Sherdog’s Top 10: ‘Where Were You?’ Moments

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6. Upset for the Ages
UFC 69
April 7, 2007 | Houston
As he prepared to defend his belt for the first time in the spring of 2007, at just 25 years of age and holding a record of 13-1, Georges St. Pierre was clearly the next big thing in the welterweight division. Even more than that, “Rush” looked like the face of an up-and-coming sport, with the look and rabid Canadian fanbase that made him a godsend to mainstream sponsors.

Standing in St-Pierre’s way was an unheralded veteran by the name of Matt Serra, who had received the shot because he won a season of “The Ultimate Fighter” against similarly experienced but hardly high-level competition. Serra was 9-4 in his career, and his best win was either a split decision over Chris Lytle or a majority decision over Yves Edwards. He was a true lightweight fighting a big welterweight, and he had lost to the one opponent he and St. Pierre shared in common: B.J. Penn.

There was no real reason to think Serra would win the fight, and the oddsmakers had him as a 7:1 underdog. When the bell rang, however, Serra hardly looked like the overmatched sacrificial lamb he was assumed to be. He nailed the champion with right hooks to the body, jabs and even a few low kicks to show St. Pierre that he would not simply concede the outermost distances to the bigger, taller fighter.

With two minutes left in the first round, St. Pierre changed levels in the pocket and dropped his lead shoulder, while Serra responded with a looping right hand that caught the champion behind the ear. He stumbled backward on rubbery legs, clearly disoriented by the shot, and Serra stuck to him like glue. Shot after shot hit the wobbly Canadian, and after 25 seconds of punishment, referee John McCarthy finally stopped the fight.

Serra became the UFC’s most unlikely champion. Although he would lose the belt to St. Pierre -- in fact, he won only one more fight in his career -- Serra stands as a reminder that there is always a chance, however unlikely.

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