/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28897437/gyi0061809379.0.jpg)
Let's get it on?
The social worlds of two retired former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champions, and rivals, collided last evening when Matt Serra jokingly responded to a random question, revealing that he'd rather "hit" than "roll" with Matt Hughes.
Hughes responded literally minutes later, calling Serra, for all intents and purposes, fat. And from that quick Twitter exchange, a rematch was booked, pending the approval of company president Dana White.
See for yourself:
Hughes, 40, currently serves as the promotion's Vice President of Athlete Development & Government Relations. It's an honorary position, however, he accepted reluctantly, admitting that he "wasn't real happy" when his hand was forced into mixed martial arts (MMA) retirement on the heels of back-to-back knockout losses to B.J. Penn and Josh Koscheck.
Serra, meanwhile, officially retired last year thanks to "health-related concerns" amidst losing three of his last four professional bouts inside the Octagon. He now serves the role of coach, one who -- alongside Ray Longo -- helped lead Chris Weidman to the 185-pound Promise Land.
But, if both fighters are serious -- and White rubber stamps their improbable returns -- it would be a fun rehash of their first encounter, which went down at UFC 98 in May 2009. The rivalry stemmed from a beef that hatched during the filming of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 and was supposed to culminate with a 170-pound world title fight at UFC 79 before an injury to then-champion Serra postponed 1.5 years later.
When the pair finally did square off at the aforementioned UFC 98, the tilt featured a head butt and illegal blow to the back of the head from Serra, but eventually ended up with Hughes dominating the wrestling and securing the anti-climactic unanimous decision victory.
Both fighters hugged and shook hands after the match, supposedly putting their heated rivalry behind them. But, now it seems the two have some unfinished business and an itch to scrap once more.
Should White and Co. scratch it?