Renzo Gracie says he's fighting Matt Hughes to "restore family pride."

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Renzo Gracie will become the latest fighter to represent the storied Gracie name in the UFC when he meets former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

Gracie (13-6-1 1NC) is a highly-regarded practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, continuing the tradition of a family that has produced some of the sport's greatest champions, and wielded tremendous influence over MMA as a whole.

Although Gracie has trained many UFC fighters and fought widely in other promotions including Japan's defunct Pride organization, his fight with Hughes will mark his UFC debut. Currently Gracie is riding a three-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming by way of DQ against Frank Shamrock at EliteXC: Destiny in 2007.

"I have been a professional mixed martial artist since 1992, and my family helped create the very first UFC event in 1993, but I have never fought in the UFC myself," Gracie wrote in a blog for the Telegraph. "I came close several times in my career, but it never worked out. Now, aged 43, I will finally fight in the Octagon, against Matt Hughes, the two-time former champion. Hughes beat my cousin, and the first ever UFC champion, Royce Gracie four years ago and this isn't a fight for revenge but to restore family pride. Matt Hughes is a very strong fighter, he has great wrestling and takedowns. He is dangerous. My strength is Gracie jiu-jitsu, which was an art created by my family years ago in Brazil where the opponent's strength is used against him."

Hughes (43-7) established himself during his title reign as the most dominant welterweight champion in UFC history, claiming the belt for the first time with a victory of Carlos Newton at UFC 34 and following with five consecutive title defenses before being dethroned by BJ Penn at UFC 46. Hughes regained the belt with a win over current champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 50 and avenged his loss to Penn at UFC 63, during a stretch that also saw him defeat original UFC champ Royce Gracie in a non-title fight.

Since his win over Penn, Hughes has seemed unable to impose his will the way he used to in the Octagon, losing the belt to St. Pierre at UFC 65 in a fight that marked the beginning of a disappointing period that has seen him go 2-3 in his last five fights. Most recently, Hughes won a hard-fought decision over Matt Serra at UFC 98.

"I have been at home in New York, training," Gracie stated. "I was training with current UFC welterweight champion George St-Pierre, who has fought Hughes three times and beat him twice. Georges defended his title on Saturday in Newark against England's Dan Hardy. I was going to go to Abu Dhabi very early, but I stayed to help Georges prepare. He looked very good in training. This is the first time I have trained with him, his BJJ is very, very good and he's improved every day. He is amazing. I cannot believe how quickly this guy picks things up. Training with GSP is great for me, too. In reality, his takedowns are amazing. It is the timing, he can time them perfectly to get you off balance and he shoots in very quickly. This is great preparation for me for Hughes, who I very much want to beat."

Gracie will face Hughes on April 10 at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, in an event that will mark the first time the organization has come to that country and also the first time it has hosted an open air contest. UFC 112 will be headlined by two title matches, as middleweight champ Anderson Silva defends his belt against Demian Maia and lightweight champ BJ Penn meets Frankie Edgar.