Matt Serra

Matt Serra
Born	Matthew John Serra June 2, 1974 (1974-06-02) (age 37) East Meadow, New York, United States
Other names	The Terror
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	170.5 lb (77.3 kg; 12.18 st)
Division	Welterweight Lightweight
Reach	68.0 in (173 cm)
Style	Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing
Fighting out of	East Meadow, New York
Team	Serra Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Rank	2nd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie
Years active	1999–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	18
Wins	11
By knockout	2
By submission	5
By decision	4
Losses	7
By knockout	2
By decision	5
Other information
Notable relatives	Nick Serra, brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 26,2010

Matthew John Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and an ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship silver medalist. He began practicing martial arts at an early age, first studying kung fu. In the 1990s, he began studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie and on May 23, 2000 was awarded his black belt, the first American to do so under Gracie. He is one of only two people in MMA to defeat Georges St-Pierre, the other being Matt Hughes.

Biography

Early career

Serra won first place at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American games in 1999 and won third place at the 1999 World Championships in Brazil as a brown belt.^[2] Continuing his Martial Arts career, he competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship choking out Takanori Gomi, winning a decision over Jean-Jacques Machado, and placing 2nd in the 66–76 kg division. Serra was invited to compete in Pride 9 against Johil de Oliveira but the bout was called off at the last minute when Oliveira was burned in a pyrotechnics accident backstage.^[3] Soon after, Matt began to compete in the UFC organization where he built up a record of four wins and four losses.

The Ultimate Fighter

Matt later became a participant in The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback on SpikeTV. On the show, Serra defeated Pete Spratt and Shonie Carter to reach the finals, his win against Carter avenging his infamous highlight-reel KO loss to Carter at UFC 31. On November 11, 2006, Serra defeated Chris Lytle by split decision to become the Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Champion.

His win earned him a guaranteed title shot against Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship,^[4] as well as a $100,000 contract and $100,000 sponsorship with Xyience.^[5]

Winning the title

Serra fought St-Pierre on April 7, 2007 at UFC 69, and won the UFC Welterweight title via TKO at 3:25 of the first round. Prior to the fight Serra was considered a substantial underdog and consequently the fight is considered to be one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

The Ultimate Fighter coach

Serra coached season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show with Matt Hughes. Team Serra finished 6–2 in the first round of fights, winning six consecutive times which gave Serra the right to pick the fights in the second round. However, from then on Serra did not corner a single fighter to victory and saw all his trainees eventually lose out. The finale saw Team Hughes fighters Tommy Speer and Mac Danzig face each other for the title of Ultimate Fighter.^[6]

Serra said in season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that Joe Scarola lost his job at Serra's jiu-jitsu school for quitting The Ultimate Fighter within the first week of the show. In exchange, Scarola opened his own academy which has created a feud among the two former friends.^[7] Relieving Scarola from his duties was difficult for Serra as the two were close friends, with Scarola serving as best man at Serra's wedding.^[8]

The two coaches were scheduled to face off for the UFC welterweight title at the conclusion of the series on UFC 79. Serra, however, was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a herniated disc in his lower back.^[9] The injury became evident when Serra was demonstrating a move to his student and fell to the floor in excruciating pain.^[10] In Serra's place, Georges St-Pierre fought and defeated Matt Hughes for what was then the interim UFC welterweight title.^[11] This led to Serra holding the welterweight title while St-Pierre held the interim title.

After St-Pierre vs Hughes at UFC 79, Serra confirmed to NBC Sports that his back was rapidly improving. He announced that he was scheduled to fight Georges St-Pierre at the first event to take place in Canada, UFC 83.^[12] This match would unify the interim and regular welterweight belts.

Rematch with St-Pierre and fight with Matt Hughes

At UFC 83 on April 19, 2008, Serra fought Georges St-Pierre in a match to determine the undisputed welterweight championship during the UFC's first-ever event in Canada, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.^[13] Instead of striking, St-Pierre pressed the action early with a takedown and kept mixing up his attack, never allowing Serra the chance to mount a significant offense.^[14] In the second round, St-Pierre continued his previous actions, forcing Serra into the turtle position and delivering repeated knees to Serra's midsection.^[15] When Serra was unable to improve his position or defend against the strikes, referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight.^[16]

Serra suffered a unanimous decision loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 98. Serra hurt Hughes early on in the fight with an inadvertent head-butt and a follow-up flurry of hooks. However, Hughes recovered and went on to win a close decision. ^[17] After the fight Hughes and Serra embraced each other and ended their feud.

