Matt Serra
Born
(1974-06-02) June 2, 1974 (age 50)
East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Nickname
The Terror
Height
5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight
170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Division
Welterweight (1997–2002, 2005–2010)
Lightweight (2002–05)
Reach
68 in (173 cm)
Style
Fighting out of
East Meadow, New York, United States
Team
Rank
5th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie
Years active
1997–2010
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
Occupation
Entrepreneur and Coach
Notable relatives
Nick Serra, brother
Medal record
Representing 
United States
2001 Abu Dhabi
–77kg
1999 Brazil
Middleweight -82kg (Brown)
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.
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]
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]
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.
In 2006, Serra became a participant on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The ComebackonSpikeTV. 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 LytleatThe 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]
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.
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.
AtUFC 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 CentreinMontreal, 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 HughesatUFC 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.
AtUFC 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.
AtUFC 119 Serra fought Chris Lytle on September 25, 2010. Serra lost the fight via unanimous decision.[27]
In an interview with Ariel HelwaniatUFC 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 GardeninNew York City.[28]
As of June 2016, Serra currently hosts the official UFC podcast UFC Unfiltered with comedian Jim Norton as co-host.[29]
On the 5th July 2018 Matt Serra was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2018 in the pioneer wing.[30][31]
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]
Jigoro Kano → Mitsuyo Maeda → Carlos Gracie, Sr. → Helio Gracie → Rolls Gracie → Carlos Gracie, Jr. → Renzo Gracie → Matt Serra
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
Decision (unanimous)
September 25, 2010
3
5:00
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win
11–6
KO (punches)
February 6, 2010
1
2:23
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Knockout of the Night.
Loss
10–6
Decision (unanimous)
May 23, 2009
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Fight of the Night.
Loss
10–5
TKO (knees to the body and punches)
April 19, 2008
2
4:45
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Lost the UFC Welterweight Championship.
Win
10–4
TKO (punches)
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
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
Decision (unanimous)
October 19, 2006 (airdate)
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Semifinal bout.
Win
Exhibition
TKO (submission to punches)
September 28, 2006 (airdate)
1
3:26
Quarterfinal bout.
Loss
8–4
Decision (unanimous)
June 4, 2005
3
5:00
Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Return to Welterweight.
Win
8–3
Decision (unanimous)
June 19, 2004
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win
7–3
Decision (unanimous)
January 31, 2004
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss
6–3
Decision (split)
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
Decision (unanimous)
September 27, 2002
3
5:00
Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win
6–1
Submission (triangle choke)
March 22, 2002
1
2:58
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Lightweight debut.
Win
5–1
Decision (majority)
September 28, 2001
3
5:00
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss
4–1
KO (spinning back fist)
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
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
4 Matches, 3 Wins (2 Submissions), 1 Loss
Result
Rec.
Opponent
Method
Event
Division
Date
Location
Lose
3-1
Forfeit*
ADCC 2001
–77 kg
2001
Win
3-0
Submission (rear-naked choke)
Win
2-0
Points
Win
1-0
Submission (rear-naked choke)
No
Event
Fight
Date
Venue
City
PPV buys
1.
St-Pierre vs. Serra
7 April 2007
400,000
2.
St-Pierre vs. Serra 2
19 April 2008
530,000
3.
Hughes vs. Serra (CO)
23 May 2009
Las Vegas, Nevada United States
635,000
Total sales
1,565,000
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7th UFC Welterweight Championship
April 7, 2007 – April 19, 2008
Pioneer Wing
Ken Shamrock Dan Severn Randy Couture Mark Coleman Chuck Liddell Matt Hughes Tito Ortiz Pat Miletich
Bas Rutten
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Don Frye Maurice Smith
Kazushi Sakuraba Matt Serra Rich Franklin Kevin Randleman Jens Pulver Anderson Silva Wanderlei SilvaModern-Era Wing
B.J. Penn Urijah Faber Ronda Rousey
Michael Bisping Rashad Evans
Georges St-Pierre
Khabib Nurmagomedov Daniel Cormier Jose Aldo Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone Frankie Edgar
Joanna JędrzejczykContributors
Jeff Blatnick Bob Meyrowitz Joe Silva Bruce Connal Art Davie Marc RatnerFights
Forrest Griffin Community Award
Max Holloway
Giga Chikadze Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira Matt Hughes (2) Georges St-Pierre Matt Serra Georges St-Pierre (ic) Georges St-Pierre (2) Carlos Condit (ic) Johny Hendricks Robbie Lawler Tyron Woodley Colby Covington (ic)
Kamaru Usman Leon EdwardsSeason (Winner)
Finale
