B.J. Penn was trapped – and the crowd at Arrowhead Pond began to sense it. The energy was palpable and climbed audibly.
No matter how hard Penn tried, he couldn’t get Matt Hughes off him. The clock wound down in Round 3 of the UFC 63 main event, but there was no saving the Hawaiian challenger. Hughes had Penn in a crucifix as left hands landed one after the next.
Thud… thud… thud.
As referee “Big” John McCarthy spectated from an increasingly close position, Hughes continued to pound away. And as McCarthy dove in, the crowd erupted – as did a five-year-old boy 1,700 miles away in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The boy had shadowboxed in his underwear for the duration of the fight and upon its conclusion let out a cheer. His father just regained the UFC welterweight title.
For as long as he can remember, Brandon Mills wanted to be like his father Matt Hughes, even if he wasn’t really sure exactly what Dad did.
“I knew Dad fought, but I thought it was more into WWE, is what I thought it was when I was younger,” Mills recently told MMA Junkie. “It didn’t take until much later in life to figure out the whole gravity of the situation and how good and dominant he was.”
As soon as he could, Mills signed up for wrestling. Many long, grueling practices in the hot and sticky Iowa wrestling rooms followed – none of which included jumping off the top turnbuckle, much to Mills’ initial surprise and perhaps disappointment.
It’s not shocking in the least bit Hughes’ son would end up there, of course. For as long as he can remember the attention was on him.
The questions flowed from friends and strangers alike. Would he follow in the footsteps?
There was, however, one person who never put that pressure on Mills, and that was Hughes, who never pressured his son down this road. In fact, Hughes preferred Mills didn’t follow the same path.
“I know the lows of this sport just as much as I know the highs,” Hughes told MMA Junkie. “I can’t imagine any father would actually want their child to become a cage fighter. Those that do, have obviously not lived the life. I think there are a lot better and smarter ways to earn a living. And actually being good enough in this sport to make a living out of it is very rare. So yes, I did not want Brandon to choose this path. It’s a tough life and you need thick skin. Not something I wanna see my kid go through. … However, if he wants it, I’m going to support it.”
While Mills could only focus on wrestling through his youth, MMA was always in the back of his mind. A trip to Hawaii to visit one of Hughes’ old rivals all but solidified what he already knew.
“When it actually became a reality and I knew I was determined that this was going to be my future and career was me and my Dad went out to Hawaii to visit B.J. Penn when he was opening up one of his gyms,” Mills said. “For the half a week or so we were out there, watching those two train together and do seminars and traveling and watching the practices, that was the defining moment of, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life as a career.'”
As it stands today, Mills is desensitized to the “pressure” of having a UFC Hall of Famer as a father. Meanwhile, Hughes is proud of his son, particularly the work ethic that led to reaped fruits of labor during the budding pro’s undefeated amateur career.
Hughes set Mills up at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. He’s happy to support and guide his son, advising him – but from a distance.
“He always told me I was allowed to do these things and if I wanted help, I just had to ask for it,” Mills said. “… He kind of just stepped back and let the coaching staff at American Top Team do what they do best.”
There’s no shortage of advice from Dad.
“Don’t ever say no to a coach,” Hughes said, of what he tells his son. “Listen to your corner. Don’t get cocky. Keep your mouth shut and work hard. I always said when I fought, ‘When you lose say little, when you win, say less.'”
While they had a “normal” father-son rapport growing up, Mills said he and his father have become much closer since Hughes’ retirement. The bond strengthened even further after Hughes’ 2017 collision with a train.
Mills doesn’t take for granted the relationship he has with his father and appreciates the advantages that come with having a UFC Hall of Famer as a father.
“I know that he is not quite the biggest fan of me fighting,” Mills said. “When he’s in the cage, it’s up to him. He knows he can win, he can do everything in his power. But when his son’s in the cage, he just has to sit there and watch. He can bark all the commands that he wants but he has to sit there and watch to where he’d rather be inside fighting the fight for me. I know he’s told me multiple times. I think he enjoys it, though.”
Hughes confirmed the butterflies flow a lot more as a close spectator than they did when he fought some of the toughest men on the planet himself.
“I was always more nervous cornering my teammates than I was for my own fights,” Hughes said. “I had the urge to jump in the cage and help them. I don’t like that helpless feeling when I have to sit on the sidelines and scream what to do. So guaranteed, I’ll be feeling the same thing when Brandon and Pat are fighting this weekend.”
Through Hughes’ connections, Mills has trained at ATT since 19 years old. He was embraced by the Dagestani fighters in particular, as well as former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal, who serves as Mills’ head coach.
Lawal will corner Mills’ professional debut Saturday at Caged Aggression 36 in Davenport, Iowa. Ironically enough, the event is headlined by Hughes’ old coach and mentor, Pat Miletich. Ironically, Penn will color-commentate the broadcast.
“I couldn’t have written a better script for who’s headlining it, where it’s at, who’s on the commentary team,” Mills said. “If you’d told me this 10 years ago, I’d have told you you’re out of your mind. It’s all coming together.”
With a professional career about to get underway, Mills – just like always – isn’t letting outside pressure interfere. With zero pro fights under his belt, UFC titles aren’t on his mind quite yet. Regardless of who his father is, Mills remains level-headed and focused.
“We’re just kind of playing it by ear, actually. It’s just one fight at a time, one day at a time. We don’t overemphasize anything or have any massive plans. We have our own goals and whatnot but I don’t have any massive plans, we’re just taking it fight by fight.”
