THE TORCH: THE #1 WORLDWIDE BRAND IN COMBAT ENTERTAINMENT COVERAGE - OVER 250 MILLION VIEWS & LISTENS PER YEAR REREACHING MORE FANS EVERY WEEK THAN ANY OTHER INDEPENDENT SOURCE • VIA THE WEB, MOBILE, PRINT NEWSLETTER, AND ITUNES
"No doubt about it [Matt Hughes is my toughest opponent]. People say that he’s slowed down—and he’s had some hiccups here and there—but at welterweight he’s really only lost to Georges St-Pierre. His fight with Thiago Alves wasn’t really at welterweight. I’m watching video on this guy and watching his fights and I’m thinking like, what are all of these people watching.
It’s MMA; when you win, you’re the greatest and when you lose, you’re done. I’m getting ready to fight the guy who was the most dominant welterweight ever.
[This fight isn't a grudge match] at all. I wouldn’t expect anything from him than to try to knock his opponent out [in the Renzo Gracie fight]. It just so happens that he has beaten a couple of guys from my team—actually, I felt that Matt Serra won his fight, but hey, I’m biased. I was in the corner with Renzo and it was very emotional to see the way that it ended, so I asked Joe Silva for that fight right away and they gave me my wish.
It’s just extra motivation, but whether I like or dislike Matt Hughes doesn’t really make a difference. If it was my mother in there, I’d be trying to choke her out and I expect nothing less from my opponent."
-Ricardo Almeida talks to Tapology.com about his UFC 117 bout next weekend with former longtime Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes.
Penick's Analysis: Almeida's got an attitude towards his in-cage opponent not shared by enough of his contemporaries. While, like anyone, he'd rather avoid fighting friends, that doesn't mean he's not willing to go in there and compete against them. It's a mental issue a lot of fighters aren't willing to push aside, and it's led to some tense situations with fights not being put together. Still, he's ready for a game Matt Hughes at UFC 117 next weekend, and fans should be in for a really good welterweight battle.
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick, Rich Hansen, and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
The headlining bout between Phil Davis and Rashad Evans averaged 6.1 million viewers, meaning the peak number for the event will still come in somewhat higher than that. The opening bout between Demian Maia and Chris Weidman was seen by an average of four million viewers...
I am very nervous that Carlos Condit will win on Saturday night, and that I won't be able to fight Nick Diaz this summer. Carlos Condit is a very good fighter, he can strike, he is aggressive and he has submissions...
Georges St-Pierre is the only logical choice for Sonnen, since he's made it clear to the world at large that Anderson Silva wants nothing to do with him. And since everything that comes out of Chael's mouth when hyping a fight can be taken as gospel...
PART OF THE USA TODAY UFC GROUP