Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

After a buzz-filled MMA weekend fades into history, the UFC tries to regain center stage. Unfortunately for them, they have to do it with UFC 85, an event that has been plagued by changes to the card because of a rash of injuries to key fighters.

Chuck Liddell vs. Shogun Rua was the original headline match for the card, and a worthy one at that, but after both suffered training camp injuries, neither will be bringing their star power to the event.

A host of potential matches had to be thrown in the wastebasket as UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva constantly went back to the drawing board for the event, which will emanate from London on Saturday.

At least seven matches had to be reshuffled due to reasons stemming from injuries to a jail sentence for probation violations that robbed Chris Leben of training time.

What once upon a time was a marquee matchup between top light-heavyweight eventually ended up a bout between a highly decorated welterweight nearing the end of his run and a young, hungry fighter hoping to advance his career with a key win.

Thiago Alves has been on a roll lately in the UFC, having won five straight matches, including an April victory over Karo Parisyan, his most notable win to date. In that bout, Alves lost the first round but rebounded with a knee that rocked Parisyan to the mat before finishing him with ground and pound.

But in Matt Hughes (43-6), he is facing a different kind of test. While Alves arguably has more well-rounded standup skills than Hughes, the former welterweight champion has made a career of taking strikers out of their element with takedowns and keeping them on their backs.

“Thiago’s got a very good takedown defense and he does a good job mixing his striking up with his defense, so that’s one thing I’ve really got to be aware of,” Hughes said in a recent conference call. “But I can be relentless if I need to be. B.J. Penn is a very hard person to take down and I finally got him to the ground. So I know that’s just one thing. I can’t depend on that first move to take Thiago down. I got to look at the second, third and fourth move to possibly take Thiago down.”

Hughes took the fight with the understanding that win, lose or draw, he would get his long-awaited fight with Matt Serra, the brash Long Islander and former welterweight champ who he verbally sparred with for a season of The Ultimate Fighter.

While some have wondered whether Hughes can truly focus on Alves with the fight he truly wanted still ahead, Hughes brushes the thought aside.

“Right now, I’m not even worried about Matt Serra, what I’m worried abut is Thiago,” he said. “As Thiago is, I’m sure, not looking down the road. He’s worried about me right now.”

Hughes has just two fights left on his current contract, but says he feels physically great and that he has at least three or four fights left in him before the 34-year-old calls it a career.

Alves, meanwhile, despite 16 pro fights (13-3 record) is just 24 years old, having made his pro debut just days after he turned 18. The Brazilian trains with the vaunted American Top Team camp, and despite being a jiu-jitsu black belt, actually prefers standup fighting, and is known for throwing lots of leg kicks.

“Matt Hughes is a wrestler, so he’s got many different takedowns to use,” Alves said. “He’s a strong guy, and been in the game forever. I’ve got to just prepare myself for everything. He’s been a champion and been around forever.”

Apart from his strong wrestling, Hughes is known for making strong opinions, and he didn’t hold back when asked about his views on the upcoming welterweight title match between champ Georges St. Pierre and challenger Jon Fitch.

Video   Alves: "I hope he brings his A-game" Thiago Alves is ready for Matt Hughes, wherever the fight goes. NBC Sports

“GSP really mixes his striking and his MMA up with his wrestling, so it could go a lot like Koscheck-GSP,” he said. “I just don’t think Fitch has got the wrestling ability to really do anything to GSP. If you look at Fitch’s resume, he’s not an outstanding wrestler at all. Does not have the records or titles that Koscheck has, and GSP absolutely killed Koscheck in the wrestling weorld. So, to be honest, I kind of see GSP as being a very heavy favorite in the fight.”

And while Hughes would like one more shot at the gold before he calls it quits, he understands that is not a given. And the reason is precisely because up-and-coming fighters like Alves understand the opportunity they are given when they step into the ring with him.

The kid has a chance to make his mark; the legend is trying to keep the glory days alive.

“Everybody knows Matt, he’s a legend,” Alves said. “He’s been in the game forever. I grew up watching him slamming people to the ground, and it’s a pleasure for me to fight him. I’m really excited.”

UFC 85 also features local favorite Michael Bisping (15-1) making his second appearance as a middleweight when he takes on Jason Day. Bisping debuted at 185 just a month-and-a-half ago with a TKO win over Charles McCarthy. After all the injuries decimated the card, the UFC asked him if he’d be ready and he agreed to the fight having come out of his UFC 83 win relatively unscathed.

Day (17-5), made his octagon debut at UFC 83, scoring a first-round TKO of Alan Belcher. When Leben had to pull out his scheduled fight with Bisping, Day jumped at the opportunity. The veteran showed a well-rounded game in his first UFC match, utilizing a strong rubber guard to ward off any damage from Belcher on the ground before taking over the fight with effective muay thai striking.

A heavyweight tilt between Brandon Vera (8-1) and Fabricio Werdum (10-3-1) will help clear up the muddle in that division. Vera lost his last bout by decision to Tim Sylvia, who recently bolted the UFC for the new Affliction organization. Werdum rebounded from a lackluster loss to Andrei Arlvoski with an impressive second-round TKO over former No. 1 contender Gabriel Gonzaga.

Full UFC 85 card
Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes
Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day
Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
Thales Leites vs. Nate Marquardt
Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert
Kevin Burns vs. Roan Carneiro
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Eddie Sanchez vs. Antoni Hardonk

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