| In a display of independent-minded spirit and | | | | to continue honing their skills at a new |
| business ambition, mixed martial arts veteran | | | | training center. Eventually, he plans to pick |
| Matt Hughes is venturing forth by himself and | | | | out the best of the best among the fighters |
| planning to form his very own fight team. The | | | | who choose to grow stronger there, and |
| former UFC welterweight champion previously | | | | recruit them into the gym's own official |
| trained with the Miletich Fighting Systems | | | | fight squad. The squad will be named Team |
| group, before making the decision to create | | | | Hughes, appropriately enough. |
| his own team. The group's roster will include | | | | |
| Jacob Hey, an MMA tyro yet also a Greco-Roman | | | | The training center is projected for a |
| wrestling expert; The Ultimate Fighter 5 | | | | January opening to the public, and it will be |
| veteran Corey Hill; and the contemporary Icon | | | | managed by Hughes along with a staff of other |
| middleweight champion, Robert "Ruthless" | | | | MMA colleagues. Among these are Lawler, Marc |
| Lawler. In addition to his training plans | | | | Fiore, and Hughes' own experienced boxing |
| with these new people, Hughes is also getting | | | | coach Matt Pena. H.I.T. is undergoing |
| ready to open his own gym in Granite City, | | | | renovation in the interim so its owner can |
| Illinois. | | | | begin preparing in October for UFC 79. Hughes |
| | | | is set to go up against currently reigning |
| The place will be named Hughes Intensive | | | | UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra on |
| Training (H.I.T.), and occupies an area of | | | | December 29. The funding for the center comes |
| 13,500 square feet. H.I.T. is intended to be | | | | from Jeff Cooper, an attorney based in St. |
| a base for novices to learn the foundations | | | | Louis as well as a sports entrepreneur. |
| of combat and gradually work their way up the | | | | Cooper approached Hughes with the concept of |
| ladder, along with longtime fighters who want | | | | sponsoring and helping train fellow fighters. |