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UFC 79: Matt Hughes vs. Georges St. Pierre III for Interim Title (Updated)

Posted by MMA Junkie on November 24, 2007 at 9:47 pm ET

 

Georges St. PierreGeorges St. Pierre (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) will fill in for injured UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and fight Matt Hughes (41-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) for the interim title at UFC 79.

 

The five-round title fight will headline the Dec. 29 pay-per-view event, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

 

The stunning announcement came Saturday evening from UFC.com. Hughes confirmed the fight on his official website, matt-hughes.com.

 

Additionally, a source close to the UFC today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that St. Pierre showed no hesitation in taking the fight on short notice.

 

We passed along the news from early Friday morning that Serra had suffered a herniated disc. The injury occurred during a workout session earlier this week, prompting an announcement that the fighter would be unavailable to compete at UFC 79. Serra, who won the title by upsetting St. Pierre at UFC 69 in April, coached opposite Hughes on the current sixth season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The show was supposed to build up to their title fight.

 

Serra doesn’t know how long the injury will keep him sidelined.

 

However, possibly fearing the worst, UFC President Dana White decided to book the interim title fight. Apparently, though, it didn’t come without a few stipulations from Hughes.

 

“I’ve asked for this to be for an interim title, and if Matt Serra can’t fight in a year, then this would just be the title fight,” Hughes stated on his site. “But I don’t know if that is going to happen right now. I will keep you all posted.“

 

Hughes and St. Pierre have fought twice before. Hughes won the first match-up at UFC 50 in 2004. Facing an undefeated French-Canadian who has just begun to garner some international fame, Hughes submitted his opponent in the final seconds of the first round with an arm-bar.

 

After reclaiming top-contender’s status, St. Pierre again took on Hughes at UFC 65 in November 2006, where he picked apart the longtime MMA veteran to score a second-round TKO.

 

However, St. Pierre would lose his belt to Serra in his very next fight. Serra had earned the title shot by winning the welterweight division of a special comeback season of “The Ultimate Fighter.“

 

 

Hughes rebounded from his loss to St. Pierre with a victory over Chris Lytle at UFC 68. The win guaranteed him a title fight. And while he and Serra filmed “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra,” St. Pierre got back into the title picture by scoring a unanimous-decision victory over Josh Koscheck at UFC 74, which earned him a title shot. His title shot was expected to come in March or April of 2008, when he’d face the winner of Hughes vs. Serra.

 

“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,” White stated. “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.“

 

This is actually the second “interim” title White has created in the past two months. Sean Sherk, who’s currently awaiting an appeal of a failed UFC 73 drug test, will face the winner of an interim fight between Joe Stevenson and B.J. Penn when his suspension ends. White, saying he was fed up with the California State Athletic Commission’s handling of the appeal, recently decided to book the Stevenson vs. Penn bout for UFC 80, which takes place Jan. 19 in Newcastle, England.

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  • 2 weeks later...
QUOTE(Mr. Showtime @ Dec 8, 2007 -> 06:56 PM)
Supposed to be an announcement from Dana tonight.

 

Rumor is either a deal to air a show on network tv (CBS), or that Forrest and Rampage will be the coaches on the next Ultimate Fighther.

Any one hear what it was? My tivo cut off.

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QUOTE(RockRaines @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 01:43 AM)
Any one hear what it was? My tivo cut off.

Griffin is one of the TUF coaches for Season 7. The other will be announced tomorrow on the Video Game Awards. White said Griffin was the #1 contender, then later said he would fight the other coach, so I'm guessing it will be Rampage

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QUOTE(max power @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 03:37 AM)
Weak. So we don't get to see rampage fight until when? June?

 

At which point, he will absolutely maul Griffin.

 

I don't follow UFC too closely, more of a casual fan. But, it seems to me that Forrest Griffin is the Notre Dame of UFC. Hasn't he lost an awful lot, and he still continues to get these big pushes?

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QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 09:46 AM)
At which point, he will absolutely maul Griffin.

 

I don't follow UFC too closely, more of a casual fan. But, it seems to me that Forrest Griffin is the Notre Dame of UFC. Hasn't he lost an awful lot, and he still continues to get these big pushes?

