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When Pitbulls Attack: Alves Stops Hughes in UFC 85 Main Event |
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Written by Thomas Gerbasi
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Sunday, 08 June 2008 |
LONDON, June 7 - Entering his UFC 85 main event against
Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves' right
ankle was sprained and heavily taped, but apparently his left knee was
just fine as he used it to score a stunning second round TKO over the
former two-time UFC welterweight champion in front of 15,327 fans at
the O2 Arena Saturday night.
“He’s a good fighter, he got me, no
doubt about it,” said a gracious Hughes, who took the bout on short
notice after two main events fell out due to injury, and agreed to go
ahead with the bout with Alves at a catchweight of 175 pounds after the
Brazilian was unable to make weight.
 “I want to apologize for
not making weight,” said Alves. “I had a sprained ankle a few days
before the fight and wasn’t able to train.”
He was able to perform when the bell rang though.
The
gameplans were cut and dried in this one – Hughes wanted it on the mat,
Alves wanted to keep it standing, and Hughes immediately looked for the
takedown. He was rebuffed the first time, and the second time saw him
pull guard to get Alves down. While there, Alves was able to draw blood
from Hughes’ nose and get back to his feet. By the midway point of the
round though, Hughes had Alves down again; this time, he was
controlling matters from the top. No real telling blows were landed
there, but Hughes was working Alves, undoubtedly weakening a fighter
who was drained from trying to make weight. By the end of the round
though, Alves had turned the tables, landing with some ground strikes
until the bell sounded.
Hughes’s first takedown attempt of the second round was greeted by
a
knee to the head, and the blood began flowing again as Hughes went to
his back. Alves scored with a couple of ground strikes and the fight
resumed on the feet again. Hughes tried to get Alves back down but
couldn’t and as they stood apart, Alves shot in himself – this time it
was with a flying left knee that caught Hughes flush. Hughes fell to
the canvas, with Alves’ follow-up forcing a stoppage from referee Herb
Dean at 1:02 of the round.
“I’ve been a good boy, I never choose
my opponents,” smiled Alves while addressing UFC President Dana White.
“Please give me a title shot.”
As for the 34-year old Hughes’
future after losing three of his last four bouts, the future Hall of
Famer still has plans on stepping into the Octagon at least one more
time.
“I’ve got one more fight in me,” said Hughes. “That’s Matt Serra. My wife wants it, I want it, and all these fans want it.”
With the win, Alves improves to 21-4; Hughes falls to 43-7.
(ufc.com)
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