THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 2/28: Matt Hughes responds to abuse allegations, Jon Jones would rather fight Lesnar than Cormier, Cerrone teases McGregor fight

Disgraceful

Matt Hughes has responded to allegations that he choked and threatened to shoot his estranged wife Audra Hughes. In a lengthy statement posted to his Instagram feed, Hughes talks of the “absolute hell” that he has endured since being struck by a train in June 2017. Hughes admits, he “is not the same person” since that accident but claims the accusations made by his wife are false and calls them “untrue, disgraceful reports.”

Hughes also talks about the challenges he and his family have faced since the accident.

“I understand that it is not fun to teach a grown man to learn to do everything all over again. I understand that I am a burden to those around me. I understand that I am an inconvenience to my family. Unfortunately, my marriage was not perfect long before the accident, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER would I, or have I, physically hurt those who I care about most.”

The allegations against Hughes came to light on Tuesday when TMZ obtained court documents from restraining orders placed against Hughes by his wife and twin brother, Mark. Hughes’ brother alleged that Hughes assaulted his son over a dispute over ownership of a tractor.

View this post on Instagram

Since my train accident in June of 2017, my life has been changed forever. Some days have been absolute hell. The challenges and battles that I have faced have been far greater than anything I ever took on in a cage. I am not the same person since my accident, even though, everyday I continue to try to be as normal as someone with a brain injury can be. I understand that it is not fun to teach a grown man to learn to do everything all over again. I understand that I am a burden to those around me. I understand that I am an inconvenience to my family. Unfortunately, my marriage was not perfect long before the accident, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER would I, or have I, physically hurt those who I care about most. I do not resent those who are trying to hurt me and paint me out to be a monster through these false accusations. I understand now that they are just doing what they need to do in order to rid me of their lives forever so theirs can return to normalcy. I feel awful that my accident turned their world upside-down also. To those of you who have helped me, supported me, cared for me, and prayed for me- I truly cannot thank you enough. To my supporters who defended me and never believed these untrue, disgraceful reports for a second- thank you. If there is one silver lining that this accident has revealed, it is the ability to see who my true friends are. To know who are faithful and have never given up on me even when I am at my lowest. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do not know where I would be without you. Please keep the prayers coming. God knows I need them.

A post shared by Matt Hughes (@matthughes9x) on Feb 27, 2019 at 2:53pm PST

Pick your poison

It’s nice to have options. Short of maybe Conor McGregor, no one in UFC right now has better options than Jon Jones. The UFC light heavyweight champion has Anthony Smith to worry about this weekend at UFC 235, but if he can get through that challenge, he’ll have his pick of big fights for the rest of the year.

Speaking to reporters at the UFC 235 media day, Jon Jones said that, if it’s up to him, he would prefer to fight Brock Lesnar next over Daniel Cormier.

“I’d take Brock Lesnar,” Jones said (via MMAJunkie). “I’d take Brock Lesnar because he brings in a whole different audience and people have already seen me make ‘DC’ cry twice already. I’ve got nothing against that guy. Let him have his heavyweight dominance.”

Jones wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of a third fight with Cormier, this time at heavyweight, but he appears to feel it is a more dangerous fight for him and would want to be compensated accordingly.

“To fight [Cormier] when he’s weighing 30 pounds more than me, it’s dangerous no matter who you are. I want to make it worth my while because ultimately my health is on the line.”

Lesnar is reported to be occupied with WWE until at least this April, but after that is anyone’s guess. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see one or even both of these big fights for Jones before 2019 is up.

Save the date

Donald Cerrone alluded to the possibility of a fight with Conor McGregor once again. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Cerrone posted a photo of a bottle of Budweiser alongside a bottle of McGregor’s Proper Twelve Whiskey along with the caption “Budweiser vs. Proper Whiskey July 6th.” July 6th is when International Fight Week and UFC 239 would be expected to take place from Las Vegas.

Cerrone and McGregor have been linked to a potential fight since Cerrone’s win over Alexander Hernandez in January. Dana White has commented that he isn’t opposed to the fight, but there has been little in the way of official news from UFC. McGregor’s suspension for his part in the UFC 229 brawl will be up in April, so July may be the perfect date for a return.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuaTAwRAVfK/

Thursday Notebook

-Paige VanZant is out of her scheduled bout with Poliana Botelho at UFC 236 and Lauren Mueller will take her place.

UFC 235 Embedded episode 3

In case you missed it

–ROUNDTABLE: What was your favorite GSP fight or memory?

–ROUNDTABLE: What Georges St-Pierre fight do you wish we could have seen?

–ROUNDTABLE: Staff predictions for Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman