Matt Serra

Matthew John Serra is a former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitor from the United States who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He co-starred in Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight and co-hosted UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton, the UFC’s official podcast. Serra won The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament by defeating Pete Spratt, Shonie Carter, and Chris Lytle. Following that, he won the UFC Welterweight Championship. Serra is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and served as the head coach for The Ultimate Fighter 6 reality program, which he co-hosted with Matt Hughes. Serra won a silver medal at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in grappling.

Serra started his martial arts training at a young age, first learning Wing Chun. In the 1990s, he started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Renzo Gracie, and in May 2000, he became the first American to get his Black belt under Renzo. Serra’s greatest achievement in mixed martial arts occurred at UFC 69: Shootout, when he beat Georges St-Pierre in a Knockout of the Night award-winning performance to earn the UFC Welterweight Championship.

Serra was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2018 in the pioneer wing on July 5, 2018. Serra and his younger brother Nick run a Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Huntington, New York. Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Gian Villante, Pete Sell, Luke Cummo, and Ultimate Fighter Live Finalist Al Iaquinta are among the competitors he trains, alongside Ray Longo.