Ask and you shall receive...

Moments after I finished my last post, which included a question of which fighter (Hughes or Serra) would get a shot at the Welterweight title, I stumbled upon this little tidbit, which tells us that it will be Hughes to get the first shot. I suppose that the decision follows the logic of Hughes being in line for his title rematch even before St. Pierre lost the belt. Therefore, they both deserve shots at the title, but Hughes would come first. Another possibility is that since Dana White (a good friend of Hughes) was booking the match, he disregarded rematch order and put Hughes first simply because it will make for a better match up. The games of Hughes and Serra, respectively, match closer than either with St. Pierre, who is a more fluid and multi-disciplined fighter. The Hughes-Serra fight, most likely scheduled to take place at UFC 74, would probably sport a better chance of Serra retaining his title, as Hughes is seen as aging and most internet columnists expect St. Pierre to utterly destroy Serra in the rematch.

If Hughes is able to win back his title, the UFC would then be able to kill two birds with one stone, giving St. Pierre his rematch (albeit against a stronger competitor than Serra) and providing the fans with the much-anticipated Hughes-St Pierre III. Recent UFC rubber matches have included blockbusters such as Sylvia-Arlovski and Liddell-Couture. Hughes-St. Pierre would be no less spectacular. If Serra wins, then St. Pierre will be afforded the opportunity to avenge his only career knockout loss. (He avenged his only career submission loss with a knockout of Matt Hughes at UFC 65). No matter how this love triangle plays out, it should provide the UFC with enough fodder for two or three PPVs (UFC 74 & UFC 77/78), essentially giving White and Co. until 2008 to bring some new talent into the division. While the Serra victory may have not been the easiest thing for matchmakers and website writers to decipher, it will end up piquing the most interest and providing the best fights for the fans.