 

I wouldn't say that, he lost to Jardine and then he cameback and beat Shogun Rua in his last fight which was a HUGE win for him.

 

Forrest is a huge star, always has great fights, and is an extremely charismatic guy. In the UFC it's not always about won-loss records, it's about guys who can make you want to see a fight, and then deliver a good fight in the octagon.

 

 

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QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 03:46 PM)
At which point, he will absolutely maul Griffin.

 

I don't follow UFC too closely, more of a casual fan. But, it seems to me that Forrest Griffin is the Notre Dame of UFC. Hasn't he lost an awful lot, and he still continues to get these big pushes?

 

He's 6-2 in the UFC and has faced pretty good competition (Bonnar, Tito, Jardine, Shogun).

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QUOTE(CrimsonWeltall @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 11:32 AM)
He's 6-2 in the UFC and has faced pretty good competition (Bonnar, Tito, Jardine, Shogun).

 

You can make a case that he won that Tito fight as well. Forrest has really rounded out his game as of late training with Randy in Vegas.

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QUOTE(max power @ Dec 9, 2007 -> 02:37 AM)
Weak. So we don't get to see rampage fight until when? June?

He has a broken hand, so he wasn't going to fight until the spring at the earliest from what I heard. I imagine with the Serra injury making an interim WW belt, Sherk getting stripped of his belt due to testing positive and being upheld in CA, and the mess that is the Coture situation, Dana prefered to keep the belt on Rampage, promote him with TUF and sort out the contenders below him over the next 6-8 months

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  • 2 weeks later...
QUOTE(The Critic @ Jan 1, 2008 -> 01:48 PM)
GSP absolutely and thoroughly dominated Matt Hughes.

It was textbook. St. Pierre was never in any kind of trouble whatsoever.

Matt Serra's in trouble when he comes back from his injury.

Agreed. It was just amazing how helpless Hughes looked against GSP.

 

I'm very excited for GSP to get some revenge against Serra. Should be a good fight. I don't think GSP will get caught again by Serra.

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What's this I hear about Mayweather entering MMA?

 

And what's this I hear about Old Mayweather thinking... well,

 

"He needs to leave that s*** alone. He’s going to get the same f***ing thing Vince Phillips got; leg broke, arm broke or whatever. Vince Phillips got his arm broke. You can’t mess with that…that’s what they do. You can’t beat nobody at their own game."

 

"All of this he talking about right now, this martial arts s***, I’m telling you, he about to get broke the f*** up right now. I’m telling you, he could forget all of that stuff being cute and how you supposed to hit somebody with a check hook. Man, them motherf***er’s going to take that check hook motherf***er and squeeze your guts out. I’m just being real with you man."

 

"If he ever want to take a motherf***in’ loss, you bout to take one right now motherf***er. Go ahead and try that. One of them motherf***ers grab you and bing, bing…hit the floor twice motherf***er and it’s over with."

 

"Lil Floyd about to get his ass tore up man. He ain’t about to whoop them motherf***ers. He can forget that s***!"

 

"Man, let me tell you something, they don’t even need a referee for this s*** right here. They ain’t going to need a referee because he’s going to tap his own self out if he’s able."

 

"They going to break his f***ing limbs. One of them motherf***ers hit him upside his f***ing head and he may never be the same. I’m just telling the truth."

 

"He ain’t got to worry about retiring. When they get through with his ass, he will be retired. He will be retired f***ing with them motherf***ers. They would love to fight him. This ain’t no f***ing boxing; ain’t none of these motherf***ers scared of his ass. I’ll fight one of them motherf***ers if they just want to throw their guards up. I’m old and I’ll beat they ass, but when they start talking about that going to the ground, elbows and knees and all of that, man f*** that s***. I ain’t about to go in there. Them motherf***ers dangerous man. One thing about it, them guys can take a f***ing punch man. Those guys will laugh at Lil Floyd when he hit them."

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QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jan 3, 2008 -> 06:35 PM)
What's this I hear about Mayweather entering MMA?

 

And what's this I hear about Old Mayweather thinking... well,

From what i've read it would only be with Mark Cuban's promotion. And Mayweather would only be doing it strictly for the money.

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