By Bryan Levick, FightTicker.com live-blogger

Welcome to The Official FightTicker.com UFC 85 Live Blog. Today's card is coming to you live from London England which explains the 3pm start time. A lot of people have said that this card would have been better off being shown for free on Spike and I can see where they are coming from but there are still some important fights on this show. One fight lost some of its luster as far as title implications are concerned and that is the Hughes-Alves fight, I think most of you would agree that if Alves would have beaten Hughes he would have faced the winner of the GSP-Fitch fight which takes place at UFC 87 in August. With Alves' failure to make weight I can not see The UFC putting any real faith in him anytime soon regardless of the outcome of today's fight. Hughes as well know will get his grudge match with Matt Serra win, lose or draw today. Let's review today's card:

Fight previews

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves-Welterweight

As I mentioned above this fight doesn't carry the same importance that it was supposed to, I don't understand what Alves was thinking, he may have just blown the opportunity of a lifetime. This is a classic battle of wrestler vs. striker. One one hand you have arguably the best welterweight in the history of the sport in Matt Hughes, a classic ground-n-pounder with decent striking, great takedowns and good all around submission skills. Hughes is coming off a one sided loss against GSP in December. That was for the interim welterweight title and saw GSP take control from the start and cause Hughes to verbally tap. Alves is riding a five fight win streak culminating in a shocking knockout win over Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night back in April. The last time Alves fought a very good wrestler he was beaten by Jon Fitch. It's simple if Alves can keep this standing he has a chance to KO Hughes, but I see this one taking place on the ground where Hughes can use his strength to keep Alves down and pound out a decision.

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day-Middleweight

Both fighters are coming off strong wins at UFC 83 in April which means both fighters are also coming in with no rest. Bisping was aksed to fight on this card after Liddell and Rua were hurt, The UFC figured Bisping fighting in front of his hometown fans would draw some more interest in this card. He was originally scheduled to take on Chris Leben, but Leben had some legal problems and was taken off the card. Day is a 20 year old Canadian who came away with an impressive 1st round TKO over Alan Belcher in his UFC debut. He is riding a five fight winning streak and is a dangerous submission skills as well as KO power. He has victories over former UFC fighters David Loiseau and Jonathan Goulet as well as a loss to Patrick Cote. Bisping looked fantastic in his middleweight debut, he looked fast, strong and hungry, I like him at this weight and look for great things from him.

Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick-Welterweight

This is the fight I am looking forward to the most. Marcus Davis has been on a roll and packs dynamite in his hands, great stamina and the heart of a lion. He has won six fights in a row with the last three ending in the 1st round. A win here can really move him up the ranks of the WW division and get his name in some serious discussions. Swick will be fighting his second fight in this division. He is coming off an unimpressive majority decision victory over Josh Burkman in January. He didn't seem to have the same explosiveness we are accustomed to seeing from Swick, he was tentative and was too focused on stuffing Burkman's takedowns rather than fighting his fight and being aggressive. This is a tough one to call, it could be an all out war if Swick lets his hands go.

Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites-Middleweight

Marquardt is coming off a submission victory over Jeremy Horn, that says alot considering Horn has only been submitted three times in 55 fight since 2000. Nate is the 7 time King of Pancreas and can be a force in the 185lb division, we all know he was KO'ed by Anderson Silva, but I believe if he gets another shot at Silva he will put on a much better performance. Leites is 12-1 with his only loss coming to Martin Kampmann. He is a submission fighter with 8 of his wins coming by way of tapout. With a win here he could catapult himself into the top contenders.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon Vera-Heavyweight

I have heard that the winner of this fight will take on the winner of Mir-Noguiera which isn't scheduled to take place until the end of the year. Vera is coming off his first career loss to Tim Sylvia. Vera was much smaller than Sylvia and wasn't able to do much especially after breaking his hand early on in the fight. I think Vera is much better suited as a ligh heavyweight, but he wants to fight as a heavyweight. He has strong ground skills to go along with very strong Muy Thai skills. Werdum is coming off a win against Gabriel Gonzaga, Werdum is not overly exciting and is versed in Muy Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. I think Vera has an edge here if the fight stays on the feet, if it goes to the ground Wersum has a slight advantage.

Jorge Rivera vs. Martin Kampmann-Middleweight

This is Kampmann's first fight in over a year as he suffered a devastating knee injury. Kampmann is well rounded with good skills in Muy Thai and wrestling. He could be a force in the MW division if he stays healthy and fights regularly. Rivera is coming off a 1st round TKO win over Kendall Grove at UFC 80. He is an up and down fighter who has a 3-3 record in his last 6 fights. While he does have some power I don't see him as a serious threat to the real contenders of this division.

