By Bryan Levick (BryanLevick@mmaratings.net)
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra is never afraid to speak his mind. In fact, his brash attitude is what causes MMA fans to either love him or hate him.
Whether or not you are a fan of Serra, you have to pay the man some respect. In 2000 he became the first American to be awarded a black belt under the legendary Renzo Gracie.
Although his record isn’t imposing there are few men who have faced the caliber of opponent that Serra has which includes B.J. Penn, George St. Pierre, and Matt Hughes.
When it’s all said and done Serra can retire to Long Island where he will continue to run his two successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools – and being a world champion is one thing that no one can ever take from him.
As he prepares for next month’s UFC 109 bout with Frank Trigg, Serra spoke of one of the habits he has had to break himself of – his love of carbs.
“Since your office is in Woodbury, you aren’t too far away from Patsies Pizza! Too bad I can’t eat there anymore. I know I joke around with Joe Rogan a lot about eating Lasagna but the truth be told I can’t eat any pasta when I am three months out from a fight.”
When asked about how his training camp was going he was quick to state feels as good as he ever has.
“My training is phenomenal, I am actually on my way over to Ray Longo’s right now. I feel great and I am looking forward to have some more fun inside the octagon.”
Being at this point in his career one would have to assume that Serra is looking to fight bigger names. While he said himself this is true, he said he has not, and will not ever turn down a fight.
When talk turned toward Trigg, Serra detailed how the bout came to fruition.
“The UFC came to me and offered Trigg. I originally was looking to rematch with Matt Hughes but I heard that he wasn’t interested. I was just sitting around and it made sense. It’s a pretty intriguing fight, he’s been around as long if not longer than I have. I always thought it would be an interesting fight. Style wise he is tough to get to the floor. I think it will be a very exciting fight and that’s what I am looking for.”
Trigg is generally known for his wrestling and dangerous ground and pound. Serra added what he thought was most dangerous about the man they call “Twinkle Toes.”
“His best tool is to get the fight to the mat and utilize his ground and pound.”
“I have to make sure my jiu-jitsu is on point, I have been working a lot from the bottom. He’s very similar to Hughes but I think he will be more aggressive if he gets on top than Hughes was. Hughes wasn’t nearly as active as I thought he would be. I see Trigg looking to take me out. I’m just looking to keep it out of the judges hands because I haven’t had a lot of luck in that department.”
The mere mention of Hughes’s name is a bone of contention with Serra.
“When the judges see you on the bottom it’s not a good thing. I thought I won the first and third rounds. Unfortunately it really doesn’t matter what I think. I was more active and I was never in any danger. I should have been busier and I can use that as a lesson I guess. I thought I had him in trouble with a kimura in the third round. In the first everyone made a big deal about the headbutt, it was the overhand right that hurt him.”
He’s become resigned to the fact that he won’t get another crack at Hughes so he looks ahead to Trigg.
“I take every fight as it’s my last. I want to take all of this in and soak it up and enjoy it. I can’t look past Trigg, he may have got caught by Koscheck but he’s still a tough guy. This fight is going to be a battle.”
At 35 years old Serra still has some good fights left in his 5’6” frame. How many remains to be seen.
“I have no plan as far as that goes, I enjoy fighting, I love to compete. I will always have my schools and my teaching. I love the martial arts in general, I enjoy being on the front line. If I feel as though the flame inside me is about to burn out then I won’t continue to fight. As I said I take it fight by fight, I don’t have a five year plan or anything.”
When the octagon door closes behind him for the last time Serra will have a lot to look back on, including some pretty memorable fights with some of the best mixed martial artists in the world.
“I have fought a who’s who of fighters. From Hughes to BJ Penn, GSP twice, everyone I have fought were quality opponents. Whether or not they were champions, they were top contenders at the very least. I’m very proud of that, just as proud of that as I am about the fact that I was a world champion. “
Moving forward, Serra talked about if there were any fights that truly excited him as both a welterweight and a lightweight.
“There’s not any one in particular that jumps out and makes me say oh, I want to fight him. They put a fight in front of me and it excites me, it’s always been like that for me. It’s not hard to get up for a good fight.
“As far as taking a shot as a lightweight again, the last time I was 155lbs was when I was 29. That’s over six years ago, I may consider a catchweight fight. It’s hard to get down to that weight, I want to be able to enjoy the training involved with preparing for a fight. Cutting weight takes away that joy.
“It would have to be a fight that really, really excites me. I realize that I am caught in-between weight classes but I have always done well against the bigger guys.”
Now that NY is beginning the movement to legalize MMA, Serra will see his role grow as a sort of ambassador for the sport.
“When they asked me to go to Albany I spoke to a lot of lawmakers and everyone seemed very receptive. I don’t know what the problem has been. It finally seems as though things are looking up and I think that’s awesome. Former NY Governor George Pataki was once a vocal critic of the sport and he recently came out in support of it. They can see how the UFC is holding events in all of these other states and no one is burning the city down!”
With a sport that is full of unbelievable athletes who are proficient in so many different areas of martial arts Serra spoke about how much different of a fighter he is today than he was ten years ago.
“I feel more comfortable standing up. I used to have the mindset of getting the guy down to the floor because of my BJJ background and that is where I felt the most comfortable. It’s almost like I brain-washed myself, I conditioned myself to take my opponent down and submit him.
“Today guys have become better wrestlers and they are more skilled on the floor. It’s not as easy as it used to be to get a guy down and smoke him. I rely on myself to become a better martial artist and improve everywhere. I feel more comfortable, dangerous and unpredictable on my feet. As I have gotten more experienced I have learned to relax more and fight in intervals.”
Serra loves teaching his students and mentioned some of his up and coming fighters, speaking very highly of his team and he has plans on moving his Suffolk County school to a modern 8,300 square foot facility.
“We are in the process of moving my school in Huntington next door. It will still be called Serra BJJ but we are now going to teach all of the mixed martial arts. From everything to wrestling to Muay Thai, it’s going to be an awesome facility that will be ready right after my fight with Trigg.
“I got a guy fighting for me named Costa Phillipou who has some big things coming up that I really can’t speak about, keep your eye out for him. Chris Weidman is an absolute beast who is a four time All-American wrestler and he is destined for big things. He went to Abu Dhabi and had a great showing. “
With MMA becoming legal in more states and the UFC continuing its globalization of the organization, Serra sees great things for the sport in the next few years.
“The sport is taking over and I am so proud to be a part of it. We got action figures, video games I never would have imagined we’d be where we are today. I have been part of it since 2001 so I have seen both sides of the fence. When you hear Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta talk they are speaking the truth.
“Fighting brings people from all cultures together unlike football or baseball, which are based here in America. There isn’t very much crossover appeal for those sports. Everyone can relate to fighting. That’s why I think it will be the biggest sport eventually.”
“When I look back, I will know that I fought some great fighters and fought my heart out. I have a lot to be grateful for. I have had some great trainers and teammates as well as some outstanding sponsors behind me. Tokyo Five, Xyience, Round Five figurines and if anyone is looking for more information or wants to check out my schools they can go to http://www.mattserra.net/.”
So the career of Serra motors on, next stop Las Vegas, Nevada where he will once again go into his fight the underdog, a role that the diminutive Serra clearly relishes.
Read more interviews by Bryan Levick.
