Where did Hughes find that headlock? Let's ask Dave Schultz
Matt Hughes choked Ricardo Almeida out cold at UFC 117 with a classic wrestling move, the front headlock. After the bout, Hughes said that it's a move that Almeida probably hasn't seen before. That is likely true, but wrestling fans everywhere recognized the move. The front headlock was perfected by Dave Schultz, one of wrestling's most dominant athletes and an Olympic gold medalist in 1984.
During the Los Angeles Games, Schultz's headlock was so hazardous that referees were warning him as soon as he sunk his arms in on an opponent. Skip to the 2:45 mark here to see Schultz's perfect headlock in the first period of the gold-medal match.
Schultz couldn't use his headlock to end a match like Hughes did, but he did use it to score points, fend off a takedown and control his opponent.
Along with his brother Mark, Schultz was known as one of the more brutal wrestlers of his era. Though Mark defeated Gary Goodridge at UFC 9 in his one MMA bout, Dave never had the chance to transition to MMA. He was murdered in 1996. Hughes' headlock win was a fitting tribute to a member of the wrestling family who was taken too soon.
