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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"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.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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