A friend of Matt Hughes provided a positive update on the former UFC welterweight champion, calling his recovery from a June collision \"nothing short of a miracle.\" <\/p>\n
\"Less than two months ago I didn't know if my best friend was going to make it, and tonight we made a jail break for sushi (in disguise. Ha),\" Tony Zucca wrote in a social media post Sunday that accompanied a photo of the two friends on a sidewalk. \"Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions!\" <\/p>\n
Hughes was airlifted to a medical facility in mid-June after the truck he was driving collided with a train about 12 miles north of Hughes' home in Hillsboro, Illinois. <\/p>\n
According to Illinois State Police, Hughes, 43, drove a pickup truck across a railroad grade crossing \"directly in front of a train, and the train struck the passenger side of the truck.\" Although Hughes didn't suffer any broken bones or internal injuries in the crash, he remained in a coma until last month. <\/p>\n
Zucca wrote that Hughes \"is working so hard and fights through the frustration\" and called his friend \"an inspiration.\" <\/p>\n
Hughes (45-9) held the UFC welterweight championship at various points between 2001 and 2006. He is recognized as one of the greatest 170-pound fighters of all time. Hughes, who has not fought since 2011 and announced his retirement in 2013, publicly said he was considering a comeback fight earlier this year. <\/p>\n
According to Zucca, Hughes told him on Sunday that he has \"one more round\" left in him. <\/p>\n
\"He laughed ... but definitely wasn't joking!\" Zucca added. <\/p>\n
Information from ESPN's Brett Okamoto was used in this report. <\/p>\n
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Friend calls Matt Hughes' progress 'a miracle' - ESPN (blog)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A friend of Matt Hughes provided a positive update on the former UFC welterweight champion, calling his recovery from a June collision \"nothing short of a miracle.\" \"Less than two months ago I didn't know if my best friend was going to make it, and tonight we made a jail break for sushi (in disguise. Ha),\" Tony Zucca wrote in a social media post Sunday that accompanied a photo of the two friends on a sidewalk. \"Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions!\" Hughes was airlifted to a medical facility in mid-June after the truck he was driving collided with a train about 12 miles north of Hughes' home in Hillsboro, Illinois Continue reading