Bad blood’ does not even begin to describe the ill feeling between these two former welterweight champions. Serra labels Hughes the school bully, Hughes wants to make Serra bleed. His wife even wants Serra to bleed.
Coming off the back of humbling losses to Georges St-Pierre and Thiago Alves, there are question marks over whether two-time champion Hughes can still do it.
The man himself has no doubts whatsoever “After 50 fights, yeah I’m looking for places to get motivated. But here I’ve got a guy who’s said so much about me, it’s easy motivation for me,” states the 35-year-old.
“It’s not really about a lack of respect, it’s more about what he has said about me in such a public light.
“I might remind him of someone who used to pick on him in high school or something, I don’t know. He doesn’t like me for some reason.
“The thing I get told the most is ‘go out and beat that Matt Serra’s ass because I hate the way he talks.’ If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I’d retire today.”
Unlike Serra, Hughes was once the dominant force in the 170lbs division, beating Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, Frank Trigg and Carlos Newton among others.
At UFC 98 he could be making his last appearance inside The Octagon, but he insists he is back to the same shape, the same size and same power as the man who once struck fear into every welterweight in world MMA.
“I’m gonna be back to the old Matt Hughes that everyone remembers. I’m gonna be cut up, I’m gonna be big, and I want Matt Serra to look across and think ‘maybe I made a mistake stepping in here against him’.
“He better be ready for all three rounds. My body is still working for me, I still want to do things and after this Serra fight let’s see where my career goes from there.”
