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I really hope Thiago KOs Matt, I just don’t see it happening.
i only got thrugh 1 minute of the video before i got bored. matt warks out hard and is always in great shape, nothing new there. it looked like they were trying to show hughes working alot on his stand-up game. why? you know what he going to do, he’s gonna shoot and try and take you down and gnp or try and submit. if hughes can get a guy on his back and keep him there he is in alot of truoble (except b.j.). if the opponent keeps the fight standing, hughes is in alot of trouble. its not that hard to come up w/ a gameplan to beat hughes its just hard to implement it. im sure alves is working hiss ass off on his takedown defense and sprawl.
B.W: I actually think Hughes uinder trains, He was under training even when he was dominant. Now he might realize that he has to start putting more work in the Gym….1 thing I can guarentee, is that Hughes is not training harder then Tiago Alves.
Not saying Alves will win, but I know Alves will be the better trained fighter.
Alves needs to go to work on Matt’s legs with Kicks early in the fight. All fights have to start standing and Tiago has a ridiculous advantage over Matt in that aspect of the fight. If Matt tries to stand up with Tiago he will get CRUSHED!! However I think Matt will shoot for takedowns right off the bat. alves will be better trained and comes from the better camp…..It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out.
i agree. alves gameplan will be more versified and has more ways to win than hughes. leg kicks and knee strikes when matt shoots. alves is also very dangerous in the clinch w/ his knees and elbows. it is easier said than done though. if alves loses it wont be because he didnt train hard enough, it will be because hughes still has some fight left in him. there is also another aspect in that matt might underestimate alves(hughe’s ego). if so this could make all the difference in the fight. alves wont be underestimating hughes, no one does.
Jon Fitch had no problems taking Alvez down and then he pounded him out. Fitch is an outstanding wrester, but until proven otherwise, GSP, Kos and Hughes are the top 3 wrestlers in the WW divison in my opinion. Fitch coming in at #4. In otherwords, if Fitch can get the takedown on him, I’m pretty sure Hughes can as well.
That was a couple of fights ago. Tiago has stepped his game up, and comes from a hell of a camp, which I am sure has been working day and night on his takedown defense.
Not saying Alves will win, because I really dont know what Hughes has left in him.
As for UFC 85, I am just going to bet Big on Marcus Davis, and throw some chump change on underdogs: Alves and Leites….This event is too hard to call.
B.W: U make a great point about Hughes’s ego….It could end up costing him.
The Fitch fight was 2 years and 5 fights ago. The takedown defense was obvioulsy a problem so gaurenteed he has been working on it, especially with Hughes next… And like b.w. said the Hughes ego will definatly play a role.
John, what happened? You don’t sound so confident about Alves any more.
Everyone knows Thiago is working on TD defense. That’s no revelation. The question is whether or not he can get it good enough to fend off Matt Hughes. I would doubt it, considering how Karo took him down in the last fight.
Hughes has an ego. That ego also makes him not want to lose, and he’ll be ready for this fight.
BNF: i ts not that I am not confident about Alves, its just that I have no idea what Hughes has left in the gas tank. Which makes betting the fight hard.
However my betting Motto is: When one of my fighters
is the underdog….ALWAYS wager something on him. So I will bet Alves for sure. I just wont be betting more then $100 on him…most likely just $50
Hughes is an amazing wrestler, thats why it pains me to see him practice stand up like that. A wrestler can change level easily so he should implement that in his stand up to get his head moving in more than a back and forth motion making for an easy target. The only problem is wrestler plant their feet for balance and you should keep em moving like boxing.
Anyway I see this fight as almost a Hughes GSP1. I think Alves might be a little over his head, he might really come prepared for the fight but once he gets there and the fight begins I just see how Matt could drain that confidence out of him if he takes him down. Hughes is a big guy and can really tire you out if you have to defend against him, good luck to Alves he definetly deserves the shot at Hughes and in my mind is the number 4 WW right now behind Fitch 3, Hughes 2, and GSP 1 (excluding Penn for the time being but I do concede that Penn would beat Hughes). Its going to be exciting and I’m sure Alves will give Hughes a scare in the fight. I think after losing to GSP Hughes will keep his ego in check and make sure to come back stronger
Is Matt training with any pros? Lawler? Or is he just bullying around some cans?
Pat; Hughesus and Robbie both own and run H.I.T-Squad..They left the Miletich camp about a year ago and started their own gym..
Im sure Pat Miletich will help support them by showing up, here and there…
Yes, Lawler trains there, who is actually the ideal sparring partner for Hughes to emulate Alves.
Jeremy Horn has also been there training Hughes, and Jeremy himself is preparing for his June 21 fight against Lister.
There are plenty of pro fighters at HIT squad.
