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Hughes tears knee ligaments in Alves fight

Former UFC welterweight champion unsure of surgery to fix problem

Image: Matt Hughes
Josh Hedges / Zuffa
Matt Hughes tore knee ligaments in his recent loss to Thiago Alves, but surgery may not be required to fix the problem.
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By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
updated 4:15 p.m. ET June 25, 2008

Image: Mike Chiapetta
Mike Chiappetta

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UFC welterweight Matt Hughes has a torn MCL and partially torn PCL in his left knee, but the injuries may not require surgery, Hughes noted on his personal website.

Hughes suffered the injuries during his UFC 85 loss to Thiago Alves earlier this month.

It is unclear how the injuries will affect his next likely match, against rival Matt Serra.

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The match was originally scheduled for last December's UFC 79, but was scrapped when Serra suffered a herniated disc during training. Georges St. Pierre stepped in to replace Serra and defeated Hughes for the interim championship.

After Serra lost his rematch with George St. Pierre in Montreal earlier this year, it was expected that Serra and Hughes would finally meet, but first, Hughes took the match with Alves on short notice to add starpower to an injury decimated event.

Alves won via second-round TKO, and it appeared Hughes injured his leg in the final moments of the bout.

"They really think that the PCL will repair itself and that MCL has a chance of repairing itself. So we’re going to hold off on surgery right now," Hughes wrote on his blog, adding that he would be getting a second opinion soon.

Some believe that the fight with Serra will be Hughes' swan-song in the octagon, although he's given no public hints at retirement.

The 34-year-old is one of the most decorated MMA fighters in history, holding a 43-7 record. The two-time welterweight champion once held the belt for a 26-month stretch between November 2001 and January 2004.

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