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Matt Hughes Accused of Domestic Violence, Restraining Order Granted

February 26, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes has been accused of a pattern of abusive behavior by his wife, with a restraining order being granted to her. TMZ reports that Audra Hughes filed for a restraining order on December 13th, 2018 claiming that the MMA legend began being abusive and violent following the 2017 accident that left him with a serious brain injury.

To recap that incident, Hughes was hospitalized after a train collided with his truck near Raymond, Illinois after Hughes crossed tracks in front of the oncoming train. Hughes was briefly in a coma but soon awoke and made a startling recovery, with a video of him grappling popping up just two months after in August.

In the filing for the restraining order, Audra Hughes says that in September or October of that year, Hughes attacked her in the shower after she refused to give him his truck keys. She said she felt he shouldn’t be driving due to his injury and alleges that Hughes choked her and asked for the code for his gun vault. When she refused that, she says Hughes choked her again, smashed her head against the shower wall and screamed, “This is what choking is!”

Audra also cites an incident from July 21st, 2018 in which she took his phone because he was “communicating with multiple women” and he responded by saying, “I’m going to f**king shoot you.” Then on December 12th of that year, the day before the restraining order, she says he hit her in front of her son, their daughter and her stepfather after she accused him of texting other women.

In addition, Matt’s twin brother Mark, who competed at UFC 28 in 2000, has filed for a restraining order claiming Matt attacked his son and tried to destroy his tractor, which the two had a disagreement over the ownership of. Mark alleges that when Matt saw Mark’s fifteen year-old son driving it on September 23rd, he snapped, grabbed the teen and shook him, saying it was his. Mark says that a week later, the tractor and surrounding area was doused in gasoline and he believes it was Matt trying to destroy it.

A judge has granted Audra’s restraining order, which requires Hughes to stay at least 500 feet away from her and their children.