I thought of a good fight last night…carlos condi/nick diaz.
for the record, I got Diaz
Thiago is a big 170lber….that being said, Matt Hughes is a big 170lber and one of the strongest and hes got a pretty decent chin hes taken big shots from GSP and BJ and he never went unconscious to my knowledge. Thiago is always dangerous though.
when do fighters go over to england generally? I’ll admit I was surprised to see Hughes still in the states on elite! I figured last days weight cut, time change and press!
I was thinking the same thing when I saw him in Lawler’s corner. I would think he should be there at least a week in advance.
I was thinking that aswell when I saw him with Robbie…
I would think that fighters would want to get out there around 10 days out….
It is good to get your time-table right, aswell as adjust to the all around difference’s…
He most likely left the next day?..but that would leave only one day shy from a week-out…
But I guess it’s probably not the biggest deal if he did arrive around 5 or 6 days before the fight..
I can’t watch the video, but I’m sure it is the same old Hughes and the same old training. You got to think Alves is getting better training at ATT.
Hughes = My sh#t don’t stink
Alves = My sh#t stinks bad and I will smash it on your face
I hope he gets his block knocked off. I enjoy watching him fight until he opens his mouth. Such a cocky son of a bitch. Maybe another loss with bring some humility to him but I doubt it. Like with GSP, Alves is just too quick for Hughes and explosive for Hughes
Please don’t equate Alves to GSP. Alves is no GSP. Thiago is a better striker, but GSP has a huge advantage in all other areas, most importantly the wrestling/TD defense/ground game aspect, which is what Hughes will attempt to exploit.
Alves wasn’t too explosive or quick to avoid being taken down right to side control by Karo. And once on the ground, Hughes is far better than Karo at keeping guys down, passing guard, and inflicting GNP.
Agreed.
Until he got KO’d I gave that match to Karo too.
I know it often works like that, but I thought Karo was handling him.
I don’t see him getting past Hughes.
hughes training southpaw again… looks like he’s just gonna push that wrestling gameplan all the way…
gotta go back to his bread and butter – his standup wasnt getting him anywhere
i want to say hughes will take this since his only recent losses has come from GSP – but his performances against an out of shape BJ and Chris Lytle havent been dominating to say the least
fitch destroyed… and i mean absolutely ran through alves… all based on being able to take him down – at will – and once he was down just control him there and unleash some decent ground and pound… i see no reason why hughes shouldnt be able to take him down and do what he does best… pound him out… karo was a fool for trying to stand with him… after dominating the first round he tried standing and getting into clinches with the best muay thai practitioner in the division… don’t expect hughes to make the same mistake… i favour hughes here.
The Fitch fight was 2 years ago and Alves is only 24 now so you know he is learning all the time. I’m sure his takedown defense is much improved since then. Obvioulsy fighting Hughes you know what he is working on. I think Alves is constantly evolving as a fighter while Hughes has stayed the same… Alves baby!
How are we sure that Thiago’s TD defense is better? As of now, it’s just an assumption.
And still, it would have to get a ton better to stop Hughes TDs. Hughes is a better wrestler than Fitch, and Fitch got him down with ease time and again. In Thiago’s last fight, Karo got him down within the first minute, right into side control, with a TD from double underhooks. That’s right up Hughes’ alley. So Thiago’s TD defense is likely being overrated.
Alves chance to win is on the feet. On the ground, it’s all Hughes, by sub, GNP, or decision.
We are thinking VERY alike Hardcharger!
Ditto.
TD defense is pretty hard to learn. You can learn proper take down defense wrestling style but that is not a good idea in MMA. The best take down defense is have flexibility and good balance. I really don’t think Alves is going to have the ability to stop Hughes from taking him down. His best hope is to work on RnC and Arm bar defense and then swing for the fence whenever your he’s standing.
i hope hughes puts an end to this cocky kids run! Prediction winner by knockoout due to a patented Matt Hughes Slam!!!!!!!!
Haahaa, Alves is the cocky one?? I’m not sure who will win this fight, but that’s funny!
Hughes trains hard but he will get knocked out
I hope Alves wins. This kid looks really great in his fights, and I do not think that Hughes is exactly on the up-side of things. I predict Hughes loss by TKO. And (assuming GSP wins), I’d like to see GSP/Alves. Actually, I predict that fight to happen. Just my thoughts.
I might be wrong but it looks like Travis Fulton is working the gloves with hughes
That is the boxing coach at HIT Squad, Matt Pena. He was the boxing coach at Miletich before following Hughes and the guys to their new gym.
you are wrong
sorry didnt mean to sound like a dick, Matt Pena is the boxing coach…if Matt Hughes was taken boxing lessons from Fulton, he owuld be in trouble
That gym was empty. lol Funny.
Notice all of the people in the upper level watching the training. You have to remember that most MMA gyms that have pros training there ususally have time slots most everyday for pros exclusively…like a 2 hour time slot. HIT Squad obviously allows people in the gym to hang out/lift weights while the pros use the mat and ring. Xtreme Couture has a similar schedule.
