Tag: Matt Serra

Matt Serra blasts Sean O’Malley coach Tim Welch for ‘sh*t’ cornerwork at UFC 306: ‘He exposed himself’

Sean O’Malley struggled against Merab Dvalishvili, and “Tim Welch had no answers for his fighter,” according to Matt Serra.

UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] doesn’t think [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]’s corner showed a sense of urgency at UFC 306.

O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) was outgrappled in a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in last Saturday’s title-fight headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas. Heading into Round 5, O’Malley was down four rounds on one of the judges’ scorecards and 3-1 on the other two. Serra, who is one of Dvalishvili’s coaches, criticized Welch for not lighting a fire under O’Malley when he was clearly losing the fight.

“This fight exposed him as a coach because when your guy is winning and knocking people out, sure, you look like a f*cking hero,” Serra said on “UFC Unfiltered.” “When your fighter is obviously losing the fight and he starts losing rounds, Tim Welch was, like, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

“‘OK, good round.’ No, you’re losing f*cking three rounds! You’ve got to get in his ass. You’ve got to say – he was afraid that he did not know how to handle his guy on that many rounds. And I thought his f*cking cornerwork was sh*t. So, he exposed himself. You (Dvalishvili) took care of business, and Tim Welch had no answers for his fighter.”

O’Malley later revealed that he tore the labrum in his left hip 10 weeks prior to his fight with Dvalishvili. He will undergo surgery on Oct. 3.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.

‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’ – Toronto: Two regional vets woo UFC boss into offers

Dana White decides to give a fighter another shot – 10 years after an unceremonious UFC release.

“[autotag]Dana White[/autotag]: Lookin’ for a Fight” is back with a new episode that’s filming took place surrounding UFC 297 fight week in January.

UFC CEO White hosts the series with former UFC champion [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] and former fighter and current analyst [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag]. On the show, they search for future UFC talent and often make comical pitstops along the way.

The crew visits Toronto in the latest episode, where two regional vets surprise White, who inks them to the Contender Series.

“Dana White, Matt Serra, and Din Thomas return to Toronto for a cold plunge, scale the CN Tower, explore Niagara Falls and Bird Kingdom, before a night of intense action at Unified MMA 55.”

‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’ – Boston: Bell-hopping, blasting bags, boxing and Beantown’s best steak tips

UFC president Dana White drags Matt Serra and Din Thomas to Boston, site of UFC 292, to scout a boxer and have some fun in his home city.

“[autotag]Dana White[/autotag]: Lookin’ for a Fight” is back with a new episode centered in the city the UFC will touch down in this week.

UFC president White hosts the series with former UFC champion [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] and former fighter and current analyst [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag]. On the show, they search for future UFC talent and make often comical pitstops along the way.

The crew visits Boston in the latest episode, timed to coincide with Saturday’s UFC 292 at TD Garden. Here’s the full episode description, courtesy of the UFC:

“UFC President Dana White, Matt Serra, and Din Thomas head to Boston, Massachusetts. They visit Dana’s old boxing gym and stop by his favorite local restaurant. Plus, the gang heads to Calvin Kattar’s fighting promotion, Combat Zone MMA to scout new Octagon talent.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

‘Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight’ – Houston: Bull-riding, fistfights, and ‘The King of Bling’

Dana White and the crew go bull-riding, watch fistfights, and get fitted for grillz.

“Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” is back, and Houston serves as the latest backdrop for the online series.

UFC president White hosts the series with former UFC champion [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] and MMA vet [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag], using the show to search for future UFC talent, though there are plenty of pitstops along the way.

The crew visits Houston in the latest episode, with cameos from former UFC title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag], as well as rapper and philanthropist Trae Tha Truth, and an up-and-coming prospect secures a UFC deal. Here’s the full episode description, courtesy of the UFC:

“UFC President Dana White, Matt Serra and Din Thomas visit Houston again. Dana visits his PBR bull and Din learns to rodeo clown. The guys feast on Texan food, ride a slab with Trae the Truth, shop for grillz and join Derrick Lewis to scout talent at Fury Fighting Championship.”

