UFC 85 Hughes vs. Alves
Written June 2, 2008 by Jason Lowry
This weekend the UFC heads to O2 Arena in London for UFC 85 Bedlam where former 2 time UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes will take on the up and coming Thaigo “Pit bull” Alves to move one step closer to a title shot against welterweight Champion George St-Pierre. While there are 5 fights scheduled for the main card this weekend we want to take a closer look at the main event for the night. Here is a look at each fighter and what they bring to the table, and who we think is going to come out on top.
Most Current Odds thanks to Bodoglife.com
Matt Hughes (43-6-0)
It’s hard to figure out where to start when you talk about the veteran fighter Matt Hughes. Hughes has been a pro for over 10 years and has spent most of the time fighting the best competition the sport has to offer. While Matt Hughes has the power to knock you out, he is best at using his takedown and wrestling ability to finish off his opponents with his physical strength. While Hughes has lost two of his last 3 fights, both have came against St-Pierre including most recently at UFC 79 in December of last year. While Hughes does hold a win over St-Pierre, he also holds wins over BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Carlos Newton, and Dave Menne; all of which are former UFC Champions. Hughes has looked like he was down and out before, and has answered by coming back looking as good as ever. We don’t expect any difference this week, as it should be one hell of a fight this weekend.
Thaigo Alves (20-4-0)
Alves comes in as the much younger fighter who has some of the best stand up in the welterweight division. Alves also uses Jiu-Jitsu as strength, but has won his last 4 fights by TKO. Coming in on a 5 fight win streak Alves definitely has what it takes to beat Hughes this weekend, and is quickly rising towards a title shot himself. Alves is coming off what many believe was his toughest fight against Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night back in April, where he won by TKO in the beginning of the 2nd round. Alves will need to keep the fight on his feet as long as he can, as Hughes has a much better ground game. This is Alves’ shot to prove he really belongs with the names of the best welterweights in the game.
Winner: Matt Hughes
Taking nothing away from Alves we really think that Hughes still has enough left in the tank at age 34 to make one last run at becoming the welterweight champion one last time. Hughes will take this fight to the ground early and ware out Alves in the 1st round, taking away his usual late finish of strong kicks and knees that have sent his past opponents to the floor. Hughes hasn’t seen a fight go the distance in nearly 4 years, and we don’t think that will change, as we see Hughes winning by submission in the 2nd round of this one.
If you are looking to place a bet on this or any of the other fights this weekend be sure to check out Bodoglife.com as they have some of the best odds for MMA fighting. Also be sure to check out our UFC 85 Odds and Predictions. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.
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