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Matt Serra

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Matt Serra
Serra in 2024
Born (1974-06-02) June 2, 1974 (age 50)
East Meadow, New York, U.S.
NicknameThe Terror
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
DivisionWelterweight (1997–2002, 2005–2010)
Lightweight (2002–05)
Reach68 in (173 cm)
StyleBrazilian jiu-jitsu
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofEast Meadow, New York, United States
TeamSerra-Longo Fight Team[1]
Rank5th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie
Years active1997–2010
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins11
By knockout2
By submission5
By decision4
Losses7
By knockout2
By decision5
Other information
OccupationEntrepreneur and Coach
Notable relativesNick Serra, brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  United States
Submission Grappling
ADCC World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2001 Abu Dhabi –77kg
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship[2]
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Brazil Middleweight -82kg (Brown)
Pan American Championships[3]
Gold medal – first place 1999 EUA Middleweight -82kg (Purple)

Matt Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) competitor and a former UFC Welterweight Champion. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co-host of the official podcast of the UFC, UFC Unfiltered, alongside Jim Norton.

Serra defeated Pete Spratt, Shonie Carter and Chris Lytle en route to becoming The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner. He captured the UFC Welterweight Championship immediately after. Serra also served as the head coach for The Ultimate Fighter 6 reality show opposite Matt Hughes, and he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. In grappling, Serra holds a Silver Medal in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.

Serra began practicing martial arts at an early age, starting with Wing Chun. In the 1990s, he began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie. In 2000 he became the first American to be promoted to black belt by Gracie. In addition to competitive bouts with UFC Hall of Famers Hughes and B.J. Penn, Serra's biggest accomplishment in mixed martial arts came at UFC 69 where he defeated Georges St-Pierre in a Knockout of the Night award-winning performance to capture the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Background

Serra was born to an Italian-American family in East Meadow, New York. His father is a retired policeman in New York City and his late mother was a stay-at-home mom.[4] Serra has an older sister and brother, and two younger brothers. Serra's father was enthusiastic about mixed martial arts, and Matt first began Wing Chun at an early age.[5] As a teenager he began competing in wrestling.

Serra went to East Meadow High School, while in high school he enrolled in the United States Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program.[6] In 1991 Serra got into a fight with the brother of a former girlfriend during which he bit the other boy’s ear. Serra received a felony charge, later changed to "disfigurement”. His Marines recruiting officer told him that the felony charge would keep him out of the Corps.[7] After joining a Rorian and Royce Gracie seminar in Waterbury, Connecticut, he decided to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ). Serra trained under Craig Kukuk, the first American BJJ black belt,[8] who at the time shared an academy with Renzo Gracie. In 2000 Serra became the first American to receive his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie.[9]

Early career

Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling

Serra won first place at the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 1999 and third place at the 2000 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Brazil, in the brown belt division.[10] Serra competed in the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship choking out Takanori Gomi, winning a decision over Jean Jacques Machado, and placing 2nd in the 66–76 kg division. Serra decided to forfeit the final against his teammate Marcio Feitosa.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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.[12] Soon after, Serra began to compete in the UFC where he built up a record of four wins and four losses. One of the losses was a close decision fight with future Welterweight and Lightweight champion B.J. Penn which would have earned him a title shot in the failed Lightweight tournament.

The Ultimate Fighter

In 2006, Serra became a participant on 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 at The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale 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, as well as a $100,000 contract and $100,000 sponsorship with Xyience.[13]

Winning the welterweight title

Serra fought St-Pierre on April 7, 2007, at UFC 69, and won the UFC Welterweight Championship by TKO via punches at 3:25 in 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.[14]

Serra said in season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter 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.[15] 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.[16]

The two coaches were scheduled to face off for the UFC Welterweight Championship after the conclusion of the series at UFC 79. Serra, however, was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a herniated disc in his lower back.[17] The injury became evident when Serra was demonstrating a move to his student and fell to the floor in excruciating pain.[18] In Serra's place, Georges St-Pierre fought and defeated Hughes for what was then the interim UFC welterweight title. 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.[19] This match would unify the interim and lineal welterweight belts.

Rematch with St-Pierre, fight with Matt Hughes, and retirement

At UFC 83 on April 19, 2008, Serra fought Georges St-Pierre in a match to determine the undisputed welterweight champion during the UFC's first-ever event in Canada, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.[20] 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.[21] In the second round, St-Pierre continued his previous actions, forcing Serra into the turtle position and delivering repeated knees to Serra's midsection.[22] When Serra was unable to improve his position or defend against the strikes, referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight.[23]

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.[24] 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.[25][26] 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.[27]

In an interview with Ariel Helwani at UFC 131 Serra addressed when or if he would be fighting in the UFC in the foreseeable 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". [citation needed]

On May 22, 2013, Serra retired from MMA, stating he would only return to MMA again to fight at an event held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[28]

UFC Unfiltered

As of June 2016, Serra currently hosts the official UFC podcast UFC Unfiltered with comedian Jim Norton as co-host.[29]

