Combatwire -- New York

Right now the former UFC champion is taking a break from the usual rigorous training regimen, but as the leaves turn color, Matt Serra turns back to all business.

Despite taking some time off, the Long Island product still managed to watch the main event of the UFC 85 card on Saturday, which featured Thiago Alves delivering a devastating knee to the head of Matt Hughes, knocking out the former champion and earning the win. But all Serra wanted to talk about was Hughes' next match.

"I knew regardless of that fight whether he won or lost that I'd be the next fight," Serra said. "Nothing is signed yet, but that's the fight that I believe the UFC will be looking to make...Hopefully by late fall we can do this."

Originally Serra was supposed to defend his title last December against Hughes, but two herniated discs in his back forced the East Meadow native out of the fight. Current champion Georges St. Pierre stepped in and fought Hughes for the interim welterweight title and won by armbar submission. St. Pierre then defeated Serra by referee stoppage in April at UFC 83 in Montreal for the undisputed title.

"It's a fight that he wants, that I want, the fans want," Serra said. "Noboby is going to be a supporter of both Matt Hughes and myself. It's either one or the other."

The 34-year-old Serra has compiled a 16-5 mixed martial arts record and is 6-5 in the UFC. He originally earned the title at UFC 69 in April of 2007 with a first-round referee stoppage against Georges St. Pierre.

"I have to punch guys in the face, guys I like, nice guys like Georges St. Pierre and Chris Lytle," Serra said. "You think I'm not going to want to jump at a chance to fight Matt Hughes? Come on."

Superhuman conditioning and superior wrestling ability are two things that Urijah Faber is known for.

Now after Sunday night's title defense against mixed martial arts veteran Jens Pulver, tactical boxing can be thrown into the mix as well.

I'll be updating you as best as I can tonight from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for the Elite XC fight card. Tonight the fights can be seen on CBS at 9 p.m., so feel free to join in on the discussion and ask any questions about the fight or the fighters. I'm sure either me or someone else on the comment portion of the blog can answer. IT'S IMPORTANT TO REFRESH THE PAGE SO YOU CAN SEE MY UPDATES.

Right now, Robbie Lawler is shadow boxing in the cage and providing the growing crowd with a couple of dance steps while the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" plays in the background. Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will be in Lawler's corner and looks on from outside the cage and then conducts an interview.

There's a good buzz in here right now as the crew makes the last-minute preparations.

First fight is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. as Garden City's Joe Sampieri takes on Mike Groves in a 155-pound fight. I'll be back in a few...

Here's a story I wrote on Jens Pulver fighting Urijah Faber on June 1. Jens seemed to be in great spirits during the interview. This is Faber's biggest fight to date, so it should be a great one on Sunday.

Here's the story

For Sean Sherk, it's about redemption.

For Lyoto Machida and Keith Jardine, it's about getting to that next level.

For Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva, it's all about returning to that level.

UFC 84 is riddled with crossroads. Mixed martial artists fighting not only for titles but for respect as well. Here are my predictions for Saturday's MGM Grand Garden Arena card in Las Vegas.

Enjoy.

-- Joe Fernandez

There's a picture of former UFC welterweight champion and Long Island native Matt Serra on their web site. The picture reads: "You can help me fight in New York."

The UFC-sponsored site is mmafacts.com. It's main objective is to "educate the readers on the sport of mixed martial arts and to advocate the regulation of the sport in New York," according to a spokesperson.

To have your voice heard, click on the picture of Serra then follow the directions to contact your representative in Albany.

In an effort to have mixed martial arts sanctioned in New York, representatives of the Ultimate Fighting Championship will visit Albany on May 6.

At 1 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center, New York fighters Matt Serra and Matt Hamill, along with UFC staffers Marc Ratner, Lawrence Epstein and Michael Mersch will hold a press briefing, according to a source, then meet with legislators to highlight the positives that they believe MMA would bring to New York, including increased state revenue.

The last Ultimate Fighting Championship show, UFC 83 in Montreal, sold out the Bell Centre with 21,390 people at the April 19 event.

Fightin' Words readers: If mixed martial arts was sanctioned in New York, which two MMA fighters would you like to see headline a card at Madison Square Garden?

With Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's knee injury and more recently Chuck Liddell's torn hamstring, the UFC has decided to shake up its lineup for UFC 85 in London.

Looking at the reality of having a Rashad Evans vs. James Irvin main event, the UFC has announced that former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes will fight Thiago Alves in the final matchup of the O2 Arena card.

According to the UFC, the event can be seen live at 3 p.m. on June 7 in the U.S on pay-per view. With already a couple of changes to the main event, no titles on the line and rising UFC PPV prices, the UFC should consider giving this fight away for free on SpikeTV to the loyal fans that spend nearly $500 a year on their pay-per view shows.

By the way, this is not a good fight for Hughes, who is coming off a devastating loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Alves is hungry and confident after knocking out perpetual welterweight contender Karo Parisyan. I see Alves winning by KO/TKO.

Even though he had a great showing in his middleweight debut at UFC 83 against Charles McCarthy, England's Michael Bisping has a quick turnaround when he fights iron-chinned Chris Leben less than two months after his last fight. Look for Leben, who has two consecutive knock outs, to KO the crowd favorite in the second round.

Fightin' Words readers: Do you think that this card should be seen for free on SpikeTV, or do you feel it deserves to be on pay-per view?

Running on a Bally's treadmill or having the chance to train with Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and Muay Thai kickboxing champions -- The choice is yours.

Former UFC champion Randy Couture is coming to Long Island and he's bringing a gym with him.

The MMA legend is opening a brand new Xtreme Couture MMA & Fitness center in Centereach on May 18. Couture, who owns five other Xtreme Couture gyms across the U.S., will run a seminar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. The 6,000 square foot facility is slated to have a boxing ring, an octagonal cage, mats, and an area for weight training and cardio equipment.

Some of the coaches listed on the site include Port Jefferson product and Suffolk wrestling champion Kurt Wagner, ISKA world kickboxing champion Ken Hewski and strength and conditioning coach Jay Evers. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructors will include Grand Master Francisco Mansur and Jeff Sanford from Kioto Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, an academy with locations all around Long Island.

The gym is located at 2120-A Middle Country Road, Centereach, NY 11720. For more information, visit Xtreme Couture MMA -- New York.

According to the UFC, former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has withdrawn from his June 7 fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 85 because of a torn right hamstring he suffered during training last week.

No replacement has yet been named for the London card. The 38-year-old Liddell (21-5) earned a unanimous decision win against Wanderlei Silva in his last bout at UFC 79 in December.

Liddell was originally slated to fight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, but the former Pride star ruptured the ACL in his left knee for a second time and was forced to withdraw from the card. With most of the major light heavyweights either locked into another fight or injured, Liddell, a major name and star in the sport, will not be easy to replace.

But alas, here's the video again and you should be able to view all three minutes and 15 seconds of it this time. If not, call your local cable provider.