Former UFC champ Hughes injured in collision with train

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes was airlifted to a medical facility on Friday morning after the truck in which he was driving collided with a moving train.

The crash took place just south of Raymond, Ill., which is 12 miles north of Hughes’ home in Hillsboro.

According to Illinois State Police, Hughes drove a pickup truck across a railroad crossing “directly in front of a train and the train struck the passenger side of the truck.” The 43-year-old Hughes was taken to a hospital in Springfield, with his injuries being deemed as serious by the Illinois State Police.

“Apparently he has head trauma,” UFC president Dana White told ESPN. “His family is traveling to him now.”

Hughes, who holds victories over Georges St-Pierre, Royce Gracie and B.J. Penn among others, posted a 45-9 mark and held the UFC’s welterweight championship twice between 2001 and 2006. He announced his retirement in 2013.