Matt Serra

At 49 years old, Matt Serra has this physical status:

Mixed martial arts career

Since finding out about the sport from Black Belt magazine, he started Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 1999, Serra earned first place at the Brazilian jiu-jitsu Pan American Championships and third place in the brown belt division. Continuing his martial arts career, he competed in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, choking out Jean Jacques Machado and finishing second in the 66-76 kg division after being told to step down by Renzo Gracie as part of a hierarchical respect system within the Gracie lineage. Serra had been invited to compete in PRIDE 9 against Johil de Oliveira but the match was postponed at the last minute when Oliveira was set on fire in a pyrotechnics crash backstage. Matt began playing in the UFC, where he set up a record of four victories and four losses. One of the losses was a close decision match with upcoming Welterweight and Lightweight champion B.J. Penn's participation in the failed Lightweight tournament should have earned him a championship shot.

Matt appeared on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback in 2006. Serra advanced to the finals over Pete Spratt and Shonie Carter, despite losing the game to Carter at UFC 31 after a controversial highlight-reel KO loss to Carter at UFC 31. Serra defeated Chris Lytle at The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale on November 11, 2006, by a narrow margin, winning the Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Champion.

His victory earned him a guaranteed championship shot against Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship, as well as a $100,000 contract and $100,000 sponsorship with Xyience.

Serra defeated St-Pierre on April 7, 2007, at UFC 69, and took the UFC Welterweight Championship by TKO via punches at 3:25 in the first round. Serra was considered a solid underdog going into the match, and as a result, the bout is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

Serra coached season 6 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show with Matt Hughes. Team Serra defeated Serra 6–2 in the first round of fights, winning six straight times, allowing Serra the right to choose the fights in the second round. However, from then on, Serra did not corner a single fighter to victory, and all his trainees eventually lost out. Tommy Speer and Mac Danzig, both from Team Hughes, competed for the honor of Ultimate Fighter in the final.

Joe Scarola left his job at Serra's jiu-jitsu academy for refusing to vote for The Ultimate Fighter in the first week of the season, according to Serra. Scarola opened his own academy, which has sparked a rivalry among the two former classmates. Scarola's removal from his duties was difficult for Serra, with Scarola serving as the best man at Serra's wedding.

Following the conclusion of the series at UFC 79, the two coaches were supposed to face off for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Serra, on the other hand, was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a herniated disc in his lower back. When Serra was demonstrating a change to his student and collapsed to the ground in excruciating pain, it became apparent. Georges St-Pierre fought and defeated Matt Hughes for what was then the interim UFC welterweight crown in Serra's role. Because of this, Serra gained the welterweight crown, while St-Pierre retained the interim title.

Serra said to NBC Sports that his back was quickly growing after the St-Pierre vs. Hughes match at UFC 79. He revealed that he was going to face Georges St-Pierre at the first event in Canada, UFC 83. This match would unify the interim and regular welterweight belts.

Serra fought Georges St-Pierre in a fight in Canada's first-ever event, taking place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on April 19, 2008. St-Pierre pressed the action early with a takedown and kept mixing up his assault, never giving Serra a chance to mount a big offense. St-Pierre's second round appearances mirrored his previous performances, launching Serra into the turtle position and giving repeated knees to Serra's midsection. Referee Yves Lavigne called off the combat when Serra was unable to advance his position or defend against the strikes.

At UFC 98, Serra lost by a unanimous decision to Matt Hughes. With an inadvertent headbutt and a follow-up flurry of hooks, Serra was harmed early in the battle. Hughes, on the other hand, recovered and went on to win a close contest. Hughes and Serra hugged each other and ended their feud after the war.

Serra won the first round of UFC 109 via KO (punches), knocking him out of the Night Honors. Serra had been expected to be headinglining UFC Fight Night 22 on April 17, 2010, versus Mike Swick, but Swick had to call off the match due to an arm injury.

Chris Lytle was defeated by Serra at UFC 119 on September 25, 2010. Serra lost by a unanimous decision in the fight.

In a UFC 131 interview with Ariel Helwani, Serra wondered when or if he'll be fighting in the UFC in the foreseeable future. Between the birth of his second child and the training regimes (Serra himself), he weighed about 200 pounds. In the sixth film of the series, he likened his current state to that of Rocky Balboa, adding that he still had "some stuff in the basement."

Serra resigned from MMA on May 22, 2013, claiming that he will only return to MMA to face at an event held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Matt Serra is the current host of UFC Unfiltered, with comedian Jim Norton as co-host.

Matt Serra was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2018 in the pioneer wing on July 5th.

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