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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
UFC 98 Postfight Video: Matt Hughes & Matt Serra
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 3:25 AM
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Matt Hughes Calls on the Opposition to Train for Serra
 Matt Hughes and Matt Serra are fighting at UFC 98 next week, and Hughes appears to be taking the fight very seriously.
It's been basically a year since either has fought, and both are coming off of losses. Hughes enters the bout off of a devastating flying knee from Thiago Alves, which followed his second loss to Georges St. Pierre. Serra faces Hughes after losing his rematch with St. Pierre at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
As the time for UFC 98 draws near, Hughes has branched out of the confines of his H.I.T. Squad gym. In a post on his official blog, he indicated that not only has he sought out a familiar face in former teammate Jeremy Horn, but he also traveled to Minnesota to train with former opponent Sean Sherk.
Last week, Matt Pena and I went up and trained with Sean Sherk and several other fighters at Greg Nelson's Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. We were there from Monday through Saturday afternoon. I had a great training session and also a good time. One thing about that gym is that they've got some tough guys in there. No wonder Sean has done as good as he has. The week before that, I was in Salt Lake City training with Jeremy Horn.
Hughes and Sherk fought at UFC 42 several years ago. Sherk lost his bid to take the UFC welterweight title away from Hughes, but took him the duration of their five-round championship bout.Labels: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Sean Sherk, UFC 98
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:43 PM
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hughes and Serra: A Sitcom That Will Never Happen
Even if Matt Hughes and Matt Serra lived next to each other in a parallel dimension, they wouldn't have potlucks together.
On a Tuesday teleconference for next weekend's UFC 98, a reporter posed this bizarre scenario: what would happen if Matt Serra and Matt Hughes were next door neighbors in an apartment building?
Whether this fantasy apartment was in Long Island or rural Illinois, neither Serra or Hughes saw any change from their current dislike for each other, even if they didn't share a rocky past.
"I respect him as a fighter, as far as fighting ability," qualified Serra. "Nah, I don't think we'd really hang out. I don't think we'd get along too great. I just can't see us going bowling together. That's just me."
Hughes agreed with Serra's assessment.
"I just think we'd do our own thing," he said. "Matt's exactly right, I don't think we'd hang out. Probably nod our head, say hi in the hallway. We're just two different people."
"I think we should look for a reality show," added Serra.
If they did go bowling--a rematch from their showdown on the sixth season of "TUF," Serra saw another win at the lanes.
"I'm no big bowler, but we saw how that went," he said.
The nine-time welterweight champ was none too amused.
"Who cares who would win in bowling? I don't, and I really don't think Matt does either. Does it really matter who beats each other in bowling? Whoever beats each other in bowling is whoever is luckier that day. I think it's safe to assume we both suck at it."
And probably safe to say the two will never be on camera again together.Labels: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, UFC 98
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:12 PM
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog - Day 3
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra continues with Day 3 of his video blog as he prepares for UFC 98 and his fight against Matt Hughes.Labels: Matt Serra, UFC 98, Video Blog
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 4:14 AM
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog - Day 2
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra continues with Day 2 of his video blog as he prepares for UFC 98 and his fight against Matt Hughes.Labels: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, UFC 98, Video Blog
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:04 PM
Matt Serra UFC 98 Video Blog - Day 1
A day in the life of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra as he prepares for UFC 98 and his fight against Matt Hughes.Labels: Matt Serra, UFC 98, Video Blog
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 12:05 AM
Friday, March 20, 2009
Matt Serra Makes Plea For New York MMA
 Matt Serra of East Meadow is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion.
March 20, 2009
As leaders in Albany struggle to deal with the state's fiscal problems, they should think outside the box and inside the Octagon.
Last April, I fought Georges St. Pierre in a rematch of the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title match. Our sport is banned in New York, and this fight was held in Montreal, St. Pierre's hometown. The sold-out crowd of 21,000 was less than welcoming - everywhere I went that weekend, I heard jeers and boos. When I eventually lost the match, the cheers for my opponent were deafening.
In my eight-year career with the UFC, the world's largest mixed martial arts league, I've fought in New Jersey, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Texas and Montreal. But because of New York's ban, I've never competed in my home state. I've never had the excitement of hearing a sold-out crowd at Nassau Coliseum chant my name as I entered the Octagon - our sport's answer to the boxing ring. I've never been able to compete in front of all my friends and family.
And New York has never captured any of the revenue these hugely popular events bring. My fight in Montreal generated more than $5 million in ticket sales. UFC events contribute millions of dollars in tourism and tax revenue to host cities. A UFC event held last year in Columbus, Ohio, is estimated to have produced $11 million in external economic activity for the city. Wherever we go, there are sold-out arenas, fans buying concessions and merchandise, and thousands of people staying in hotels and eating at restaurants.
Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket), chairman of the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development, has introduced legislation that would authorize mixed martial arts events in this state. It's not the first time the issue has come up for debate in Albany. Last year, the bill died because some Assembly members were concerned about what they call the "violent nature" of the sport. What they forget is that mixed martial arts is a combination of several Olympic sports: martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, karate, Greco-Roman wrestling and judo - sports that prize discipline and strategy.
From the moment I saw my first Bruce Lee movie as a kid, I knew I wanted to practice martial arts. My dad encouraged me to learn kung fu when I was growing up. After high school, I was lucky enough to train with Renzo Gracie, a renowned master of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I won first place at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Pan American Games in 1999, and shortly after that, I competed in my first Ultimate Fighting Championship match.
I also opened two jiu-jitsu academies and train people from all walks of life - everyone from couch potatoes looking to get fit, to local police officers, to aspiring Ultimate Fighters. Everyone is taught the skills they need to build strength and discipline. The students at my schools understand that mixed martial arts is a sport based on respect, strategy and skill.
That's also the view held by the leadership of the UFC. Zuffa, the company that bought UFC in 2001, has reinvented the league by instituting strict safety standards to protect its athletes. Contrary to popular belief, mixed martial arts competitions are anything but "no-holds-barred." There are weight classes, judges, time limits and more than 30 moves that are against the rules. The athletic commissions in the 37 states where the sport is regulated set additional rules that govern each fight. They oversee and enforce things like medical testing, ringside doctors, post-fight MRIs - even what type of gloves we wear.
A 2006 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study reported, "The overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing," and "knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing." That conclusion, combined with the fact that the most serious injuries in all the UFC fights have been broken arms and legs, should put safety concerns to rest.
Our elected officials in Albany have a lot on their plates right now, but they should consider regulating mixed martial arts in New York. As a professional athlete, I can't imagine anything more exciting than competing in front of a hometown crowd. And as a New York taxpayer, I would hope that our legislators are open to new ideas to bring more entertainment dollars into our state.Labels: Georges St. Pierre, Matt Serra
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 6:38 PM
Friday, January 9, 2009
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra on May 23rd?
 Matt Hughes and Matt Serra don't like each other. The two former UFC welterweight champions have been on a collision course for months and months. This much we all know.
The big question has been, when will they finally get to meet in the Octagon. Well, looks like we're getting pretty close to an answer. At least according to Hughes.
In a blog entry on his site on Friday night, Hughes said that it looks like a date has finally been hammered out to put the two in the cage:
Just got a call from Joe Silva and as of right now it looks like I’ll be fighting Matt Serra in Vegas on May 23rd. This is not 100% confirmed, but I believe it is going to be on this date.
As this obviously isn't a case of signed fight contracts, or anything like that, there's still a lot of time before May for plans to change... but it looks like fans can at least pencil in a target date for the "Battle fo the Matts."
Labels: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 11:48 PM
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 6)
UFC President Dana White presents his sixth blog for the UFC 90 weekend. In this edition, Dana takes us behind the scenes at the Allstate Arena for UFC 90. Some of Dana's special guests in this blog entry include UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, interim heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, welterweight beltholder Georges St. Pierre, middleweight champ Anderson Silva, and many of the other fighters from UFC 90.
Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5Labels: Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Chicago, Dan Severn, Dana White, Georges St. Pierre, Matt Serra, UFC 90, UFC Hall of Fame, UFC President
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 6:29 PM
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Dana White's UFC 90 Video Blog (Ep 5)
UFC President Dana White presents his fifth blog for the UFC 90 weekend. In this edition, Dana takes us behind the scenes at the UFC 90 weigh-ins and the fighter rules meeting with special guests like Playboy covergirl Rachelle Leah, the Tapout Crew, Matt Serra, and more.
Dana White UFC 90 Video Blog: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4Labels: Chicago, Dana White, Matt Serra, Rachelle Leah, Tapout, UFC 90, UFC President, Video Blog, Weigh-ins
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 1:32 PM
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra in April... Maybe
 Ever since their words of war on The Ultimate Fighter, there has been a tremendous wall of friction between former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Both fighters and fans seem to think the only way it will be resolved is in the Octagon.
Well, that may just happen. Matt Hughes posted the following information on his official website Monday night, indicating that the UFC is looking towards a battle between the two Matts this spring:
"This week, I talked to Joe Silva at the UFC and a possible date for Serra and I is in April. I don’t know the exact date right now or venue. So, that is something that I can look forward to and I can set my training up for that schedule."Labels: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, UFC
posted by MMAInsiderBLOG @ 2:56 PM
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