Matt Wiman vs. Thiago Tavares-Lightweight

Tavares is a real dangerous fighter boasting strong submission skills and dangerous Muy Thai striking. His lone loss was a tough decision loss to Tyson Griffin. He has a bright future and can beat you in many different ways. He is a big fan of the chokes as 8 of his 13 victories has come via some sort of choke, Wiman is 3-1 in The UFC with victories over Justin Buckholz, Michihiro Omigawa and Brian Geraghty, his lone UFC loss came to Spencer Fisher. His nine victories have been pretty diverse with 3 by KO, 3 by submission and 3 by decision.

Roan Carneiro vs. Kevin Burns-Welterweight

Carneiro trains with America's Top Team and is a black belt in BJJ. He is 2-1 in The UFC with wins over Tony DeSouza and Rich Clementi and his loss coming against Jon Fitch. If this fight goes to the ground he has the advantage as he is also a very strong wrestler. Burns is making his UFC debut and is strong in BJJ as well.

Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert-Light Heavyweight

Lambert is a guy who can give you a good fight, he is very strong and has good has very good ground and pound. He lost his last fight against Wilson Gouveia via 2nd round TKO. If he gets on top he is very tough to get off and will utilize his strength to pound out a victory. Cane is coming off a DQ loss to James Irvin at UFC 79. He is also very strong on the ground and boasts good Muy Thai and BJJ skills. He is looking to erase the memory of his last fight in which he was DQ'ed for a knee to face of Irvin while he was on the ground.

Paul Taylor vs. Jess Liaudin-Welterweight

This may be it for Taylor as he is 1-2 in The UFC and is fighting in a stacked division. He has been involved in two Fight of the Nights which tells us he isn't boring, but another loss could end his short UFC career. Liaudin is coming off a 1st round KO loss to Marcus Davis, he talked a lot of smack and didn't back it up and with a 12-9 overall record a loss here could be the end of his UFC run as well.

Antoni Hardonk vs. Eddie Sanchez-Heavyweight

Let's face it neither of these guys is ever going to contend for the HW title. Hardon is 2-2 in The UFC with wins over Colin Robinson and Sherman Pendergarst. His losses have come to Frank Mir and Justin McCully. Sanchez is 3-1 in The UFC with victories over Soa Palelei, Colin Robinson and Mario Neto and his loss came to Mirko Cro Cop. Sanchez is the stronger of the two and should be able to KO Hardonk if not at least outpoint him.

So while there may not be that one star studded fight like the Liddell-Rua match-up, there are some intriguing fights on this card. Leave me some comments.

Live coverage (beginning at 3 PM ET)

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The first fight of the televised card is:

Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum-Heavyweight

Once again my connection went out and when it came back Werdum had Vera mounted and was raining down punches. The ref stopped the fight, Vera was pissed. I think it was premature and wouldn't you know it is the same ref as the one who stopped the Kimbo fight. Winner by TKO at 4:40 of round 1-Fabricio Werdum. Damn Vera is pissed, the crowd is pissed, Vera jumped screaming I'm ok. Werdum did a great job to get into the mount. Vera was covering himself and defending himself perfectly fine.

Up next in the middleweight division it's Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites.

Leites goes for the superman punch but misses. Both fighters feeling each other out. They exchange punches, TL drops NM with a nice right hand and gets full mount, great recovery by NM and they are back on their feet. Combo by NM and TL is wobbly. Great recovery by NM. Round ends. Very close round as TL had it early but NM may have stolen it at the end.

Round 2- They clinch against the fence, no advantage for either guy. Right left combo ny NM and he has TL down, oh an illegal knee to the face by NM and Herb Dean stops the fight, TL gets 5 minutes to recover and NM gets a point deducted. NM comes out aggressive and lands a left right combo and is now in TL's guard. NM is raining down punches and gets warned about punches to the back of the head. TL is bloodied up. Dean stands them up with about 30 seconds left and NM charges TL but winds up on his back as the round ends.

Round 3- Very good fight thus far, lots of back and forth action, that point deduction may cost NM the fight. Leites with a flying knee but NM steps aside and takes him down, TL attempts a triangle but NM escapes and lands a few punches. Oh my God again NM gets another point deducted for punches to the back of the head, talk about being your own worst enemy. NM has to finish this fight now. NM on top, he lands a few punches and TL scores with some elbows from the bottom he is bleeding pretty badly. The fight is over. Winner via split decision Thales Leites(28-27, 28-27, 27-28). Those points deducted obviously changed the outcome of this fight, I'd like to see these guys hook up again.

Up next we have Jason Lambert vs. Luis Cane-Light Heavyweight

I didn't watch this fight I had more problems with my internet, Cane wins via 1st round TKO from strikes.Cane landed some sick punches to the face and Lambert kept trying to get up but he took a lot of punishment, that's two KO losses in a row for Lambert.

Nice next fight is Mike Swick vs. Marcus Davis-Welterweight

I have been waiting for this fight, there should be some fireworks in this one and I swear if my computer goes down Verizon is getting a call from a pissed off King. Phoenix loves Mike Swick right buddy, Swick-Fu.