At UFC 109, Serra defeated Frank Trigg via KO (punches) at 2:23 of the first round, awarding him Knockout of the Night Honors.^{[18] [19]}Serra was rumored to be headlining UFC Fight Night 22 on April 17, 2010, versus Mike Swick, but the fight was turned down by Swick due to an arm injury.

At UFC 119 Serra fought Chris Lytle on September 25, 2010. Serra lost the fight via unanimous decision.^[20]

In an interview with Ariel Helwani at UFC 131 following Chris Weidman's standing guillotine victory over Jesse Bongfeldt, Serra put over his prominent student, and addressed when or if he would be fighting in the UFC in the forseeable future. Between the birth of his second child and the rigors of training (Serra himself confirmed that he weighed somewhere around 200 lbs. at interview time), he likened his current situation to that of Rocky Balboa in the sixth film of the series, saying that he still "had some stuff in the basement". While not naming a specific opponent, the former champion said he'd like to be back in the Octagon sometime in the fall, and just wants an exciting fight.

Personal life

Serra was born to an Italian-American family and currently resides in East Meadow, New York.^[21] Matt and his wife Ann were married on May 26, 2007.^[22] The couple had their first child, a daughter named Angelina, on February 11, 2009. ^[23] The couple had their second child, a girl in April 2011.^[24]

Serra and his brother Nick run two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools at local strip malls in East Meadow, New York and Huntington, New York. Serra currently trains with Ray Longo and trains fighters such as Pete Sell^[25] and Luke Cummo.They fight under the Serra/Longo Competition Team. ^[26]

Championships and achievements

Grappling credentials

• ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships

ADCC 2001

66–76 kg: 2nd place

Record of opponents:

• Won: Takanori Gomi (sub), Jean Jacques Machado (pts), Leonardo Silva Dos Santos (sub)

• Lost: Marcio Feitosa Souza (Conceded victory.)

CBJJ World Championships

1999 Brown Belt Medio: Shared 1st Place

Pan-American Championships

1999 Purple Belt Medio: 1st place. ῼ

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
  • The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner
  • Fight of the Night (One time)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
18 matches	11 wins	7 losses
By knockout	2	2
By submission	5	0
By decision	4	5

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	11–7	Chris Lytle	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 119	02010-09-25 September 25, 2010	3	5:00	Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Win	11–6	Frank Trigg	KO (punches)	UFC 109	02010-02-06 February 6, 2010	1	2:23	Las Vegas, Nevada, US	Knockout of The Night.
Loss	10–6	Matt Hughes	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 98	02009-05-23 May 23, 2009	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Fight of the Night.
Loss	10–5	Georges St. Pierre	TKO (knees to body)	UFC 83	02008-04-19 April 19, 2008	2	4:45	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Lost the UFC Welterweight Championship
Win	10–4	Georges St. Pierre	TKO (punches)	UFC 69	02007-04-07 April 7, 2007	1	3:25	Houston, Texas, United States	Won the UFC Welterweight Championship
Win	9–4	Chris Lytle	Decision (split)	The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale	02006-11-11 November 11, 2006	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won TUF 4 Welterweight
Loss	8–4	Karo Parisyan	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 53	02005-06-04 June 4, 2005	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Return to Welterweight.
Win	8–3	Ivan Menjivar	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 48	02004-06-19 June 19, 2004	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	7–3	Jeff Curran	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 46	02004-01-31 January 31, 2004	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	6–3	Din Thomas	Decision (split)	UFC 41	02003-02-28 February 28, 2003	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	6–2	B.J. Penn	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 39	02002-09-27 September 27, 2002	3	5:00	Uncasville, Connecticut, United States	The first bout of a two-round tournament for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship
Win	6–1	Kelly Dullanty	Submission (triangle choke)	UFC 36	02002-03-22 March 22, 2002	1	2:58	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lightweight debut.
Win	5–1	Yves Edwards	Decision (majority)	UFC 33	02001-09-28 September 28, 2001	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss	4–1	Shonie Carter	KO (spinning back fist)	UFC 31	02001-05-04 May 4, 2001	3	4:51	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	4–0	Greg Melisi	Submission (armbar)	Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 11	02001-02-24 February 24, 2001	1	0:46	Plainview, New York, United States
Win	3–0	Jeff Telvi	Submission (guillotine choke)	Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 7	02000-01-29 January 29, 2000	1	0:30	Plainview, New York, United States
Win	2–0	Graham Lewis	Submission (armbar)	Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 6	01999-08-21 August 21, 1999	1	1:04	Plainview, New York, United States
Win	1–0	Khamzat Vitaev	Submission (rear naked choke)	Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 3	01999-04-01 April 1, 1999	N/A	N/A	Plainview, New York, United States

• Note: His record does not include his two wins while on the Ultimate Fighter where he defeated Pete Spratt and Shonie Carter as they are classified as exhibition bouts.

