"People say that he’s slowed down—and he’s had some hiccups here and there—but at welterweight he’s really only lost to Georges St-Pierre. His fight with Thiago Alves wasn’t really at welterweight. I’m watching video on this guy and watching his fights and I’m thinking like, what are all of these people watching. It’s MMA; when you win, you’re the greatest and when you lose, you’re done. It just so happens that he has beaten a couple of guys from my team—actually, I felt that Matt Serra won his fight, but hey, I’m biased. I was in the corner with Renzo [at UFC 112] and it was very emotional to see the way that it ended, so I asked Joe Silva for that fight right away and they gave me my wish. It’s just extra motivation, but whether I like or dislike Matt Hughes doesn’t really make a difference. If it was my mother in there, I’d be trying to choke her out and I expect nothing less from my opponent."
-- Ricardo Almeida tells the gang at Tapology that it's nothing personal against Matt Hughes in their welterweight showdown at the upcoming UFC 117: "Silva vs. Sonnen" pay-per-view on Aug. 7 at the Oracle Arena. "Cachorrao" is the winner of three straight, including a submission win over Matt Brown at UFC 111: "St. Pierre vs. Hardy" back in March. His celebration was short lived, however, as his Master and longtime friend Renzo Gracie was stopped by the flinty farmboy at UFC 112: "Invincible" just a month later. Is Almeida the last chance for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to exact revenge on Matt Hughes? Or will the "Big Dog" get housebroken in Oakland?