“I believe Alves will pull off the upset and finish Hughes with punches and a 3rd round KO,” says Pat of MMAbettingblog.
The Main Event
The main event of the night is Matt Hughes vs. Thiago ‘Pitbull’ Alves. This will be a great test to Hughes to see if he still wants to be in the UFC. He’s been flirting with retirement and a loss here may do it for him. Alves is hungry and wants to stay on his plan for a title fight.
Hughes Fight Breakdown
Hughes is known as the most dominant welterweight in the UFC. He is a two-time UFC Champion with 7 total title defenses to his name. His wrestling skills are among the best the UFC has ever seen. Matt would love nothing more than to put Alves away so he can meet up with Matt Serra. Win or lose, he will likely face Serra. This is something Hughes and Serra both want in order to settle their ongoing feud with one another.
Hughes must look to use his superior wrestling skills and take Alves to the mat. His striking is not as good as Alves’. Hughes is bigger and stronger. He needs to bully Alves around like the old Hughes once did. In his last few fights I believe he has lost some of his intensity and needs to be on his best to beat Alves.
Alves Fight Breakdown
Alves is red hot and very confident coming into this fight. He has excellent Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills along with some heavy hands. He is coming off a very impressive TKO over Karo Parisyan. He has KO or TDO’s his last 5 opponents. A win over a legend like Hughes would do a lot for him personally, as well as for his career. It is one step closer to a title fight with the champion St.Pierre.
Pat’s Predictions (Last EliteXC event Pat went 5 for 5)
Look for Alves to keep this fight on his feet, delivering kicks and solid strikes. Hughes will most likely take it to the mat where he can win this fight.
I believe Alves will pull off the upset and finish Hughes with punches and a 3rd round KO.
To begin betting on this event find a UFC sportsbook or go directly to Sportsbook.com.
Written by Pat V.
