UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra has suffered a back injury and will be unable to go through with his scheduled fight against Matt Hughes at UFC 79. The result is that Georges St-Pierre will step in and fight Hughes, UFC has announced.
"Obviously, the loss of Matt Serra was brutal, but the great thing about the UFC is that we can put together great fights like Hughes-St-Pierre at a moment's notice and bounce right back," said UFC President Dana White. "I have the utmost respect for both Hughes and St-Pierre for stepping up for this fight, and not only are the fans going to see two of the greatest welterweights of all-time settle their score in a rubber match, but they're going to do it in a five round interim title fight, and the winner is going to face off next year against Matt Serra for the undisputed title."A lot of fans will prefer watching St-Pierre fight Hughes to watching Serra fight Hughes, and although the winner will only be the "interim" champion, this is a legitimate title fight. Although the injury to Serra was bad news for UFC, pitting St-Pierre against Hughes for the title and guaranteeing Serra a title shot as soon as he has recovered was the best way to handle it.
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