Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer Matt Hughes is down a finger — but not his sense of humor.
The former UFC Welterweight champion revealed a gruesome injury on Wednesday, posting a photo from a hospital bed on Instagram showing that the middle finger on his right hand had been amputated.
While Hughes didn’t explain how the injury happened or what led to the amputation, the MMA legend appeared to be in good spirits.
“Luckily, God’s been real good to me … He left me nine more to work
with,” Hughes wrote in the caption.
Now 52 years old, Hughes remains one of the most decorated fighters in UFC history. The Hall of Famer built his legacy through dominant wrestling, relentless pressure, and memorable rivalries with icons such as Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn before retiring in 2013.
Outside the cage, Hughes has already overcome far more serious adversity. In 2017, he survived a near-fatal train accident that left him with a traumatic brain injury and required a lengthy recovery process. Since then, he has gradually returned to public life and continued making appearances around the MMA world.
As of now, Hughes hasn’t shared any additional details regarding the finger injury or surgery, but based on his social media post, the former champion seems to be handling it the only way he knows how — with toughness and humor.
