Ricardo Almeida on rivalry against Matt Hughes: “If it was my mother in there, I’d be trying to choke her out”

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“Not at all. I wouldn’t expect anything from him than to try to
knock his opponent out [in the Gracie fight]. 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 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.”

The press has tried their best to hype up the upcoming Matt Hughes
vs Ricardo Almeida UFC 117 co-main event as a “Gracie vs Hughes”
rivalry bout, but the Big Dog tells Tapology.com that
it does not matter who he fights. Hughes has defeated Royce Gracie,
Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie over the past few years, going 3-0 against
the camp.