Alves aims on making name

LONDON – Thiago Alves' family is in the baking business in Brazil. But he was only 14 by the time he knew the world of baking and distributing cookies and cakes was not for him.

By that point in his life, it had become apparent to Alves that he was different than either of his brothers and that life would take a different path. Fighting was in his soul, he said, and he couldn't deny it.

He said he had a passion for it so great that, even at such a tender age, he knew this was where his life was headed.

The family, though, wasn't so sure, at least not at first.

"I told my mother I wanted to be a fighter and she kind of was in shock," said Alves, who is close to the pinnacle of his chosen career and will face ex-UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the main event of UFC 85 at the O2 Arena.

Several years later, Alves' passion for the sport led him to South Florida, where he planned to learn the nuances of mixed martial arts at the American Top Team.

But Alves arrived with a problem: He didn't speak a word of English.

The usual pressure of being away from familiar surroundings for the first time in life was complicated for Alves by the fact that he couldn't understand what was being said.

Ordering food was a chore he had never given a second thought to, but now, it had become a challenge. He usually had someone with him who was able to help, but still not too infrequently he got something he didn't want or hadn't ordered.

But he never wavered in his decision to abandon his homeland – where, ironically, MMA is flourishing – to pursue stardom in the U.S.

Alves speaks flawless English now, the result, he says laughingly, of being forced to pick it up in order to speak with girls he had met.

"When you need to do it badly enough, you learn pretty fast," he said, beaming.

Originally trained in Muay Thai, he was tapped out in his first MMA bout, one that is not on his official record. But he says the bout remains seared in his memory. He was dominating the fight and pounding his opponent from the guard.

As he went to deliver what he assumed would be a final knockout blow, suddenly he was immobilized by a pain in his left arm. He had been caught in an arm bar, though he didn't know what that was at the time.

He's gone on since then to rack up quality wins over quality fighters such as Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle and Karo Parisyan. But even after becoming the first man to stop Parisyan, Alves (14-3) wasn't as high profile among the UFC's welterweights as his record suggested he should be.

Saturday's bout with Hughes, though, could change all that. Hughes has held the UFC's welterweight belt on two occasions and has won nine championship fights. He's arguably the greatest 170-pound fighter and deserves a spot in the UFC's Hall of Fame.

When a series of injuries forced several fighters off the card, including both proposed main event contestants, Chuck Liddell and Shogun Rua, the UFC turned to Hughes to take on the main event, believing his name would help carry the show.

Alves, who stopped Parisyan in the second round of Ultimate Fight Night 13 in suburban Denver on April 2, didn't hesitate to accept the fight against Hughes because he knew it carried with it the possibility of elevating himself to elite status.

"Everybody knows Matt Hughes and they know all of the things he has done in this sport," said Alves, who has won five straight fights and seven of eight. "To me, there was never any question about it. I had to take the fight. I think it's the right time for me, too."

And while Alves concedes that Hughes has a decided experience advantage, he's as confident for the bout as he's ever been. He knows Hughes will try to take him down – Hughes promised at a packed news conference Thursday to "go back to being the old Matt Hughes" – but Alves seems unconcerned.

He prefers to stand and trade blows, but said he'll be prepared if and when Hughes tries to muscle him to the mat.

"It's not like anything he's going to do is going to be a surprise," Alves said. "He's a wrestler and a very strong guy and he's going to try to take me down. I've got a lot of great training partners and we've worked very hard on this and I think I'll be able to surprise some people."

A great performance wouldn't surprise Hughes, who said a win over Alves would "definitely be a notch for me."

Alves, though, doesn't want to be a notch on anyone's belt. And as good as the welterweight division is, he dreams of the day in the not-too-distant future where he rules it. Right now, the champion, Georges St. Pierre, is ranked No. 2 in the Yahoo! Sports poll.

Reaching that type of position is the reason Alves left Brazil and sacrificed nearly everything.

"I've always believed in myself," Alves said. "I had some tough times along the way, but I've gotten better and better. I'm as good now as I've ever been. But I want to get all the way (to the top). I'm not intimidated or afraid to fight a legend like Hughes, because I've always felt these are the kinds of guys I was going to have to beat to get to the point I wanted to get to."