The episode was also dedicated to the late Houston-based MMA coach and pioneer Saul Soliz, who died Tuesday from COVID-19.

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What beef? Matt Serra says he and Aljamain Sterling ‘will always be cool’ despite corner snub

Yes, Matt Serra is still taking time away from cornering, but things apparently are patched up with the UFC bantamweight champion.

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UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] won’t be leaving [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s side.

Serra, Sterling’s longtime coach, last week opened up about his disappointment in Sterling’s decision to not include him in his corner for his UFC 259 title fight against Petr Yan. Serra was replaced by Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick, who worked with Sterling in Las Vegas ahead of the fight.

The decision prompted Serra to step away from cornering fighters, which drew speculation on a potential rift between him and Sterling, who claimed the UFC bantamweight title after Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee. But Serra took to Instagram to clarify that he and Sterling will continue working together as they always have.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMe6tWxgKB8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Myself & @funkmastermma will always be cool 👊🙏

“People have been giving Aljamain Sterling a lot of hate, one because of the knee and two because they think me and him have some beef or something like that,” Sterling said in a video before Sterling appears with him. “It’s true, I’m stepping away from cornering, for now … but myself and the ‘Funkmaster’ are always gonna be cool. You know we love each other. I’m gonna help him defend this belt.”

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Sterling (20-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC), who’s been embracing his status as bantamweight champ despite the criticism, also posted an image with Serra while posing with his belt.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMe7WNnD30e/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In this together no matter what!
•
#Jedis #Family #UFCChamps

Sterling became the first fighter in UFC history to win a title by disqualification, which led to an uproar of negative feedback from fans. Yan (15-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was disqualified after he hit Sterling with an illegal knee while he was downed in the fourth round.

All parties, including the UFC, have expressed interest in a rematch as Sterling gears up for his first title defense. Perhaps Serra won’t be physically in Sterling’s corner, but he vows to be a part of his preparation as he always has.

Matt Serra done cornering, ‘hurt’ by Aljamain Sterling’s snub from UFC 259 title fight

Matt Serra will no longer corner fighters after feeling “a little disrespected” by Aljamain Sterling excluding him from UFC 259.

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Don’t expect to see UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] cageside anytime soon.

Serra, the former UFC welterweight champion-turned-coach, has decided to walk away from cornering fighters after a recent incident that left him feeling disrespected by one of his long-time students.

Serra said on the latest episode of “UFC Unfiltered” that he was hurt by [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]’s decision to leave him out of the corner for his UFC 259 title fight last Saturday against Petr Yan. As a result, Serra decided to step away from cornering.

“Going forward, I think it’s better now to make an exit on a high note,” Serra explained. “I always loved cornering, but what’s going on for the next fight? Is it me and Eric Nicksick doing rock-paper-scissors to see who gets in the corner? I have a family I don’t need to take. I mean, I will always be in this kid’s corner – just not physically. It’s not by my choice but by the choices that were made here. So I’m just going to retire altogether from the whole cornering thing.”

Serra and coach Ray Longo historically have worked Sterling’s corner. The Long Island duo watched Sterling enter the UFC in 2014 and helped carve his way up to a UFC bantamweight title shot.

Despite controversy, Sterling is now a UFC champion after claiming the title by disqualification due to Yan landing an intentional illegal knee in the fourth round. Serra wasn’t at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Instead, he was replaced by Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick, who worked with Sterling ahead of the fight.

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Serra has nothing against Nicksick or Sterling, as he wants the best for his student. However, Serra believes the situation could’ve been handled differently, as he said he found out from others, and not Sterling himself, about being excluded.

