If Thiago Alves (Pictures) was looking to impress fans this weekend when he takes on former welterweight kingpin Matt Hughes (Pictures), he isn't off to a great start.

The American Top Team striker failed to make his 170-pound weight limit on Friday at the official weigh-ins for UFC 85 "Bedlam" at the O2 Arena in London, England.

The headlining bout would place either athlete onto the road for a championship bid, though Alves' difficulties could put that in jeopardy.

Without a formal regulatory body to oversee the proceedings (MMA is still under consideration by the British Boxing Board of Control and others in the United Kingdom), matters were handled amongst the promotion and the fighters. Alves was not required to weigh in again, and Hughes, who weighed in at 170 pounds on the dot, agreed to a catch weight of 174 pounds. Details of a purse penalty were not immediately available.

"It's going to be a war, and look out for the best ‘Pitbull,'" said Alves. "I'm going to knock him out."

"This is a comeback fight, someone to put on the resume further down the line," answered Hughes.

This isn't the first time the 24-year-old Alves has battled the bulge. The Brazilian was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for eight months and fined $5,500 in early 2007, after testing positive for diuretics following his knockout victory over Tony DeSouza (Pictures) at UFC 66 "Liddell vs. Ortiz II" in Dec. 2006. Alves admitted he had used the non-approved substance to cut weight for the bout.

The remaining UFC 85 competitors made weight without incident.

UFC 85 "Bedlam" Weigh-In Results
Thiago Alves (Pictures) (174) vs. Matt Hughes (Pictures) (170)
Jason Day (Pictures) (184) vs. Michael Bisping (Pictures) (184)
Mike Swick (Pictures) (170) vs. Marcus Davis (Pictures) (170)
Thales Leites (Pictures) (185) vs. Nathan Marquardt (Pictures) (185)
Fabricio Werdum (Pictures) (247) vs. Brandon Vera (Pictures) (228)
Martin Kampmann (Pictures) (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (Pictures) (185)
Thiago Tavares (Pictures) (154.5) vs. Matt Wiman (Pictures) (155)
Roan Carneiro (Pictures) (171) vs. Kevin Burns (170)
Luis Arthur Cane (Pictures) (204) vs. Jason Lambert (Pictures) (205)
Jess Liaudin (Pictures) (169) vs. Paul Taylor (Pictures) (169)
Eddie Sanchez (244) vs. Antoni Hardonk (Pictures) (247)