On Saturday, the UFC will make its inaugural visit to Abu Dhabi and hold the organization’s first outdoor event. On the card that night, Renzo Gracie will be making his Octagon debut in a bout against former UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Hughes.

At 43 years old, Gracie brings a lot of MMA experience. After previously competing for numerous organizations like the IFL and Elite XC, Gracie may be the most famous for allowing Kazushi Sakuraba to break his elbow with a kimura rather than tap out during their fight at Pride 10.

Fighting for the UFC seemed inevitable; however, time passed and it looked like it would never happen, until a simple question from UFC co-owner, Lorenzo Fertitta, finally brought Gracie to the Octagon.

“It was just a chat over dinner. It was me, Lorenzo, the Sheik (of Abu Dhabi) and Dana. Lorenzo looked at me and he goes, ‘what about you, do you think about going back?’”

Before officially signing the contract, Gracie had one stipulation.

“In reality I only had one demand when I shook hands with them because we actually just signed the contract just shaking hands over dinner that day. I only had one demand, I don’t want to fight no tomato cans, no warm-up fight. I want to fight tough people from the beginning.”

Without skipping a beat, the UFC had someone already in mind.

“They go to me ‘what about Matt Hughes? Is that tough enough for you? They gave me the honor of facing Matt Hughes, definitely a guy I admire a lot.”

The fight has an instant story line already built in. Hughes previously fought and defeated Gracie’s cousin, Royce, at UFC 60. While revenge may be in the back of Gracie’s mind, his desire to face top competition is the driving force that brings him back to MMA competition after a lengthy hiatus.

“I know it’s going to be tough. I’m not expecting nothing easy, but I’m looking forward to this fight. I really want to see how my body reacts after two and a half years. In reality I always thought that I could face him (Hughes). I saw a champion in him the first time I saw him. I saw someone who really wanted it, and the desire in the soul of every champion, and he had it. I know it’s going to be tough. I’m not expecting nothing easy, but I’m looking forward to this fight. I really want to see how my body reacts after two and a half years.”

Helping Gracie prepare for his bout are two men who are very familiar with Hughes, current and former Welterweight Champions, Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra.

“His (St. Pierre) point of view is incredible, he’s an unbelievable guy, a very kind guy, and very technical. I did a lot of training with Matt Serra too, and they both help me put my head in the right mindset, and my body in the right direction to be able to pull out a victory in this one.”

UFC 112 will be shown on pay-per-view. Due to the time difference, customers can purchase the event live at 1pm EST or during the rebroadcast at the usual 10pm EST.

(source: MMA Weekly)