Fighters Only

Issue 036

April 2008

Everyone loves an underdog. Though our brains and wallets are generally with the crowd favorite, our hearts secretly warm up when we see the ‘little guy’ coming out on top. 2007 was a particularly big year for underdogs, as the mixed martial arts world witnessed upset after upset, both in America and Japan.

Even so, one man stood out above the rest. Not only did he manage to shock mixed martial arts fans everywhere, but he also succeeded in shaking up the most talent-stacked division in the entire UFC. That man is none other than Matt “The Terror” Serra.

Born in East Meadow, New York, Serra (9-4-0) began his martial arts career at an early age with kung fu, however, there was a time when he came close to never becoming a fighter. “When I was 17, I enrolled in the delayed entry program in the Marines,” says Serra. “I ended up getting into a street fight and the guy got really hurt. They charged me with a felony, but I ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. After that, the Marines didn’t want to take me. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what the hell I was gonna do with myself. Then my dad showed me a tape of the Gracies.”

Inspired, Serra took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the 1990’s and quickly earned a black belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie (13-6-1). Regarded as one of the most talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the States, Serra holds submission-grappling victories over some of the best fighters in recent history, including top lightweight Takanori Gomi (27-3-0). With an endless list of grappling credentials, including impressive wins at the Abu Dhabi submission wrestling world championships, Serra began his UFC career in 2001.

“I always knew that I wanted to fight,” says Serra. “Even before the UFC I saw some Vale Tudo clips and I was hoping when I reached the right level, I could compete in those events. I was lucky enough to have such a great teacher and friend in Renzo Gracie, who not only gave me the proper training, but also provided me with the opportunities to fight.”

Serra’s climb to the top of the welterweight tree was a true underdog story. The 33-year-old started off in the lightweights with a memorable bout against the charismatic Shonie Carter (38-18-7). Despite losing via a highlight-reel-worthy spinning backfist KO (a move that he has now incorporated into his arsenal), Serra was quick to bounce back and accumulate wins over Yves Edwards (32-13-1) and Kelly Dullanty (4-1-0), before losing to BJ Penn (12-4-1) and Din Thomas (20-7-0).

His inconsistency resulted in him being virtually written off by UFC matchmakers, following a welterweight loss to Karo Parisyan (18-4-0) in 2005. With the coming of a whole list of new welterweight contenders, including Diego Sanchez (17-2-0), Josh Koscheck (9-2-0) and Georges St-Pierre (15-2-0), Serra disappeared from the UFC scene, obscure to all but the most hardcore fans.

After over a year of inactivity, the welterweight was given a rare opportunity: a chance to take part in Spike TV’s fourth Ultimate Fighter series. This time, the producers wouldn’t be looking for hot new talent, but rather they would be giving comeback opportunities to former UFC veterans, something that appealed tremendously to Serra, who by this time had two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools in New York.

“At first it was about promoting myself and my schools,” says Serra. “My schools are how I make my living, so I knew as long as I did good, I could draw more people towards them. I was doing well before the show, but after it, thanks to Spike, it just got ridiculous. People were recognizing me everywhere.”

However, deep down many suspected that there was more to it than pure business. With the comeback opportunity, not only would Serra be able to prove that he still had some fight left in him, but if he won, he would be given the chance to prove that he could hang, and beat, the best the UFC had to offer. That is exactly what he did after winning the series and stopping welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 last April, despite being a 10-1 underdog.

“I felt like Rocky Balboa,” said Serra in a UFC 69 post-fight interview. “I took it one fight at a time, and it paid off. I tried not to think about the money and the title shot. I love being the underdog, which I always have been, going as far back as Abu Dhabi. I love being the underdog because that’s when I’m the most dangerous.”

Although he put on a dominating performance, many disregarded Serra’s win, attributing it simply to luck. A year later, the majority of MMA rankings continue to support this theory by placing Serra, the UFC 170-pound champion, at second place, just under his recently vanquished foe. For many, a single loss simply wasn’t enough to make St-Pierre fall in the rankings.

On April 19, after over a year of inactivity due to injuries, Serra will be given yet another opportunity, a rematch with St-Pierre in Montreal, Canada. Few are expecting the New Yorker to find fan support in what St-Pierre calls his backyard, especially considering the fact that this will be the first UFC event ever held in Canada.

“I don’t mind the boos,” says Serra. “The fact that some Canadians will be yelling for me to die doesn’t offend me. Let it rain down on me, I don’t let it get to my head. Fight night, Montreal, with the crowd booing me, there’s going to be no place on Earth I’d rather be.”

