2008-04-25 23:01:27
Matt Hughes vs Thiago Alves to Headline UFC 85 Card in London
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The UFC have acted quickly and decisively to replace the Liddell vs Evans fight that was scheduled to headline UFC 85. According to the blog of Matt Hughes, Dana White called up Hughes today to inform him that he will be squaring off against Thiago Alves in the main event of UFC 85. Hughes goes on to say that no matter what happens in this fight, he will be squaring off against Matt Serra next.
This news comes as a surprise to many, as Matt Hughes had previously indicated that he expected to fight again in six to eight months. With the fight against Alves just a few months away, Hughes will only have a limited amount of time to get into shape for the fight.
This should be a tremendous fight, and is definitely a suitable replacement for the original Liddell / Evans match-up that was cancelled due to Liddell's leg injury. Hughes, considered by many to be the best Welterweight fighter of all time, currently sports a lifetime professional MMA record of 42-6-0, with 14 of his victories coming via knockout and 19 coming via submission. Hughes has lost two of his last three fights, with both of the losses coming to Georges St. Pierre. St. Pierre destroyed Hughes at UFC 79 - Nemesis, and Hughes will be looking for a strong fight against Thiago Alves to bounce back.
 Thiago Alves will be an incredibly tough test for Hughes. Alves utilizes a mixture of boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He currently sports a record of 13-3-0, and has won his last five straight fights. His most recent fight was a second round TKO victory against Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night 13. Over the past year and a half, Alves has beaten the likes of Parisyan, Chris Lytle, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Tony DeSouza and John Alessio.
The UFC promised that they would move quickly to announce a new main event for UFC 85, and they have delivered with what should be a tremendous match-up. No matter what happens in this fight, look for Hughes to take on Matt Serra sometime near the end of 2008.
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