“Just because I think he’s a jerk doesn’t mean I think he’s a bad fighter,” Serra told FanHouse.

Serra was originally slated to fight Hughes at UFC 79 in December of 2008, but back-to-back injuries have forced both fighters to postpone their grudge match until this Saturday.

When asked if the beef between he and Hughes is legitimate Serra responded emphatically by saying, “I really don’t like the guy.”

Although he hasn’t competed since losing his title to reigning champ Georges St-Pierre at UFC 83, Serra isn’t too concerned about ring rust.

He did admit that he would’ve preferred to see more action during that time span, however the injury bug is a part of sports and he’s fallen prey to it over the last few years.

“The only fight I want to fight right now, the only person I want to fight is Matt Hughes,” Serra said. “I feel like it’s something that never got finished. We were on that show together. And it’s not only for us, for everybody, for the fans, for us, for everything.”