Hughes may be retiring from fighting, but he won’t be leaving the UFC fold. He will move to a new position with the promotion, Vice President of Athlete Development and Government relations.
In that role Hughes will serve as a mentor to all the fighters currently under the UFC banner, a role that many other professional sports have a former superstar athlete serving in.
In announcing Hughes’ new role and retirement, UFC president Dana White praised Hughes as a fighter “that always held himself to the highest ethical standard†and commented that he was an individual he knew he could always count on, no matter what the request.
I credit Hughes as one of the guys for getting me hooked as an MMA fan, glad he's going to stick around with the company in a different role.