Heavy.com reported in October that Renzo Gracie’s UFC debut would happen against veteran welterweight Matt Hughes. Gracie initially responded by saying that he wanted to fight Hughes, but that it would not happen in his first bout.
Our UFC sources now tell us that it’s “extremely unlikely” that Renzo Gracie will fight anyone other than Matt Hughes in his debut. Hughes recently indicated on his website that he’d secured a fight for April, but declined to say who he would be facing. Our UFC sources declined to name the opponent for Hughes, saying that it will be announced on UFC.com shortly.
Heavy.com has confirmed that Hughes and Gracie are not under consideration for coaching assignments on the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, however.