5 Things You Might Not Know About Matt Serra

Matt Serra will always have his moment in the sun.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder and author of perhaps the most stunning upset in mixed martial arts history, Serra retired from the sport in 2013. He closed the book on his 18-fight career with an 11-7 record that included victories over Frank Trigg, Ivan Menjivar, Jeff Curran, Yves Edwards and the incomparable Georges St. Pierre. The New York native last appeared at UFC 119, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Lytle in their Sept. 25, 2010 rematch.

As Serra’s exploits in the cage continue to drift further and further into the rearview mirror, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He grew out of the same soil as a onetime ace.

Serra was born on June 2, 1974 in East Meadow, New York—a hamlet of some 40,000 people on the western end of Long Island, roughly 30 miles to the east of Times Square. He shares a hometown with 1988 American League Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola, who went 24-7 with a 2.64 earned run average in his career-defining season with the Minnesota Twins.

2. World-class grappling was his greatest asset.

The first American to receive his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Renzo Gracie, Serra was a silver medalist at the 2001 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships. He forfeited the 77-kilogram final to Mario Feitosa, as he honored the tradition of stepping down to a high-ranked opponent from the same school lineage.

3. His peak was short-lived.

Serra laid claim to the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown when he shocked the mixed martial arts world and put away St. Pierre with first-round punches in the UFC 69 main event on April 7, 2007. However, he spent just 378 days atop the division—the fifth-shortest reign in the history of the 170-pound weight class behind B.J. Penn (107 days), St. Pierre (140 days), Carlos Newton (183 days) and Johny Hendricks (266 days).

4. He broke ground for other reality TV stars.

“The Terror” was the first winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”—he was the last man standing on Season 4—to capture a UFC title. He was later joined by Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, Nicco Montano and Julianna Pena.

5. He was immortalized at the highest level.

Serra was one of five inductees enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. He was joined in the class by Ronda Rousey, Bruce Connal, Art Davie and the Mauricio Rua-Dan Henderson fight from UFC 139.