UFC 117: Ricardo Almeida - “A Rivalry in the Making”
Ricardo Almeida faces Matt Hughes at UFC 117 on August 7th
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Many believe that Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida was matched up against UFC Hall-of-Famer Matt Hughes this August at UFC 117 for rivalry purposes. Hughes has defeated both Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie in the last year, both come from the same New Jersey-based fighting tree as Ricardo Almeida.
Almeida has even gone on record saying that this fight will not be about revenge for him, instead it serves as just the next logical step. Whatever the UFC’s intentions were when they planned this co-main event bout, it really doesn’t matter. They both happen to be top-level welterweights who need a big victory over a tough opponent to earn credit towards a possible championship fight.
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This bout is not going to have much in the way of headlining trash talk between the two fighters. Neither Almeida nor Hughes is big into talking through the media. For “Big Dog” however, no matter what he is saying on the outside, there has to be at least a small part of him that wants to get this victory, not only for himself but also for his teacher (Gracie) and teammates (Serra).
When analyzing this match-up, you really have to start with the obvious – the size difference. This will be Almeida’s second bout as a welterweight, whereas Hughes has fought most of his fighting career in the 170-lb. division. With that being said, if the size does play a factor, it will be minimal. Almeida wasn’t exactly a “big” middleweight, and some even think that welterweight is a natural fit for him.
While the size aspect may not mean all that much, one area that figures to be the deciding factor is the ground game. Will Almeida’s jiu-jitsu and submission skills be enough to offset Hughes’ strength and wrestling prowess? It’s an answer that we almost certainly will find out in a couple of weeks.
Almeida can handle himself on his feet and would probably have the advantage there. Knowing that, I look for that to come into play and force Hughes to try and take Almeida to the canvas. From there, I think the quicker Almeida looks for the fight-ending submission, the better. Hughes has proven in the past that once he gets into the latter rounds, he gets much more comfortable. Whatever side you believe has the advantage in this aspect; they will certainly have the opportunity to prove it, it is just too close to give the edge to either fighter.
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This fight may just have more at stake than you would think, especially for Almeida. With three straight UFC victories, he is a fast rising contender in the welterweight division. A loss will not kill his chances at a future title shot, but it would put a temporarily halt to those plans. Whether he gets that title shot or not, Almeida always seems to gain his opponents’ respect. He always handles himself with class, expect nothing but the same this time around – win or lose.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer