Matt Serra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Matt Serra | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Matthew John Serra June 2, 1974 East Meadow, New York |
| Other names | The Terror |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 170.5 lb (77.3 kg; 12.18 st) |
| Division | 170 |
| Reach | 68.0 in (173 cm) |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Boxing |
| Fighting out of | East Meadow, New York |
| Team | Serra Jiu-Jitsu[1] |
| Rank | black belt in BJJ |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 0 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
|
|
|
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.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early career
Matt won first place at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American games in 1999. Serra 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.
[edit] 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]
[edit] Winning the title
Serra fought St. Pierre on April 7, 2007, and won the UFC Welterweight title via TKO at 3:25 of the first round.[6] Prior to the fight, Serra was considered a substantial underdog.[7]
[edit] 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 didn't corner a single fighter to victory and saw all his guys eventually lose out. The finale saw Team Hughes fighters Tommy Speer and Mac Danzig face each other for the title of Ultimate Fighter.[8]
Matt 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. [9] 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.[10]
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.[11] The injury became evident when Serra was demonstrating a move to his student and fell to the floor in excruciating pain.[12] In Serra's place, Georges St. Pierre fought and defeated Matt Hughes for what was now the interim UFC welterweight title.[13] 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.[14] This match would unify the interim and regular welterweight belts.
[edit] 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.[15] 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.[16] In the second round, St-Pierre continued his previous actions, forcing Serra into the turtle position and delivering repeated knees to Serra's midsection.[17]
When Serra was unable to improve his position or defend against the strikes, referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight.[18] Though St-Pierre demoralized Serra in the ring he was gracious to his defeated opponent and asked the crowd to restrain themselves and show Serra some respect to which the crowd cheered Serra. Serra in turn bowed graciously before St-Pierre.
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 followed by some heavy punches, however after a very competitive fight, that saw Serra rally late, Hughes was awarded a narrow decision victory. [19] After the fight Serra and Hughes embraced each other and ended their feud.
Serra and his team have confirmed that he is set to fight former 2 time welterweight title challenger Frank Trigg.
[edit] Personal life
Serra was born to an Italian-American family and currently resides in East Meadow, New York.[20] Matt and his wife Ann were married on May 26, 2007.[21] The couple had their first child, a daughter named Angelina, on February 11, 2009. [22] Matt owns and operates the Serra Jitsu schools, one in Huntington, NY and the other in East Meadow, NY.[23]
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 including,Pete Sell,[24] and Luke Cummo.[25] They fight under the Serra/Longo Competition Team.
[edit] 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: =3rd Place
Pan-American Championships
1999 Purple Belt Medio: 1st place. ῼ
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 15 matches | 9 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 4 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Frank Trigg |
UFC 109 | February 6, 2010 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
||||||
| Loss | 9–6 | Matt Hughes |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida | May 23, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Loss | 9–5 |  Georges St. Pierre |
TKO (Knees to body) | UFC 83: Serra VS St-Pierre 2 | April 19, 2008 | 2 | 4:45 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Lost UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 9–4 | Georges St. Pierre |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 69: Shootout | April 7, 2007 | 1 | 3:25 | Houston, Texas, United States |
Won UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 8–4 | Chris Lytle |
Decision (Split) | The Ultimate Fighter 4 Finale | November 11, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Won TUF 4 Welterweight division |
| Loss | 7–4 |  Karo Parisyan |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 53: Heavy Hitters | June 4, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
Welterweight division |
| Win | 7–3 | Ivan Menjivar |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 48: Payback | June 19, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
|
| Win | 6–3 | Jeff Curran |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 46: Supernatural | January 31, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
|
| Loss | 5–3 | Din Thomas |
Decision (Split) | UFC 41: Onslaught | February 28, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
|
| Loss | 5–2 | B.J. Penn |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 39: The Warriors Return | 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 | 5–1 | Kelly Dullanty |
Submission (Triangle Choke) | UFC 36: Worlds Collide | March 22, 2002 | 1 | 2:58 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
|
| Win | 4–1 |  Yves Edwards |
Decision (Majority) | UFC 33: Victory in Vegas | September 28, 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
|
| Loss | 3–1 | Shonie Carter |
KO (Spinning Back Fist) | UFC 31: Locked and Loaded | May 4, 2001 | 3 | 4:51 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |
UFC debut |
| Win | 3–0 | Greg Melisi |
Submission (Armbar) | Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 11 | February 24, 2001 | 1 | 0:46 | Plainview, New York, United States |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Jeff Telvi |
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 7 | January 29, 2000 | 1 | 0:30 | Plainview, New York, United States |
|
| Win | 1–0 | Graham Lewis |
Submission (Armbar) | Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 6 | August 21, 1999 | 1 | 1:04 | Plainview, New York, United States |
- Note: His record does not include his two wins while on the Ultimate Fighter as they are classified as exhibition bouts.
[edit] References
- ^ "Fight Finder: Matt Serra". 2007. http://www.ufc.com/MattSerra. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
- ^ ATLETA
- ^ "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.
- ^ UFC 79: Hughes vs. St. Pierre III for Interim Title
- ^ http://www.ultimate-fighter.ca/ufc-fighter.php?id=67
- ^ Fight Finder - UFC 69 Shootout Mixed Martial Arts Statistics
- ^ The Shreveport Times
- ^ Morning Beatdown: Mac Danzig vs. Tommy Speer
- ^ Joe Scarola: ‘Nerves got to me’ in loss to Mac Danzig on TUF 6 (Audio)
- ^ http://www.cagetoday.com/interview-joe-scarola-opening-his-own-bjj-academy/
- ^ http://ballhype.com/story/serra_injured_withdraws_from_ufc_79_card/
- ^ UFC : Ultimate Fighting Championship
- ^ http://www.nowpublic.com/sports/georges-rush-st-pierre-defeats-matt-hughes-ufc-79
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.canadastarboxing.com/ufc/2008/ufc83/bout.htm
- ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/UFC-83-Play-by-Play-12383
- ^ http://www.pointspread.com/Misc/Boxing/content/UFC-87-odds:-Seek-%2526amp%3B-Destroy
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/4176/ufc-83-live-results.mma
- ^ [1]
- ^ UFC : Ultimate Fighting Championship
- ^ Blog entry that states when they were married
- ^ "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.
- ^ Serra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu - Matt Serra and Nick Serra - Long Island, New York
- ^ http://www.mmaplayground.com/article/matt-serra-36.html
- ^ http://www.mmafighting.com/interviews/2007/04/02/qa-luke-cummo-prepares-a-battle-ufc-69
[edit] External links
- Matt Serra MySpace
- Matt Serra profile
- Official site
- Professional MMA record for Matt Serra from Sherdog
- Matt Serra's blog about The Ultimate Fighter 4
| Preceded by Georges St-Pierre |
7th UFC Welterweight Championship April 7, 2007 – April 19, 2008 |
Succeeded by Georges St-Pierre |
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
