The wife and brother of UFC legend Matt Hughes each have filed a restraining order against him, alleging physical violence and threats.
ESPN confirmed via court records that Audra Hughes, Matt's wife, and Mark Hughes, his twin brother, filed for protective orders against Hughes late last year. Audra Hughes' request, which was made in Montgomery County, Illinois, was filed on Dec. 13, one day after she says her husband struck her in front of her son and their daughter, according to TMZ.
Hughes filed for divorce from his wife on Jan. 21, according to court records.
Matt Hughes, 45, nearly died in June 2017 after a truck he was driving collided with a moving train in a rural area north of St. Louis. Hughes was airlifted to a hospital with a traumatic brain injury. He eventually recovered and the UFC honored him during a live event in January 2018.
According to TMZ, Audra Hughes said her husband choked her and threatened to shoot her during an incident in July 2018. TMZ also reported that Mark Hughes said his brother physically threatened his teenage son during a dispute over a tractor.
In a statement posted on his Instagram account Wednesday, Matt Hughes denied the allegations and thanked the supporters "who defended me and never believed these untrue, disgraceful reports for a second." He also described the challenges he has endured since the accident, acknowledging that he is "not the same person."
"Since my train accident in June of 2017, my life has been changed forever," Hughes wrote in his statement. "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."
Matt Hughes (45-9) held the UFC's welterweight title at various times between 2001 and 2006. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest welterweights of all time. He announced his retirement from MMA in 2013 and worked for the UFC as a brand ambassador until 2016.