More on Hughes Knee

Former UFC welterweight contender Matt Hughes is hopeful a recently diagnosed knee injury won't require surgery. Hughes, who suffered a second-round TKO to rising contender Thiago Alves earlier this month at UFC 85, was floored by a flying knee in the fight, and his leg buckled underneath the weight of his body as he hit the mat. On his official blog at matt-hughes.com, Hughes said that a "totally torn ACL" and "partially torn MCL" could repair themselves. "So we're going to hold off on surgery right now," he wrote. "I am going to get a second opinion this week, so that might change. But for now we're going to hold off on surgery. Hughes was a late booking for the main-event fight after previously scheduled headline bouts between Chuck Liddell and James Irvin (and Liddell and "Shogun" Rua, and Liddell and Rashad Evans) were scrapped. Despite his recent loss, Hughes and UFC officials had openly discussed a likely next bout against fellow former title-holder Matt Serra. The feud between the two fighters peaked when they coached opposite teams on the sixth season of "The Ultimate Fighter." A UFC 79 main-event fight between the two fighters fell apart when Serra was forced out of the event with a back injury. Health permitting, the two fighters would meet this fall. However, Hughes' injury could delay the bout.