Renzo Gracie with GSP. Photo: Luca Atalla/GRACIEMAG
ADCC Boss Guy Nievens announced today on his Facebook account another superfight for the 2015 edition of the event.
The crowd in Manaus, Brazil, will have the opportunity to witness a battle between two legends of the sport, Renzo Gracie and Matt Hughes.
A two-time welterweight UFC champion, Hughes, 40, competed once before in the ADCC.
In 2000, he entered the -99kg division and had three fights, defeating Ricardo Almeida and Jeremy Horn and losing to Jeff Monson in the semifinal.
UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes officially retired from MMA on Thursday. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
Renzo, 47, has two ADCC titles in the -77kg division, wining in 1998 and 2000.
He also competed in a superfight in 2011, when he lost 5-0 to José Mario Sperry.
The Gracie talked exclusively with the GRACIEMAG.com about this new challenge: “Hughes is an amazing competitor and he has always liked to compete in the ADCC. He had to step away because of his MMA career but now that he is done with that he called the ADCC and asked if he could fight. They called me and offered the fight and I couldn’t say no. It’s gonna be a great way to celebrate my 48th birthday. As I’m not 22 anymore, I already started training for the match.”
Renzo and Hughes fought once in the UFC, in 2010, when the American won by TKO in the third round.
The 2015 ADCC will take place in Manaus, Brazil, on September next year and besides Gracie vs. Hughes, it will also feature a superfight between former Carlson Gracie teammates Zé Mario Sperry and Ricardo Libório.