“I got nothing against Eric Nicksick. We had him on the show, he’s a nice guy. It’s not his fault Aljo went there,” Serra said. “But it’s like, ‘Hey, man. You’re going to have this guy who you have been training with for three months and I’ve been with you for seven years? If that’s what you truly want, I understand. I see you bonding, that’s a cool thing. …

“But now this is no longer a thing of ours with me and Longo, and that’s cool. We did this with the intention of these guys reaching their goals. But at the same time, you can’t help but feel a little disrespected. We brought this kid from his first fight in the UFC. … Not going to lie, I was a little hurt. I love everybody involved. But you have to know when it’s time and when people make choices there’s consequences. It’s like I can understand no one saying anything because they don’t want to f**k this kid’s head up before the fight. I can understand that. But at the same time, I would’ve handled this differently if the shoe is in the other foot.”

Despite the fallout, Serra still sides with Sterling and wishes him the very best in his MMA career. Serra believes Sterling will hold on to the belt for a long time and the controversy surrounding the illegal knee will eventually brush over once Sterling racks up title defenses.

“Aljo is a great guy, he’s a good human being, and he’s got a big heart,” Serra said. “He helps out other teammates, he helps out the wrestlers in the wrestling club, and I believe he has the ability to hold on to the belt for a long time in a stacked division.

“I think he holds on to the belt and get better and better from here. People are not going to think about the time he took the knee and they questioned anything about him after some future fights because then they’re going to be like, ‘All right, this is what we’re dealing with.’ So I think the best has yet to come for Aljo. I think he’s going to defend it and there will be some epic wars to come. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

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Matt Serra before UFC 259: Aljamain Sterling could be ‘the Jon Jones’ of bantamweight division

Matt Serra is confident that not only will Aljamain Sterling get the job done at UFC 259, but he’ll be a long-reigning champion.

[autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] is confident that not only will [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] become the new champion, but he’ll reign the division for a long time

Sterling (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 259, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

Yan (15-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has been on a stellar run since joining the UFC roster in 2018, taking out legends Urijah Faber and Jose Aldo back-to-back to win the title. He only has one career blemish which happened in 2016, a loss he later avenged. Serra knows the kind of fight they’re in for and had nothing but high praise for the champion.

“I think he’s ferocious,” Serra told MMA Junkie. “I think the word is ferocious. He’s a natural fighter and he’s fearless. I think he’s truly looking forward to this fight with Aljo, and that’s pretty much it. I think he’s a great fighter, fantastic fighter.”

But Serra has seen Sterling grow before his eyes, where, after a few setbacks, “The Funkmaster” has been able to put together an incredible run of results to earn himself a shot at the gold.

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Whether it’s swiftly submitting Cory Sandhagen or outstriking the powerful Pedro Munhoz, Sterling has proved that he can hang with various different styles and Serra thinks he has the tools to takeout everyone in the division.

“I think if you look at his whole career, the talent was always there and it’s just how he put it together,” Serra said. “(Ray) Longo would always say that if I point something out in the fight like ‘Dude, that was amazing!’ Longo would always say, ‘Look, that guy can do whatever he wants to do upstairs.’ He really could be the Jon Jones of that division, that’s how talented he is, he could do what he wants.

“He puts everything altogether better now and just his attitude. To come back after two losses and fight an undefeated fighter back in the day vs. ‘The Pikey’ (Brett Johns) – he never had an easy fight, Aljo. He fought all studs, and I believe he’s gonna be the new champion and he’s gonna hold that belt for a while. His jiu-jitsu, his grappling in general is – he came into my academy already just talented, pulling off stuff. Sometimes I wouldn’t even correct where he’s going because I like to see where he goes. He’s the ‘Funkmaster.’ I’m super happy for him, and I believe he’s gonna be the new champion.”

https://youtu.be/1F0vVZXShGE

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One underdog to another, Matt Serra shares simple advice for Megan Anderson at UFC 259

Owner of one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history, Matt Serra knows something about being a massive underdog.

tUFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag] knows a little something about being a massive underdog.

