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In a move that seems to be following the blueprint that Randy Couture laid out before stepping into the cage against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Matt Hughes has also signed a new multi-fight deal that will likely extend to the length of his fighting career in MMA:

Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract. I also brought up the fact that I wanted to do a hunting show and they thought that would be a good thing. They still have to find out who, where and when my next fight will be and I will try to post that info ASAP. Nothing is decided yet, so anything you might be reading on the internet right now is just rumors and speculation. However, one name the UFC did bring up is a person I’ve never fought before.

The 35-year-old 9-time UFC Welterweight champion really has nothing more to prove in this sport. While he probably can't contend with the likes of Georges St. Pierre anymore at the peak of the mountain of welterweight talent, he is still athletic enough and solid enough in his wrestling style to present problems to up-and-coming talent along with mid-to-upper echelon fighters.

He's only has five total losses in his UFC career with two coming from the current champion Georges St. Pierre, a former title contender in Thiago Alves, and a showdown with B.J. Penn, considered to be one of the best fighters in the world at lightweight. Oh yeah... and he happened to lose to Dennis Hallman at UFC 29 in :20 seconds. It's interesting how Dennis Hallman has signed a UFC contract. I smell a rematch within the span of this current deal.

We really can't say that Hughes is completely over-the-hill if we simply look at the names attached to those losses, but some fans would say his performance against Matt Serra, Thiago Alves, and Georges St. Pierre would be indicative of an aging fighter. It's no secret that Hughes eventually has to drop off in performance at some point, but I'm not sure I'm completely convinced. I think his overall style as mostly a one-dimensional wrestler/ground and pound fighter is more of a problem.

What interesting fights could Hughes be involved in? Frank Trigg and Dennis Hallman are both rematches that Hughes could take, but the comment regarding an opponent that Hughes has never faced before could be interesting. Jon Fitch is currently rumored to be fighting Ricardo Almeida at UFC 106, Martin Kampmann will take on Paul Daley at UFC 103, and Josh Koscheck will take on Frank Trigg at UFC 103. That eliminates most of the top ten.

It certainly sounds like it could be a long-time veteran, and my initial guess would have been Karo Parisyan if not for his scheduled bout against Dustin Hazelett at UFC 106. Brock Larson might be a suitable opponent if he defeats Mike Pierce at UFN 19, and he's also a long-time veteran of the sport. Marcus Davis is currently sitting on the shelf awaiting a bout too. Mike Swick's injury may end up creating a match-up with Hughes as well.

Also indicated within the blog post, Hughes is also going to work on a hunting show that the UFC seems to have given him their blessing on. I suppose that'll be another revenue stream for Hughes and something he can do following his retirement down the road, so that can't be a bad thing.

In any case, fans should look forward to Matt Hughes' swan song of final battles in the Octagon over the next two to three years. Then again, Hughes may still be able to pull off some dominating performances and follow another blueprint that "The Natural" laid out for everyone... coming back and winning a title. Doubtful, but everything in this sport is unpredictable.