Matthew John Serra was born on June 2,1974 and is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
32 Facts About Matt Serra
2.
Matt Serra 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.
3.
Serra 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.
4.
In grappling, Matt Serra holds a Silver Medal in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship.
5.
Matt Serra began practicing martial arts at an early age, starting with Wing Chun.
6.
Matt Serra was born to an Italian-American family in East Meadow, New York.
7.
Matt Serra's father is a retired policeman in New York City and his late mother was a stay-at-home mom.
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Matt Serra has older sister and brother, and two younger brothers.
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Serra's father was enthusiastic about mixed martial arts, and Matt first began Wing Chun at an early age.
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Matt Serra went to East Meadow High School, while in high school he enrolled in the United States Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program.
11.
In 1991 Matt Serra got into a fight with the brother of a former girlfriend during which he bit the other boy's ear.
12.
Matt Serra's Marines recruiting officer told him that the felony charge would keep him out of the Corps.
13.
Matt Serra trained under Craig Kukuk, the first American BJJ black belt, who at the time shared an academy with Renzo Gracie.
14.
In 2000 Matt Serra became the first American to receive his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie.
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Matt 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.
16.
Matt Serra decided to forfeit the final against his teammate Marcio Feitosa.
17.
Matt 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.
18.
In 2006, Matt Serra became a participant on The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback on SpikeTV.
19.
On November 11,2006, Matt Serra defeated Chris Lytle at The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale by split decision to become the Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Champion.
20.
Matt Serra's 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.
21.
Matt 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.
22.
Matt Serra said in season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter that Joe Scarola lost his job at Matt Serra's jiu-jitsu school for quitting The Ultimate Fighter within the first week of the show.
23.
Matt Serra was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a herniated disc in his lower back.
24.
The injury became evident when Matt Serra was demonstrating a move to his student and fell to the floor in excruciating pain.
25.
Matt Serra announced that he was scheduled to fight Georges St-Pierre at the first event to take place in Canada, UFC 83.
26.
At UFC 83 on April 19,2008, Matt 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.
27.
When Matt Serra was unable to improve his position or defend against the strikes, referee Yves Lavigne stopped the fight.
28.
Matt Serra hurt Hughes early on in the fight with an inadvertent head-butt and a follow-up flurry of hooks.
29.
At UFC 109, Matt Serra defeated Frank Trigg via KO at 2:23 of the first round, awarding him Knockout of the Night Honors.
30.
Matt 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.
31.
At UFC 119 Matt Serra fought Chris Lytle on September 25,2010.
32.
On May 22,2013, Matt 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.