References

1. ^ "Fight Finder: Matt Serra". 2007. http://www.ufc.com/MattSerra. Retrieved 2007-08-15. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ ATLETA
3. ^ "Johil de Oliveira Speaks on His Blindness and Fighting". www.sherdog.com. http://www.sherdog.com/news/interviews/Johil-de-Oliveira-Speaks-on-His-Blindness-and-Fighting-1615. 
4. ^ UFC 79: Hughes vs. St. Pierre III for Interim Title
5. ^ http://www.ultimate-fighter.ca/ufc-fighter.php?id=67
6. ^ Morning Beatdown: Mac Danzig vs. Tommy Speer
7. ^ Joe Scarola: 'Nerves got to me' in loss to Mac Danzig on TUF 6 (Audio)
8. ^ http://www.cagetoday.com/interview-joe-scarola-opening-his-own-bjj-academy/
9. ^ http://ballhype.com/story/serra_injured_withdraws_from_ufc_79_card/
10. ^ UFC : Ultimate Fighting Championship
11. ^ "Georges "Rush" St. Pierre defeats Matt Hughes at UFC 79". NOWPUBLIC.com. 2007-12-29. http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/georges-rush-st-pierre-defeats-matt-hughes-ufc-79. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
12. ^ Stupp, Dann (January 31, 2008). "MOntreal's UFC 83 Tickets Sale Beginning Sunday". MMA Junkie. http://mmajunkie.com/2008/01/31/montreals-ufc-83-tickets-sale-beginning-sunday/. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
13. ^ "UFC 83: SERRA Vs. ST-PIERRE 2". CANADASTARBOXING.com. 2010-09-26. http://www.canadastarboxing.com/ufc/2008/ufc83/bout.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
14. ^ "UFC 83 Play-by Play". SHERDOG.com. 2008-04-19. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-83-Play-by-Play-12383. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
15. ^ "UFC 87 odds: Seek & Destroy". YFC.POINTSPREAD.com. 2010-09-26. http://ufc.pointspread.com/handicapping/UFC-87-odds-Seek-Destroy. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
16. ^ "UFC 83 live results". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2008-04-19. http://mmajunkie.com/news/4176/ufc-83-live-results.mma. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
17. ^ "UFC 98 RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY & PHOTOS". MMAWEEKLY.com. 2009-05-23. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-98-results-and-play-by-play-photos-2. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
18. ^ "UFC 109 play by play and live results". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-02-06. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17844/ufc-109-play-by-play-and-live-results.mma. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
19. ^ "UFC 109 bonuses: Sonnen, Marquardt, Thiago, and Serra earn $60K each". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-02-0. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17855/ufc-109-bonuses-sonnen-marquardt-thiago-and-serra-earn-60k-each.mma. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
20. ^ "UFC 119 main-card recap: Mir scores knockout win, Bader outlasts "Little Nog"". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-09-26. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20790/ufc-119-main-card-recap.mma. Retrieved 2010-09-29. 
21. ^ UFC : Ultimate Fighting Championship
22. ^ Blog entry that states when they were married
23. ^ "Matt Serra has a Baby Girl!". Serrajitsu.com. 2009-02-13. http://www.serrajitsu.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=19. Retrieved 2009-02-20. 
24. ^ "Congrats to Matt Serra: 2nd Baby Girl!". Thegarv.com. 2011-04-21. http://thegarv.com/Congrats-to-Matt-Serra-2nd-Baby-Girl.html. Retrieved 2011-06-04. 
25. ^ "Matt Serra". MMAPLAYGROUND.com. 2010-09-26. http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/matt-serra-36.html. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 
26. ^ "Q&A: Luke Cummo prepares for a battle at UFC 69". MMAFIGHTING.com. 2007-04-02. http://www.mmafighting.com/2007/04/02/qa-luke-cummo-prepares-for-a-battle-at-ufc-69/. Retrieved 2010-09-26. 

External links

• Matt Serra MySpace
• Official UFC Profile
• Matt Serra profile
• Official site
• Professional MMA record for Matt Serra from Sherdog

Preceded by Georges St-Pierre

7th UFC Welterweight Championship April 7, 2007 – April 19, 2008

Succeeded by Georges St-Pierre

Persondata
Name	Serra, Matt
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 2, 1974
Place of birth	East Meadow, New York, United States
Date of death
Place of death