UFC 85, which takes place June 7 in London, has been something of a star-crossed event, with many of the fighters who were supposed to participate (most notably Chuck Liddell) having to pull out because of injuries. So UFC is now promoting the show as a battle of the ages:
The official promotional video makes sure to note that the main event features 34-year-old Matt Hughes against 24-year-old Thiago Alves, and the fight could set up as something of a proving ground for Alves: Beating Hughes would be by far the biggest victory of his career, and it would establish him as an up-and-comer who is younger than champion Georges St. Pierre and who could get a title shot soon.
And one of the reasons that UFC is such a well-run organization is that when UFC is setting up a young, up-and-coming fighter like Alves, it doesn't just hand him easy opponents. A 24-year-old boxer with championship potential would be padding his record against cupcakes. Alves is fighting Hughes, who's still one of the half dozen or so best welterweights in the world. For a show that has lost so many good fighters to injuries, UFC 85 still has an intriguing main event.
The official promotional video makes sure to note that the main event features 34-year-old Matt Hughes against 24-year-old Thiago Alves, and the fight could set up as something of a proving ground for Alves: Beating Hughes would be by far the biggest victory of his career, and it would establish him as an up-and-comer who is younger than champion Georges St. Pierre and who could get a title shot soon.
And one of the reasons that UFC is such a well-run organization is that when UFC is setting up a young, up-and-coming fighter like Alves, it doesn't just hand him easy opponents. A 24-year-old boxer with championship potential would be padding his record against cupcakes. Alves is fighting Hughes, who's still one of the half dozen or so best welterweights in the world. For a show that has lost so many good fighters to injuries, UFC 85 still has an intriguing main event.
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