UFC Hall of Fame

On the 5th July 2018 Matt Serra was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2018 in the pioneer wing.[30][31]

Personal life

Matt and his wife Ann were married on May 26, 2007.[32] The couple have two daughters born in February 2009 and April 2011.[33][34]

Serra co-owns a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Huntington, New York with his younger brother Nick. He currently trains with Ray Longo and trains fighters such as former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman, former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Gian Villante, Pete Sell,[35] Luke Cummo, and The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finalist Al Iaquinta. They fight under the Serra-Longo Fight Team. After being absent from Aljamain Sterling's corner for UFC 259, Serra announced that he would be retiring from cornerman duties moving forward, although he would still remain as head coach for Serra-Longo Fight Team.[36]

Instructor lineage

Jigoro Kano → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. → Helio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Carlos Gracie, Jr. → Renzo Gracie → Matt Serra

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Grappling credentials

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
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–7 Chris Lytle Decision (unanimous) UFC 119 September 25, 2010 3 5:00 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win 11–6 Frank Trigg KO (punches) UFC 109 February 6, 2010 1 2:23 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Knockout of the Night.
Loss 10–6 Matt Hughes Decision (unanimous) UFC 98 May 23, 2009 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 10–5 Georges St-Pierre TKO (knees to the body and punches) UFC 83 April 19, 2008 2 4:45 Montreal, Quebec, Canada Lost the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 10–4 Georges St-Pierre TKO (punches) UFC 69 April 7, 2007 1 3:25 Houston, Texas, United States Won the UFC Welterweight Championship. Knockout of the Night. First fighter to win both a The Ultimate Fighter Tournament and Ultimate Fighting Championship title.[citation needed]
Win 9–4 Chris Lytle Decision (split) The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale November 11, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament. UFC Welterweight title eliminator.
Win Exhibition Shonie Carter Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter 4 October 19, 2006 (airdate) 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semifinal bout.
Win Exhibition Pete Spratt TKO (submission to punches) September 28, 2006 (airdate) 1 3:26 Quarterfinal bout.
Loss 8–4 Karo Parisyan Decision (unanimous) UFC 53 June 4, 2005 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Return to Welterweight.
Win 8–3 Ivan Menjivar Decision (unanimous) UFC 48 June 19, 2004 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–3 Jeff Curran Decision (unanimous) UFC 46 January 31, 2004 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 6–3 Din Thomas Decision (split) UFC 41 February 28, 2003 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Matt Serra was declared the winner in the Octagon. But a referee commented that he scored wrong giving Thomas the victory later.
Loss 6–2 B.J. Penn Decision (unanimous) UFC 39 September 27, 2002 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Lightweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 6–1 Kelly Dullanty Submission (triangle choke) UFC 36 March 22, 2002 1 2:58 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lightweight debut.
Win 5–1 Yves Edwards Decision (majority) UFC 33 September 28, 2001 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 4–1 Shonie Carter KO (spinning back fist) UFC 31 May 4, 2001 3 4:51 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 4–0 Greg Melisi Submission (armbar) VATV 11 February 24, 2001 1 0:46 Plainview, New York, United States
Win 3–0 Jeff Telvi Submission (guillotine choke) VATV 7 January 29, 2000 1 0:30 Plainview, New York, United States
Win 2–0 Graham Lewis Submission (armbar) VATV 6 August 21, 1999 1 1:04 Plainview, New York, United States
Win 1–0 Khamzat Vitaev Submission (rear-naked choke) VATV 3 April 1, 1998 1 0:36 Plainview, New York, United States

Vale Tudo rules

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 2–0 Scott Schultz Submission (armbar) New York Regional April 7, 1999 1 3:35 Manhattan, New York, United States Pancrase Rules
Win 1–0 Bob Smith Decision (unanimous) Bama Fight Night 1 April 24, 1997 1 10:00 Bayside Academy of Martial Arts in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States Open Weight

ADCC submission grappling record

4 Matches, 3 Wins (2 Submissions), 1 Loss
Result Rec. Opponent Method Event Division Date Location
Lose 3-1 Brazil Marcio Feitosa Forfeit* ADCC 2001 –77 kg 2001 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
Win 3-0 Brazil Leonardo Silva Dos Santos Submission (rear-naked choke)
Win 2-0 Brazil Jean Jacques Machado Points
Win 1-0 Japan Takanori Gomi Submission (rear-naked choke)
  • Serra lost to Feitosa in what appeared to be a very controversial decision. It was tradition when two practitioners from the same school meet each other in a tournament, the lower ranking student in that school's hierarchy will generally forfeit the match out of respect.

