Posted by UFC Junkie on February 18, 2007 at 11:13 pm ET Matt HughesFormer UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (40-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who is slated to face Chris Lytle on March 3 at UFC 68, has aspirations of winning back his belt from Georges St. Pierre — and then making a run for the middleweight title, according to a recent story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hughes, one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history, has nine successful title defenses during his UFC career but lost to St. Pierre in his most recent. That fight, which took place at UFC 65 this past November, delivered Hughes what was just his second knockout loss (or any type of loss, for that matter) in nearly six years. However, the Illinois farmer seems undeterred by the loss. From stltoday.com: “I want to get my (welterweight) belt back from Georges, then I want to fight for the middleweight title,” Hughes said. “I’d like to hold both belts at the same time. I’d be the first person in the UFC to do that.” At one point, serious rumors were floating around that Hughes was actually considering retirement from the UFC. Obviously, winning back his welterweight title and making a run at the middleweight belt would take a one- to two-year commitment at the least, so the 33-year-old has apparently set aside retirement plans for the foreseeable future. Regardless, Hughes must first get by Lytle (22-13-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), who was the welterweight runner-up on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. The Indianapolis-based firefighter has lost his past three UFC fights. For more information about Hughes and his small-town life, check out today’s story at stltoday.com.

I found a poor man once
He was the age of fifty-three
He spoke about the government
And the thought of being free
What good does us reason if we fail to see?
What good does us freedom if we fail to be free