Matt Serra

Nickname: The Terror
Born: June 2, 1974
Weight Class: Welterweight
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Fighting Style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
MMA Record: 9 4 0
Team: Serra Jiu Jitsu
Fighting out of: East Meadow, New Jersey

Matt Serra was the first American awarded a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu jitsu under the tutelage of BJJ legend Renzo Gracie. He has also placed third in the 1999 World Championships in Brazil, and won the 1999 Pan American Games.

His MMA career also began in 1999, where he won three consecutive bouts at the New York based Vengeance at the Vanderbilt promotion.

His UFC debut came at UFC 31 in 2001, where he lost by a spectacular knockout to Shonie Carter. He went on to fight in seven more UFC events, amassing a 4 4 record over a four year span.

He was then invited to compete in the SPIKE TV reality series The Ultimate Fighter 4. Serra won the competition, securing himself a six figure contract with the UFC and a shot at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.

Serra went into the title shot with St. Pierre as a massive underdog, but shocked the MMA community by knocking out St. Pierre in the first round.

He was then selected to coach the same reality series that got him the title shot, facing off against former UFC champion Matt Hughes for the sixth season of the show as opposing coaches. Upon completion of the series, he was to face Hughes for the Welterweight belt, but had to withdraw from the match due to a back injury, and subsequently vacated his title. Hughes went on to fight Georges St. Pierre for the interim championship, losing that fight to set up a rematch of Serra against St. Pierre at UFC 83.