The trilogy match is set -- Now will it be "Hughes Strikes Back" or "Return of the Georges?"
Because of an injury to UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, the UFC "scrambled," but quickly found another fighter to challenge Matt Hughes at UFC 79 on December 29.
Their replacement? Only former UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre.
According to the UFC, the fight will be for the interim belt, with the winner facing a healthy Serra some time next year for the undisputed title.
For fans of Serra and Hughes, this was a chance to see the two trade punches instead of just the verbal jabs they've been dishing out to each other. But now with a rubber match between St. Pierre and Hughes and the long awaited Chuck Liddell-Wanderlei Silva fight set for next month, this card should still be one of the best of the year.
"To lose a marquee fight like that and then be able to put together the huge rubber match between St. Pierre and Hughes...I'm serious man, I was flipping out," UFC President Dana White said Monday during a conference call.
But that didn't mean that White wasn't nervous last week when he found out that Serra was sidelined.
"I was on suicide watch for about five hours," White said light-heartedly. "Hughes still wanted to fight. We got out and started looking at potential opponents and St. Pierre stepped up to the plate and said he'd do it. Then Hughes said 'Yes, I'll fight him'. I'm telling you, I had the best and the worst Thanksgiving ever."
During the call, White also spoke of the UFC's versatility in being able to keep a blockbuster card in tact, despite losing the original main event.
"If this was boxing we'd be canceling this whole event, and every ounce of promotion we did would be for nothing," White said. "The fact that we were able to pull an amazing fight like this out of our hat is incredible. Yeah we've got to go out and spend some money and change some advertising -- gladly."
The first matchup between St. Pierre and Hughes at UFC 50 in October 2004 ended with Hughes successfully defending his belt by catching the Montreal native in an armbar at the very end of Round 1. Then in November 2006, St. Pierre won the title by knocking out Hughes in the second round of their UFC 65 matchup.
Even though Hughes still has a score to settle with St. Pierre, that's wasn't his first choice for an opponent.
"My wife says I was a little bit depressed the day I found out about it," Hughes said of hearing that Serra was forced to withdraw. "I was just really excited to fight Matt Serra."
And does St. Pierre want a rematch with the UFC welterweight champion?
"Of course I would like to fight Serra," St. Pierre said. "But to be honest, I think Matt Hughes is a better fighter."