Hughes-Alves Main Event for UFC 85
Matt Hughes (Pictures) and Thiago Alves (Pictures) have agreed to fight in the main
event of UFC 85, scheduled for June 7 in London, England.
Hughes announced the bout on his Web site Friday. Sherdog.com has confirmed Alves verbally agreed to the fight.
The welterweight contest became necessary after Chuck Liddell (Pictures) was knocked off the card earlier this week with a badly torn quadriceps muscle. Liddell was scheduled to fight Rashad Evans (Pictures), himself a replacement for Mauricio Rua (Pictures). Evans is expected to fight James Irvin (Pictures).
"Dana (White) just called me with the news," the 34-year-old Hughes wrote on matt-hughes.com. "Chuck got hurt and couldn't fight so he needed a replacement and called me and I said yes."
Hughes noted that regardless of the result of his bout at O2 Arena, he'll fight Matt Serra (Pictures) next.
Fighting out of American Top Team, Alves (14-3) has won five consecutive bouts, including a stoppage of Karo Parisyan (Pictures) on April 2.
Hughes, meanwhile, lost two of his last three fights -- both to current champion Georges St. Pierre (Pictures). The London contests marks the second of Hughes' career. Hughes (42-6) took a fourth-round stoppage of Carlos Newton (Pictures) at Royal Albert Hall in July of 2002.
Hughes announced the bout on his Web site Friday. Sherdog.com has confirmed Alves verbally agreed to the fight.
The welterweight contest became necessary after Chuck Liddell (Pictures) was knocked off the card earlier this week with a badly torn quadriceps muscle. Liddell was scheduled to fight Rashad Evans (Pictures), himself a replacement for Mauricio Rua (Pictures). Evans is expected to fight James Irvin (Pictures).
"Dana (White) just called me with the news," the 34-year-old Hughes wrote on matt-hughes.com. "Chuck got hurt and couldn't fight so he needed a replacement and called me and I said yes."
Hughes noted that regardless of the result of his bout at O2 Arena, he'll fight Matt Serra (Pictures) next.
Fighting out of American Top Team, Alves (14-3) has won five consecutive bouts, including a stoppage of Karo Parisyan (Pictures) on April 2.
Hughes, meanwhile, lost two of his last three fights -- both to current champion Georges St. Pierre (Pictures). The London contests marks the second of Hughes' career. Hughes (42-6) took a fourth-round stoppage of Carlos Newton (Pictures) at Royal Albert Hall in July of 2002.
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