Pay-per-view bouts

No Event Fight Date Venue City PPV buys
1. UFC 69 St-Pierre vs. Serra 7 April 2007 Toyota Center Houston, Texas United States 400,000
2. UFC 83 St-Pierre vs. Serra 2 19 April 2008 Bell Centre Montreal, Quebec, Canada 530,000
3. UFC 98 Hughes vs. Serra (CO) 23 May 2009 MGM Grand Garden Arena Las Vegas, Nevada United States 635,000
Total sales 1,565,000

References

  1. ^ "Fight Finder: Matt Serra". 2007. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  2. ^ Report https://ibjjf.com/events/results/1999-world-jiu-jitsu-ibjjf-championship Report. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ Report (Matt Serra's name is not listed on the official IBJJF website. However, he was in fact middleweight champion at purple belt. It is important to note that many old records are private and personal. I'm from Rio de Janeiro, from the Carlson Gracie school and I know people (Alex Negão for example) who confirm that Matt Serra was champion.) https://ibjjf.com/events/results/1999-pan-jiu-jitsu-ibjjf-championship Report (Matt Serra's name is not listed on the official IBJJF website. However, he was in fact middleweight champion at purple belt. It is important to note that many old records are private and personal. I'm from Rio de Janeiro, from the Carlson Gracie school and I know people (Alex Negão for example) who confirm that Matt Serra was champion.). {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ Curreri, Frank (July 5, 2012). "The Matt Serra Diet". ufc.com.
  5. ^ Dain, Ann (April 7, 2008). "Matt Serra: The People's Champ Gives Tips to Local Fighters". bleacherreport.com.
  6. ^ Jim Norton (August 2, 2016). "UF13: Cub Swanson and Jamey Jasta" (Podcast).
  7. ^ Rothstein, Michael (2018-06-26). "Matt Serra reflects on Hall of Fame career, life after fighting". ESPN.com.
  8. ^ Rogers, Kian (23 January 2024). "Who Are The BJJ Dirty Dozen?". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Matt Serra". BJJ Heroes – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News. 2012-02-26.
  10. ^ "ATLETA".
  11. ^ "Matt Serra". BJJ Heroes - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News. 2012-02-26.
  12. ^ "Johil de Oliveira Speaks on His Blindness and Fighting". www.sherdog.com.
  13. ^ "Matt Serra Fighter Profile – Ultimate Fighter". www.ultimate-fighter.ca. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  14. ^ Morning Beatdown: Mac Danzig vs. Tommy Speer
  15. ^ Joe Scarola: 'Nerves got to me' in loss to Mac Danzig on TUF 6 (Audio)
  16. ^ CagE (December 6, 2007). "Interview: Joe Scarola Opening His Own BJJ Academy". Cage Today. Archived from the original on 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  17. ^ "Future PLC – Connectors, Creators, Experience Makers".
  18. ^ UFC : Ultimate Fighting Championship Archived 2007-11-24 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Stupp, Dann (January 31, 2008). "MOntreal's UFC 83 Tickets Sale Beginning Sunday". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  20. ^ "UFC 83: SERRA Vs. ST-PIERRE 2". CANADASTARBOXING.com. 2010-09-26. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  21. ^ "UFC 83 Play-by Play". SHERDOG.com. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  22. ^ "UFC 87 odds: Seek & Destroy". YFC.POINTSPREAD.com. 2010-09-26. Archived from the original on 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  23. ^ "UFC 83 live results". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2008-04-19. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  24. ^ "UFC 98 RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY & PHOTOS". MMAWEEKLY.com. 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  25. ^ "UFC 109 play by play and live results". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-02-06. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  26. ^ "UFC 109 bonuses: Sonnen, Marquardt, Thiago, and Serra earn $60K each". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-02-07. Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  27. ^ "UFC 119 main-card recap: Mir scores knockout win, Bader outlasts "Little Nog"". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-09-26. Archived from the original on 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
  28. ^ Marrocco, Steven (May 22, 2013). "Ex-UFC champ Matt Serra is retired – barring fight in Madison Square Garden". mmajunkie.com.
  29. ^ "The latest 'UFC Unfiltered' podcast features an epic troll of Matt Serra that simply must be heard". MMA Junkie. 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  30. ^ "2018 UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Ronda Rousey, Matt Serra headline this year's class". CBSSports.com. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  31. ^ Hiergesell, Dan (2018-04-21). "Serra To Be Inducted Into UFC Hall Of Fame This July". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  32. ^ Blog entry that states when they were married Archived 2007-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ "Matt Serra has a Baby Girl!". Serrajitsu.com. 2009-02-13. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  34. ^ "Congrats to Matt Serra: 2nd Baby Girl!". Thegarv.com. 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  35. ^ "Matt Serra". MMAPLAYGROUND.com. 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  36. ^ "Matt Serra Explains Decision to Retire as Cornerman After UFC 259". 13 March 2021.
  37. ^ a b Gross, Josh (18 December 2009). "MMA: Highlights and lowlights". SportsIllustrated.com.
  38. ^ "Upset of the Decade". Bleacher Report.
  39. ^ a b "MMA Awards of the Decade". Fight Matrix.
  40. ^ "The best of the decade: 10 biggest MMA upsets". Yahoo! Sports.
  41. ^ a b c d e "Matt Serra". UFC.ca. 14 September 2018.
Preceded by 7th UFC Welterweight Championship
April 7, 2007 – April 19, 2008 		Succeeded by
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