By The Numbers: B.J. Penn-Matt Hughes Trilogy
Polar opposites inside and outside the cage, B.J. Penn and Matt Hughes were natural foils.
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As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a by-the-numbers look at what made Hughes vs. Penn so unforgettable:
2,485: Days between the first and third
Penn-Hughes meetings. Penn became the promotion’s second
two-division champion when he submitted the Pat Miletich
protégé for the welterweight crown at UFC 46 in January 2004. They
split their two subsequent rematches, as Hughes put away the
Hawaiian with punches at UFC 63 in September 2006 and Penn knocked
out the Hillsboro, Illinois, native at UFC 123 in November
2010.
16,404: Fans to witness the third chapter of the Penn-Hughes rivalry in the UFC 123 co-main event at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the highest attendance figure of the trilogy and helped generate a $2.1 million gate.
400,000: Buys for the one pay-per-view—UFC 63—headlined by Penn-Hughes. Their first pairing at UFC 46 played second fiddle to the Vitor Belfort-Randy Couture rematch, while their third clash at UFC 123 provided backup for the Quinton Jackson-Lyoto Machida main event.
1,133: Seconds of fight time for the Penn-Hughes series. They battled one another inside the Octagon for a total of 18:53—the equivalent of nearly four rounds.
179: Combined total strikes landed by Penn and Hughes in their trilogy. Their second showdown under the UFC 163 marquee was responsible for 70% of them (126).
10: Takedown attempts from Hughes in his three appearances against Penn. He completed only one of them, as he managed to get “The Prodigy” on the mat in their second encounter. Penn, meanwhile, whiffed on his one and only try.
1: Significant strike by which Hughes outlanded Penn in their feud at 170 pounds. He connected on 42 such strikes while absorbing 41 of them in return.
59: Percent success rate for Penn on his significant strike attempts (41-for-69) against Hughes, well above his 48% career mark.
4: Submission attempts levied against one another, three of them by Penn. He remains the only man to ever subdue Hughes—a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler—via rear-naked choke.
419: Seconds of control time for Hughes in the rivalry. Penn was credited with 371.
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