Matt’s back looks sick when he is coming down on the rope!!! I know he has said in the past that he trains extra hard on his back muscles because he feels they are used more in the fight game.
I was a Hughes fan, but I think he’s getting old very quickly.
1) The training facility looks like an abandoned warehouse, and there didnt seem to be anyone training there, haha.
2) Hughes still looks like he doesnt know how to throw a punch. His striking looks horrible in practice so it can only get worse in a fight. Plain and simple, he is just a wrestler who never truely evolved with the sport.
3) Has he ever training to throw a leg kick?? Training boxing is one thing but especially if ur a guy who takes people down you should know how to throw a kick, especially against a striker, u can take away allot of this punching power.
Either hughes wins by a boring decision or Thiago wins by tko. I’m gonna go with Thiago in this fight, hopefully hughes will then fight serra lose again and retire.
Hughes new HIT Squad gym is incredible. It might’ve been a warehouse previously, but it’s got a huge mat and cage area, a boxing ring, tons of heavy bags, weights, cardio, etc. It’s an amazing facility. The fact that nobody else is working probably reflects Matt putting in extra work between scheduled classes at the gym and the time when their pro fighters do their training.
I also wouldn’t get too worked up on thinking that a 3 minute clip would show us everything Hughes is working on for the fight. They’re picking and choosing what type of footage to distribute to the public, which would include guys at ATT. Hughes isn’t going to give away any secrets.
Thats a lot of hate man. Not everybody is naturally talented like GSP. Hughes was fine fighting the way he was until he had to face GSP for a second time. He started seriously training on his boxing then to fix his weakest area. He will beat Alves and then beat Serra and hopefully after that face for the title against Penn. Why does he have to practice leg kicks again? His striking is not the best he is just looking to get into the pocket so he can charge in and get the take down. Man Hughes beat Lyttle by a decision, what other fight did he take to decision? GnP I can understand, submission I can understand but decision? Alves will lose on the ground, no doubt, Hughes will lose standing up no doubt. But I see it as Hughes trying to get in rhyme with Alves kicking style so he can eat one to take him down. From there it is a good struggle but ultimately will end in a RnC. 2nd round at best.
i saw to much Stand up training. i hope he doesnt try to stand w/ Thiago like he did w/ Gsp the second time, or the same thing will happen!
HUGHES IS GONNA WIN THIS FIGHT…WAY 2 MUCH EXPERIENCE FOR ALVES. IF HUGHES GETS THE TAKE-DOWN THEN I CANT SEE ALVES GETTING UP @ ALL.
HUGHES WILL GROUND AND POUND THE WHOLE 3 ROUNDS. GOOD TACTIC 4 HUGHES.
ALSO BISPING WILL WIN VIA TKO IN THE SECOND, WRONG TIME FOR JASON DAY.
its an mma fight, anything can happen, for all we know matt might knock him out with a big head kick. you just never know
Why would Matt Hughes not train for his stand-up. His wrestling is superb. That’s not gettin any better. He may as well work on one of the weaker aspects of his game.
We all know by now Hughes is fighting Serra after this fight. And, if he wins the Alves fight and the Serra fight, he gets a title shot, be it against GSP or Fitch. So, he’s gotta be ready for all 3 of those fights, and he needs to improve his game through the first two.
I’m gonna say Matt beats Alves, beats Serra, and executes a good game plan against GSP in the 4th installment. I’m just not gonna say Matt will win that fight. I dont see GSP losin any time soon. Matt has a lot to fight for with proving the critics wrong about him being done and a shot at the title.
By the time the Serra fight comes around for Hughes (which I think might be the end of the year) its a possibility that Penn might be calling GSP. Knowing the UFC they’ll see this as a perfect deal. If there was enough time after GSP’s fight with Fitch (and if he wins) he could be on the same card with Hughes. It would be GSP Penn and Hughes Serra, four former UFC WW champions, the card could be epic if they had some good undercards like maybe the Bisbing Leben fight. Possibly Anderson Silva finally defends his belt again against Okami. But after the main card between GSP Penn they announce Hughes fights the winner (when he beats Serra). The could really end the year with a bang.There are too many big names for that to be one card but it would be crazy. Why not crank it up a notch, a triple title shot card with Mir and Nog! I’d pay $100 to see that card.
I hear what you’re trying to say, but please don’t give Dana any bright ideas – $100 for a PPV is probably not that far off at this rate. Weren’t we paying $34.95 18 months ago!?
Once someone exploited the weakness in the Gracie Game, everyone followed suit. Yes Matts takedowns are phenominal, but lets face it, he does’nt have anything else. I agree, the question is really can Alves keep the distance and prevent the takedowns. 2 years to prepare after facing a better wrestler than Hughesus, I think his chances are good.