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Post by NYdream™ on Jan 10, 2009 9:36:31 GMT -5
Arch enemies Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will more than likely finally face off in the Octagon to settle their bitter score at UFC 98 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 23, according to Matt-Hughes.com.
Maybe.
Here¡¯s the snip:
¡°Just got a call from Joe Silva and as of right now it looks like I¡¯ll be fighting Matt Serra in Vegas on May 23rd. This is not 100% confirmed, but I believe it is going to be on this date.¡±
Both former welterweight champions have been sidelined with injuries ¡ª Serra sustained an elbow injury in his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83: ¡°Serra vs. St. Pierre 2¡å back in April and Hughes has been nursing a knee injury that he suffered in his loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85: ¡°Bedlam¡å back in June.
Complicating the situation even more ¡ª as if it needed it ¡ª is the fact the Serra and his wife are expecting their first child sometime in April, which is the reason it could not happen sooner.
Serra and Hughes ¡ª who are about as opposite as two people can get ¡ª were opposing coaches in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 and were supposed to fight at UFC 79: ¡°Nemesis¡± in December 2007. However, Serra had to withdraw because of a serious back injury.
The trash-talking has not stopped ever since and will more than likely ratchet up again sooner rather than later with this latest development.
The good news this time around is that we now have a firm date, location and likely event number for the 170-pound showdown ¡ª important details that were absent prior to this point.
Finally ¡ we think.
-MMAmania
This wouldnt be too bad but not quite what I expected....
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BigEvilNerd
Main Eventer
Joined on: Sept 15, 2003 17:00:45 GMT -5
Posts: 4,659
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Post by BigEvilNerd on Jan 10, 2009 10:25:21 GMT -5
This really depends on Hughes more than anything...if he shows up in shape, focused, and with retirement on his mind after the fight win lose or draw, I think he could grind Serra out. Serra has great jiu jitsu, but he does not have the strongest wrestling base. Couple this with the fact that Hughes has improved his jiu jitsu as his career has gone on, and his wrestling has always been excellent, and it's a bad style matchup for Serra.
But Serra has a lot on his side too: Hughes is old. He's slipping...he's noticeably slower than he was in his prime, and his striking is and always has been, horrible. Serra is quick, has vastly improved hands (obviously) and despite having a wrestling disadvantage, he's the superior submission grappler.
If I had to take a 'safe' pick I'd take Hughes, based on their on-paper styles and past records. But when you factor in a lot of the mental intangibles, I swing towards Serra. I've never been a Hughes fan and it'd be nice to see Serra plant one of those straight right hands all the way from NYC onto Hughes' chin and send him out of the welterweight division.
We'll see; it should be a good fight though, regardless. It just needs to happen because it'd be a damn shame if these two never got a chance to get in the cage. Any time THIS amount of crap talking happens, you have to see how it turns out.
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Post by k5 on Jan 10, 2009 13:01:57 GMT -5
i'd like to see the match, but i'm really leaning towards serra. hughes himself has admitted he's heading downward.
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Sandy
POSSIBLE BAD TRADER
Joined on: Dec 17, 2004 14:33:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,868
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Post by Sandy on Jan 10, 2009 14:19:06 GMT -5
It sucks because Hughes was one of my favorite fighters...he still is but I think retirement definately should happen after the Serra fight...win, lose, or draw.
He has the same problem that Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell have...and that is that they are so stuck in their ways that they refuse to go to different gyms, change up their training, and even train with other fighters..perhaps even fighters they have fought before.
When the UFC Countdown was on for the Hughes/St. Pierre fight was on Spike it shocked me to see Hughes sitting around shooting his gun while St. Pierre was flying across the country just to train different aspects of his striking and jiu-jitsu. It is a different era of fighters who are coming in, they are so complete that you can't have any whole in your game.
As far as this fight breaks down I see it going to a decision as I don't think either man will be able to stop the other.. Hughes takes it by unanimous decision.
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Post by NYdream™ on Jan 10, 2009 14:24:41 GMT -5
I like Serra alot so Im pulling for him. Hopefully he can some sort of impact in the WW division...
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Post by Kliquid on Jan 10, 2009 14:30:49 GMT -5
Wouldn't "rematch" imply having fought before?
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Post by NYdream™ on Jan 10, 2009 14:38:57 GMT -5
Wouldn't "rematch" imply having fought before? Your right I noticed that a while ago too. It slipped my mind that their last fight didnt go down do too injury... |
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Post by Mr. Orange on Jan 10, 2009 15:01:05 GMT -5
Finally. I've wanted to see this for a long time but both guys kept getting injured. I honestly believe this will be Hughes' last fight. I like Serra, but I have to go with Hughes via decision.
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Post by Ian from 616Entertainment. on Jan 10, 2009 16:07:01 GMT -5
Serra by unanimous decision or a 2nd round TKO.
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Post by James Hetfield on Jan 10, 2009 17:43:31 GMT -5
Dana has said that this fight WILL happen many times. The question is when.
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Post by Codesters on Jan 11, 2009 2:39:45 GMT -5
Wouldn't "rematch" imply having fought before? Just what i was going to say. I don't like either of them so who ever wins doesnt exactly bother me. Although Serra sounds like a yappy dog. |
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Post by johnnymalloy on Jan 11, 2009 5:34:50 GMT -5
I think people don't give Matt Serra enough credit. He's a really well rounded fighter, who has hung in their with some top level competition (I think people don't give Karo enough credit either), and everyone who is writing Serra off for this fight, I have a feeling their going to be shocked.
I'm saying Serra wins via TKO rd 2
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Bruiser Brody
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 9, 2007 1:46:44 GMT -5
Posts: 2,431
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Post by Bruiser Brody on Jan 12, 2009 22:41:50 GMT -5
I really want to see this fight. Makes for a good fight when the two guys dislike each other as much as these two do.
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