Serra scored one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when he knocked out Georges St-Pierre in the first round to win the welterweight championship in 2007 at UFC 69.

With former Invicta FC champion [autotag]Megan Anderson[/autotag] being heavily underestimated in Saturday’s UFC 259 co-main event vs. the consensus greatest female fighter of all time in dual champ Amanda Nunes, Serra can absolutely relate.

From one huge underdog to another, Serra thinks Anderson should merely block out all the noise. He remembers watching a particular moment in what he dubbed as a mundane fight between Jeff Monson and Tim Sylvia, which he used going into his fight with GSP.

“At the end of the day, it’s a fight,” Serra told MMA Junkie. “The critics, the naysayers, the people that think you’re gonna get destroyed, there’s only one other person locked in there with you, so you could control your own fate. My mentality with Georges in a similar situation, I did not know I was gonna beat him 100 percent, but I know it was a him-or-me scenario for myself. I was gonna say it’s either him or me. It’s either me or him, one of us is going out because that was my school of thought.

“The reason why I really went in with that attitude is I saw Jeff Monson fight Tim Sylvia in the worst main event in UFC history. If you can’t sleep at night, throw in Jeff Monson vs. Tim Sylvia, and that’ll work better than NyQuil. So I remember seeing that, and he was shooting in from across the cage and going to his back, and I’m like, I can actually do that and survive vs. Georges. First of all, it’s disgusting and second of all, I just need one shot at this thing. It’s do or die, you control your own fate, F everybody.”

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Nunes has run through everyone she’s faced en route to capturing both the bantamweight and featherweight titles. She holds first-round knockout wins over former champions Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm, and has looked unstoppable as of late. If Anderson is able to dethrone her, it will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

UFC 259 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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Video: Matt Serra, Joshua Fabia get into argument at breakfast during UFC 253 fight week

Joshua Fabia is not Matt Serra’s “type of guy,” as exemplified by a video captured by Din Thomas.

Joshua Fabia is not [autotag]Matt Serra[/autotag]’s “type of guy”.

In a recently-released episode of “Dana White: Lookin’ FWD to a Fight,” Serra and Fabia engaged in a verbal back-and-forth. The conversation occurred after the founder of the “School of Self-Awareness” approached the UFC Hall of Famer at breakfast to air a grievance.

Fabia had taken exception with an interview where Serra allegedly failed to mention him by name and used a condescending tone when talking about him. Seemingly feeling disrespected, Fabia called Serra out while he was eating with former UFC fighter Din Thomas.

The verbal altercation was captured on video by Thomas.

“When it was brought up in the interview and they asked you about me, you were able to see my name. You know that they are talking about me. You’re actually saying on a camera, like, you’re disdained with me so much that you can’t even same my name, bro. That’s kind of cold.”

Though Serra voiced his respect for Fabia’s fighter, Diego Sanchez, he didn’t take kindly to Fabia’s claims.

“Like I told you earlier, I don’t even know your name,” Serra responded. “What’s your name again? Joshua, OK, good. (From) the ‘School of Something or Another.’ I understand you. Listen, you know why (I’m talking like this)? Because my friends and I are having breakfast and you try to come over here and make some kind of grandstand.”

After telling Fabia that Sanchez’s fight vs. Michel Perreira “looked like (expletive),” Serra continued.

“This is not going to get any better,” Serra said. “Do your thing. Good luck with you. I hope you make some money off of Diego. Do what you gotta do and that’s it, bro. OK? (You’re) not my type of guy. Do your thing.”

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Fabia’s unusual training methodologies have caught the attention of many inside the MMA circle, though Sanchez (30-12 MMA, 19-12 UFC) and longtime UFC fighter Stephan Bonnar have high praise for Fabia.

Sanchez, 38, takes on Jake Matthews (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on the prelims of UFC 253 on Saturday.

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Check out the full exchange between Serra and Fabia in the video above.

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