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By Loretta Hunt 
He can wow fans on the ground with his slick positioning, flowing transitions, and submissions that seem to come out of nowhere. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the famed Renzo Gracie, Matt "the Terror" Serra has created himself a niche among MMA audiences. The "ground" fans worship him for his aggressive ground tactics while others respect him for his gutsy display standing up, even when he may be the odd man out. Since his unforgettable debut at UFC 31 versus a vastly more experienced Shonie Carter, Serra has always delivered the goods, making him a fan favorite in loss and victory. Friday's match up against BJ Penn is a dream come true for those looking to see the ground game pushed to its ultimate limits within the Octagon. But as Serra explains, he's not ready to be counted out upstairs quite yet.FCF: Let's first start off with your training, and a factor that is probably on a lot of fan's minds. How is your stand up coming along? MS: I've been training hard. I've been doing a ton of sparring, three or four times a week. I always hit all aspects hard, but who knows? Maybe people get to see [the standup] in this fight, maybe they don't. Up till now, I stand by each one of my performances and every good fight that I've had I feel like I can improve. From the Shonie fight, to the Edwards fight, to my Dullanty fight, I think I've become a more evolved and seasoned fighter each time. There's a chance they'll get to see it [the stand up] in this fight, but who knows? I always train hard though, and I train everything. FCF: Is it just a case of fans not getting a chance to see what you can really do on your feet? MS: People didn't get to see it [the standup] too much with my Edwards fight, but look what he did to his last opponent. I think Edwards is one of the best strikers in this sport . It would have been foolish for me to play his game. With Shonie, that' s where one of my mistakes was. I had too much of a street-fighter mentality in that fight. When I was standing, I just wanted to get him. I wasn't as strategic as I was on the ground. FCF: Your sparring at this point is a mix of boxing and Thai boxing, right? MS: We mix up everything. We punch. We do punching to takedowns. We do straight boxing, straight kickboxing. It's really nothing new. We have to cover everything and I'm sure most guys are doing what I'm doing. It might just sound different because a jiu-jitsu guy is doing it. FCF: You're facing another "jiu-jitsu" guy. What are your thoughts on BJ Penn? MS: BJ 's tough as hell. I'm really looking forward to it because this is one of the few times I can go in there and be the underdog. Every time I fought, except when I supposed to fight Din Thomas, I was the favorite. It's kinda BS. My first fight with Shonie, I'm the favorite because of my reputation with BJJ. The dude had close to forty fights and I had like seven. FCF: This fight has created quite a stir among the BJJ community, as a "roll" between you two on the ground could become nothing short of stellar. On its feet though, observers are giving the advantage to Penn. Are you intimidated by the KO power Penn has exhibited in the past? MS: I'm not intimidated by anything or anyone. Not to sound like a macho guy, but in this game, anyone can knock out anybody. Nobody thought Bustamante was going to knockout Menne. I don't think that was high on the predictions list. Uno knocked out Iha in the guard. The weirdest things happen in this sport. Could he knock me out? Sure. Could I knock him out? Sure. I wouldn't bet against it. You go in there knowing anything could happen, and you don' t get surprised too much. Unless it's a backfist. FCF: Now it seems everyone's throwing a backfist or two into their fights. MS: I know. And the shoulder lock. You never saw too much of that till after my Shonie fight [UFC 31]. Now everyone's going for the shoulder lock. Shonie and I became trendsetters from that fight. 
FCF: This will be your second time cutting weight down to the 155 pound weight class, where before you fought at 170. How has losing the weight worked for you this second time around?MS: The weight's doing good. I feel good and I felt great the last time. I've done it before now, so that' s a really big relief. I think I'm going to be a very strong and explosive 155er like the first time. FCF: Was there a bit of nervousness losing weight that first time for your fight with Kelly Dullanty? MS: The first time I was a mess, and it didn't help that before my Dullanty fight I tore my bicep. It was double to worry about because I wanted to make the weight once so I knew I could do it, but I didn't want to take the water weight from my body. I didn't want to get dehydrated beforehand to see how I felt at 155 because I had an injury I needed to nurse. The goal is to get down to as close to 160 as possible, take out a little water weight, and then put it back. I felt great for the last fight, but Dullanty didn't like it. That's what I'm talking about! FCF: In the other bracket of this 4-man lightweight tournament, Din Thomas is set to take on Caol Uno. The winner of this bout gets the victor of yours. Who do you think it will be? MS: I think Thomas is going to win, but it' s hard to count Uno out. Did you see their first fight together? Thomas was doing well even back then. It all depends on how Uno fights. Uno can really surprise you. Not that it was a fluke, but I think with Penn he just caught him in their fight -- I mean that could happen to anybody. FCF: Do you think Thomas being out of the game for nine months will be a factor? MS: Thomas has been out, but I think he's a smart guy. I even talked about it with Penn once, and he told me how strong Thomas is for that weight. So, I would put my money on Thomas. FCF: So, it's Thomas and Serra for the title? MS: If all goes as planned, it's me and Thomas. But there's no way I'm looking past Penn. Tomorrow, we check in with Serra's opponent, the formidable BJ Penn. At only 23 years of age, Penn explains that he is just coming into his prime as a fighter. Find out where he wants to take his fight with Serra, what its like training for the UFC -- Hilo style, and just what his opinion is on Jens Pulver's big move. |
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