Round 1- Wow Swick has a 7" reach advantage. Swick throwing head kicks but not connecting, they clinch against the fence. Swick on top, Davis attempts a guillotine from half guard but Swick escapes. Good defense by Davis as Swick tries to pass. Nice pass by Swick as he goes for side control but Davis gets back full guard. Nice elbow from the bottom from Davis. Swick pushes him against the fence, Swick lands some punches from the top. Swick lands a few punches from the top. Not a lot of action, nice elbows by Swick. Some more punches from Swick, Davis looking to escape but Swick is doing a good job controlling him. Swick in complete control of the 1st round. Davis is bleeding badly from the bridge of his nose.

Round 2- Nice left hand by Davis, Swick shakes it off. Nice head kick by Swick he follows it up with a knee and he is on top. Back in Davis' guard, Swick with some body punches. Some left hands from Swick, nice pass from Swick to side control. Davis going for a Kimura, it's a very difficult move from half guard. Elbows the body from Swick, back to their feet. Left from Davis, Davis lands a right nad pushes Swick up against the fence. Swick warned for grabbing the fence. Clinch against the fence nice dirty boxing from Davis, nice knees from Swick. Davis lands an uppercut, Davis on top, he postures up. Swick went for a triangle, take down by Swick into side control. knees to the body by Swick. Another round for Swick.

Round 3- Swick has done a great job of using his height & reach advantage in this fight. Swick lands a nice knee, this is a totally different Mike Swick than his last fight against Burkman. Davis with a left, Swick counters with a knee to the body. Clinch against the cage, Davis backs away, uppercut by Davis. Davis is stalking Swick very aggressively but Swick is fighting smart. Swick has Davis with his back to the cage, knees from both men. Nice knee from the clinch by Swick, single leg attempt by Davis is blocked by Swick great takedown defense by Swick. Swick has a point deducted for holding the fence, that's 3 points tonight taken by the refs. Swick takes Davis down and both fighters throwing punches wildly. Davis bleeding badly, his face is messed up, he came into the fight with a lot of scar tissue on his face. The round ends with Swick on top, even with the point taken away he should win this easily. Great fight, much different than I thought it would go but it was entertaining none the less. Davis congratulates Swick and tells him great job, great show of sportsmanship by both men. This was a great Mike Swick tonight, Davis has nothing to be ashamed of. Winner by unanimous decision Mike Swick.

Up next is England's own Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day-Middleweight

Round 1- Bisping is fired up. He's like a ball of energy, he needs to take it down a notch. Day throws a leg and Bisping catches it. Clinch against the fence, Day with his back to the fence. Bisping takes him down, and lands a couple of good punches. Day trying to get up Bisping hovers over him. Side control for Bisping, back to their feet. Bisping lands a knee and a punch, back to the ground and Bisping in half guard. Full mount for Bisping, he is landing shots to Day's face and head. Relentless attack by Bisping. Day is in trouble and that is it, Bisping dominated Day, very impressive performance, he overwhelmed Day from the start. Elbows and punches ended this one. I stand corrected he didn't need to tone it down he was landing hammer fists, punches, elbows at will. Bisping looked great, he has definitely made the move to middleweight look right. Winner by TKO at 3:43 in the 1st round Michael Bisping. He needs a step-up in competition but he could be a force at 185.

Up next is our main event at a catch weight of 174 between Matt Hughes & Thiago Alves.

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Round 1- Hughes comes out fighting southpaw. Hughes goes for the takedown, Alves sprawls and stops Hughes first shot. Another takedown attempt stuffed by Alves. Alves on top in Hughes guard. Hughes almost had his arm and they are back on their feet. Hughes gets hit with a knee but he gets on top into half guard. He lands some elbows to Alves' body. Alves trying to get up but Huges keeps him down. He lands some punches to the body. Alves gets warned for hitting to the back of the head, Alves is doing a good job. Hughes lands a nice punch to the face. Back up to their feet, Hughes has a single leg, and now Alves is on top. He lands some nice punches to Hughes face, elbows from the bottom by Hughes.

Round 2- NIce knee by Alves and Hughes is on his back. Hughes is bleeding pretty badly. Hughes has a leg and he eats a knee, thats it Hughes is out. He is hurt. Huge win for Alves, it appears Hughes hurt his knee, oh yeah he fell sideways and Alves landed on top of it. He may have seriously injured his knee there. Winner by TKO at 1:02 of round 2 Thiago Alves.

Alves is very sorry for not making weight and begs Dana for a title shot he says he's been a good boy. Hughes is up next and thinks he may have blown his knee out, he gives credit for Alves and says he's a great fighter. Hughes is planning on fighting Matt Serra and that is not going to change. He says his wife wants that fight too. Hughes just didn't look good tonight, Alves was much bigger and faster, the new generation of welterweights is upon us. They all have a long way to go till they get anywhere near Matt Hughes in my opinion.