There is a widely held belief in sports circles that you have to learn how to lose and suffer a defeat in a big spot in order to know what it takes to eventually reach the ultimate goal. Whether it’s true or not, that’s how things played out between Hughes and St-Pierre.
In their first meeting at UFC 50, Hughes got the better of the undefeated French-Canadian rising star, with St-Pierre tapping out to an armbar with one second remaining in the opening round. It was a veteran effort from the tenured champion, who reclaimed the vacant belt with the win, and a critical lesson learned for his talented, young rival.
Hughes won his next four fights, successfully defending his title on either side of victories over Joe Riggs and Royce Gracie, while St-Pierre posted five consecutive wins, the last four of which came inside the Octagon.
The rematch was scheduled to take place at UFC 63, but an injury forced St-Pierre from the contest, leading to Hughes running things back with BJ Penn instead. After Hughes defeated Penn, St-Pierre was ushered into the cage, where he congratulated the champion, but declared that he was “not impressed” by Hughes’ performance, which created an added layer of tension between the two and greater anticipation for the rematch.
Less than two months after beating Penn, Hughes faced off with St-Pierre for a second time, and this time, it was clear the emerging star had learned from his previous mistakes.
St-Pierre established his striking advantage and superior athleticism early, sticking Hughes with the sharp jab that would become a hallmark of his fights going forward, mixing in kicks to all three levels. Midway through the opening round, the challenger caught the champion below the belt, immediately landing there once more when the fight restarted.
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Surprisingly, it was St-Pierre that completed the first takedown, dumping Hughes to the canvas after catching a kick late in the opening stanza, passing to half guard and landing a few short blows before the champion clambered back to his feet. Late in the frame, the challenger stuffed a takedown attempt and then stunned Hughes with a Superman punch, the round ending with the champion on the canvas.
Early in the second, St-Pierre shook off another takedown attempt, and started attacking with low kicks to the calf, sweeping Hughes off his feet at one point, prompting the champion to grimace in frustration. Back in the center of the cage, St-Pierre landed a clean right hand, and as the two reset, he went upstairs with a kick, catching Hughes clean on the side of the head.
The challenger pounced on the prone titleholder, unleashing a string of punches and elbows that prompted referee John McCarthy to stop the fight, causing the audience to erupt and St-Pierre to fall to his knees in disbelief.
