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UFC 85 Predictions: Matt Hughes vs Thiago Alves |
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Written by Jimmy Boyd
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Tuesday, 03 June 2008
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 On June 7th, two UFC stars hit the UK when legend of the welterweight division Matt Hughes takes on Thiago "Pitbull" Alves in London, England. It's not the fight that everyone wanted to see. Chuck Liddell was slated to fight undefeated Rashad Evans but was forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury. But I'm nearly as excited to see the most decorated welterweight on the planet step into the octagon against the young Alves. Sportsbook.com, one of the leader's in UFC betting, currently lists the veteran Matt Hughes as the -200 favorite to win the fight. MMA Picks Expert Jimmy Boyd weighs each fighters chances and then gives his fight UFC 85 predictions for Point-Spreads.com readers.
Sportsbook.com has the favorite Matt Hughes at –200 odds at UFC 85. Hughes is a two-time UFC World Champion and he'll start toward his quest of gaining a third 170-pound crown when he faces off with Alves. Hughes is known as the most dominant welterweight champion in UFC history. He is one of the best MMA wrestlers the sport has ever seen. Hughes comes into this fight with a devastating 43-6 record and has beaten just about every big name in the welterweight division. Hughes was able to defend his crown seven times during his two reigns at the top, defeating the likes of St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, and Royce Gracie. Hughes was planning a come back fight but not this soon, but when UFC President Dana White came knocking, he jumped at the chance. This won't be the first time Hughes has fought in the UK. He successfully defended his title there back in 2002 by beating Carlos Newton by way of TKO. The big question here is if the vet will have himself in good enough shape to take on the young Brazilian.
Sportsbook.com has the underdog Thiago "Pitbull" Alves listed at +160 odds. Alves is red hot, having won five straight heading into this fight with his Muay Thai fighting style as the catalyst. This would be a big win for one of the top welterweights in the world on two levels. Not only would he add a win over a Hall of Famer to his list of victims, but it would also likely put him in line to face current welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre in a title fight. Alves is easily one of MMA's most exciting young stars, entering this bout with a 20-4 professional mark. Alves was a reckless striker when he first started in competition but has since developed into a much more patient and versatile contender. Alves will come in lacking no confidence having won five straight fights over Tony DeSouza, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Chris Lytle, and Karo Parisyan. On June 7th he'll get a chance to show the world he is ready to shine.
UFC 85 Predictions: Hughes being the bigger fighter is going to try to take Alves down to wear him out and to take some power out of his standup game. Alves is very confident right now and I believe that Hughes is jumping back into the octagon too quickly without adequate training time. I'll take the youngster Alves +160 odds at Sportsbook.com to win this fight.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 June 2008 )
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