While he might be calm under pressure, many MMA fans claim that Serra is simply not well-rounded enough to beat a top-of-his-game Georges St-Pierre. Most regard Serra’s ground skills as the biggest threat to the French-Canadian, however Serra insists that he’s become much more than just a one-trick pony. ‘The Terror’ feels he has improved in all aspects of his MMA game, and might have to unveil a new skill or two come April. “I’ll be fantastic for this fight,” says Serra. “I don’t have the element of surprise anymore when it comes to standup, it’s caught up to the rest of my game and people now know I can hit. But after this fight, people will know that I’m dangerous everywhere.”

In recent interviews, St-Pierre and Serra admitted that it was unlikely the tilt would go the full five rounds reserved for UFC title bouts. Both men have much to prove, for St-Pierre, a victory here overrides his last loss, whereas a victory for Serra is proof of his legitimacy as the UFC welterweight title-holder. Bottom line, both men have a message to send out and will be looking for the early finish.

“I think St-Pierre’s going to try and make an example of me,” says Serra. “If I got stopped in the first round by a guy that wasn’t supposed to beat me, I’d want to get that guy as soon as possible. So I’m sure Georges is going into this fight thinking he’s got to make an example of me, especially in front of his home crowd.”

Although both fighters have something to prove, there has been a surprisingly low level of insults, threats and disrespect leading up to the fight. Except for a couple of isolated incidents several months ago, neither man has spoken badly about the other in public. Both Serra and St-Pierre are considered humble fighters, which begs the question – who is the good guy come April 19? For Serra, it really doesn’t matter. “This fight hypes itself,” says Serra. “After the last fight, we were both gentlemen, anger doesn’t have to be a factor in what we gotta do. If I’m going to go in there blindly enraged, it won’t help me.”

With less to lose and more to gain, Serra truly is an underdog hero, a people’s champion, a David in a world of welterweight Goliaths. A victory come April 19 proves that Rocky stories can in fact come true. Though he holds the belt, the odds and fans will surely be against him, but it doesn’t seem to matter much to the easy-going American, who confidently predicts the outcome of the bout. “It’s not gonna go five rounds,” says Serra. “And I’ll still be welterweight champion. Those who don’t believe me should pick up a copy of Rocky 4. If you haven’t seen it, it’ll change your life. April 19^th is the same thing, just put the little Italian guy in Canada. I love it.”

The Road to redemption: St-Pierre on Serra

He was destined to become one of the sport’s greatest stars from the first moment he stepped into the UFC Octagon. Young, talented, handsome, and charismatic, Georges St-Pierre (15-2-0) represented not only the future of the UFC welterweight division, but of mixed martial arts in general. He was, and still is, a promoter's dream.

However, anything can happen in a fight, as demonstrated on April 7^th, 2007, when Serra shocked the world by ending GSP’s six-fight winning streak in what many called the upset of 2007. Nearly a year has passed since then, and much has changed. With impressive victories over Josh Koscheck (9-2-0) and Matt Hughes (41-6-0), the Montreal native is still the favorite in the rematch with Serra. “A lot of people say Serra is like Rocky,” says St-Pierre. “They say it’s like Rocky 4, where he’s Rocky and I’m Ivan Drago, but I see it differently. I think it’s more like Rocky 3, where Rocky loses but makes a comeback. I lost the first fight against someone I was supposed to beat, but now I’m back, and this time I will win.”

One thing is for sure, an entire nation will be watching and cheering for the French-Canadian, a fact that doesn’t seem to bother him at all. “I like the pressure,” says St-Pierre. “Yes, I’m fighting in my home, on the main card of the first Canadian event, and with everyone having high expectations, but for me this is all positive pressure, it makes me train harder.”

Looking back on his last defeat, St-Pierre admits that pressure and a lack of mental preparation were largely responsible for his loss, but now, with the stakes raised, every element of his physical and mental arsenal will not only have to be better than Serra’s, but better then ever before, especially if he wants to prove that he’s number one at 170lbs. “There were many bad circumstances [leading to the loss] last time,” says St-Pierre. “But I still lost, fair and square. Having said that, I know I am the better fighter, and the best in the division. I will win this time, I know that for sure.”

GSP on Serra’s jiu-jitsu

“He’s a world champion in BJJ, and he’s very experienced, but I’m going to test him. This is MMA, and it’s very different when you add strikes on the ground. I’m confident I can take him.”

GSP on Serra’s stand-up

“He likes to go for the big shot. What happened last time is not going to happen again, he won’t catch me like that. In fact, I think I will catch him.”

GSP on Serra’s wrestling

“My wrestling is way better than his; I train with Olympic-level wrestlers regularly. I’m much more skilled, confident and have beaten very good wrestlers before.”

GSP on training for the fight

“I’ll be working with the best. Joachim Alcine will be helping me with boxing, the Canadian Olympic team will be here for wrestling, and Nathan Marquardt, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans (plus others from the Jackson camp) will be my MMA training partners.”