Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
by unanimous decision at UFC 98 As for this match, it played out the way you’d expect a Matt Hughes victory to look. Hughes was cautious at the outset of each round to avoid getting into a striking battle. When he took Matt Serra down, he was unable to pass guard, do significant damage or come close to a submission. However he was able to keep his opponent down while maintaining top position. Serra on the other hand was able to come close to a stoppage with a head butt and rabbit punch combination. Much like his first match with GSP, the rabbit punch was surely unintentional. He would have far too much respect for Hughes to attempt anything underhanded. When the final horn sounded, both men did the mutual admiration routine. It seemed forced, given everything that had been said beforehand. Scenes like this should really take the edge off of feuds to come. Why bother getting worked up about the hatred if it doesn’t really exist? Luckily for Dana and co., we’re all too eager to eat up the pre-fight trash talk to think clearly about what’s really going on. Despite only getting a close decision victory, Hughes seemed invigorated by his performance. He’s not even close to being on Dana’s death watch list, so he could easily have a few fights left in his career. Serra decided he wanted to go eat some pasta. It’s likely he was able to achieve his goal with relative ease. Next Fight: Machida vs. Evans
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