Matt Hughes’ wife pens statement detailing how he allegedly beat her

Audra Hughes, the wife of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, recently had a restraining order granted against her husband after several alleged incidents of violence.

In documents obtained by MMAjunkie, Audra detailed several of these incidents of alleged violence.

She alleges Matt Hughes first became violent when she refused to give him the keys to his truck on account of the brain injury he sustained in his 2017 accident.

“I was in the shower and he opened the shower and choked me,” Audra Hughes wrote. “Then he asked for the code to his gun vault and I said, ‘You just choked me. Do you think I’m going to give you the code?’

“He opened the shower door again and started choking me and he smashed my head against the shower and said, ‘This is what choking is!’”

Audra Hughes alleges Matt Hughes became violent on two other instances, after she caught him exchanging text messages with other women. During one of these incidents, she alleges Hughes threatened to shoot her.

“He hit me,” she wrote. “(My stepfather Alan) said, ‘Don’t lay another finger on her.’ He looked at Alan and grabbed my hand and tried to pull me closer to him. Alan told him to get his phone and leave. Alan and I followed him outside to make sure he didn’t do anything to our vehicles.”

While Audra Hughes has been granted a restraining order, Matt Hughes is adamant that the allegations against him are completely false.

The former UFC champion released a statement on social media shortly after this unfortunate news surfaced:

“Since my train accident in June of 2017, my life has been changed forever. Some days have been absolute hell. The challenges and battles that I have faced have been far greater than anything I ever took on in a cage. I am not the same person since my accident, even though, everyday I continue to try to be as normal as someone with a brain injury can be.
I understand that it is not fun to teach a grown man to learn to do everything all over again. I understand that I am a burden to those around me. I understand that I am an inconvenience to my family.
Unfortunately, my marriage was not perfect long before the accident, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER would I, or have I, physically hurt those who I care about most. 
I do not resent those who are trying to hurt me and paint me out to be a monster through these false accusations. I understand now that they are just doing what they need to do in order to rid me of their lives forever so theirs can return to normalcy. I feel awful that my accident turned their world upside-down also.
To those of you who have helped me, supported me, cared for me, and prayed for me- I truly cannot thank you enough. To my supporters who defended me and never believed these untrue, disgraceful reports for a second- thank you. 
If there is one silver lining that this accident has revealed, it is the ability to see who my true friends are. To know who are faithful and have never given up on me even when I am at my lowest. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do not know where I would be without you. Please keep the prayers coming. God knows I need them.”  – Matt Hughes on Instagram.

Stay tuned for further updates on this Matt Hughes situation as they emerge.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/6/2019.