- George Chung
- Jul 31, 2024
- 3 min read
Strawweight Sam Hughes has been putting in the hours and is ready to face opponent Viktoriia Dudakova at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi.
Before she began pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, Sam Hughes ran track and cross country at the collegiate level, first at Wofford College, where she completed her undergraduate degree, and then at the University of South Carolina while pursuing her master’s.
When college ended and her thirst for competing remained, she was introduced to MMA, logging a handful of amateur fights before turning pro and quickly getting the call to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.
But as she readies to make her ninth appearance inside the Octagon this weekend against Viktoriia Dudakova in Abu Dhabi, it’s a return to the track that has the Fortis MMA representative approaching things with a newer, kinder mindset.
“I think my mentality is in a totally different spot,” begins Hughes, acknowledging that the mental side of the sport and getting out of her own way has always been her greatest hurdle. “That’s what Sayif (Saud) continues to preach and what my other coach that I work with every day, Charles Byrd, constantly preaches to me.
“The hard work of me going to the gym is the easy part. It’s easy to be in the gym all day, training your butt off, being exhausted. The part that is the hardest is lifting yourself up and telling yourself, ‘Hey — good job today. You lifted yourself up today. You worked hard today. You learned something today, so let’s keep growing.’
“That’s the most difficult part, and I think what has really helped me out, too, is I started back coaching,” she continues, a smile splashing across her face as she mentions her return to the track. “I’m coaching track and field at a high school, Westwood — shout out Wildcats! — and so I think it’s helped me be a better athlete.
This weekend’s bout with Dudakova is an interesting one for the strawweight mainstay — a second consecutive bout outside the United States after having competed there exclusively prior to this year, and a chance to share the cage with another undefeated opponent, one her team has already prepared for once before.
Entering the contest with an 8-0 record that includes consecutive victories in the UFC, Dudakova is the third opponent without a loss Hughes has faced at this level, and the last time she shared the Octagon with an unbeaten prospect, she handed Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Jaqueline Amorim her first professional loss.
One of the elements helping bolster that confidence is that Dudakova’s last appearance came against another Fortis MMA representative, veteran Jinh Yu Frey, who went the distance with the unbeaten Russian, landing on the wrong side of 29-28 scorecards in a fight that was deadlocked heading into the final round.
“That’s definitely the mentality that I’m bringing here,” Hughes confirms when asked about the impact of having Frey’s 15 minutes in the Octagon with Dudakova to draw from and build off of heading into Saturday’s contest. “I respect Jinh so much and she was such an asset to me when I first came to Fortis because she had been here for a couple years and she helped me out tremendously.
Burnishing her improved, more grateful mindset and buoyed by the opportunity to compete before a sizeable crowd for a second straight fight, Hughes is admittedly chomping at the bit to walk into the Octagon this weekend, get her hands on Dudakova, and get her hand raised once again.
“I’m super-confident going into this weekend and I have no doubt in my mind that I’m gonna get my hand raised.”
Don’t miss a moment of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on August 3, 2024. Prelims start at 12pm ET/9am PT, while the main card kicks off live on ABC, ESPN & ESPN+ at 3pm ET/12pm PT.
