Former UFC champion Matt Hughes has been in an Illinois hospital ever since he was seriously injured when his pickup truck collided with a train in mid-June.
According to Illinois State Police, Hughes was crossing railroad tracks in Raymond, Ill., in his truck directly in front of a train, which struck the passenger side of his vehicle.
Hughes’s sister, Beth, released the following statement this week of behalf of the family with an update on her brother’s condition:
“Please understand that Matt was the only public figure in our family. The rest of us are just regular everyday small town folks. We have never had to deal with the media and all the added stress that comes with it. We are all very private people and we are doing our best to keep you all informed; but our focus right now is Matt and his recovery. No news is good news!
“Matt is off the ventilator and showing some small signs of improvement. There are some stories and comments out there that are exaggerated. Please don’t believe everything you hear or read. This is going to be a long journey for his recovery. Please continue to keep Matt in your prayers. He is strong, he has heart and he will not give up! We are faithful in the fact that he will recover with God’s Grace and Mercy! We as a family ask everyone to keep praying for Matt!”
Hughes competed in mixed martial arts from 1998 to 2011. The 43-year-old is a UFC Hall of Famer and considered one of the greatest welterweights in the sport’s history, holding victories over the likes of former UFC champions Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn, Matt Serra, Sean Sherk, Carlos Newton and Royce Gracie.
[relatedlinks]
