterweight Title Fights

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9. Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
UFC 46 “Supernatural”
Jan. 31, 2004 | Las Vegas
Hughes had a freight-train feel about him when he risked the welterweight crown against Penn in the UFC 46 co-main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. One opponent after another had yielded to his mix of power wrestling, nasty ground-and-pound and technical grappling, as he had rattled off five consecutive title defenses. Penn was one of the most gifted fighters the sport had ever seen and had rebounded from a majority decision loss to Jens Pulver in 2002, with victories over Paul Creighton, Matt Serra and Takanori Gomi sandwiched around a five-round draw with Caol Uno. So-called experts believed Hughes was too strong for the popular but undersized Hawaiian. They could not have been more wrong. Penn took it to the champion on the feet, and when Hughes stumbled after whiffing on a left hand, “The Prodigy” dumped him to the mat. Penn passed the guard, advanced to the back and cinched a rear-naked choke. Hughes had no choice but to tap with 22 seconds left in the first round, as he emerged from the choke with a blank stare and reluctantly passed the torch. He had won 13 fights in a row and emerged as the most dominant champion in the UFC. Penn made it look easy.

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