Matt Serra is out with a injury for the Dec 29 fight against Matt Hughes (the most dominant welter weight in UFC history).
Hughes is a machine. He has won 41 fights with the same wrestling style over his career which says something for the guy. Most fighters with one style get picked apart early in their career but Matt has proven he can over come almost anyone. He's a strong, hard working, tough farm kid with a "Must Win" mentality. And all the power to him! He had a ton of fans prior to the UFC's Ultimate Fighter series where he coached and then came off as cocky and a bully. Call him what you will, anyone with wins over BJ Penn, Carlos Newton, Georges St Pierre & Hayato Sakurai is a machine. No matter what happens in the future he is a champion and a role model for MMA fighters. His work ethic and ability to find a way to win are incredible and as a competitor you just have to respect the guy.
However..
He has also lost to BJ and GSP and the win against Newton, well, that's tough call as he was asleep at the same time he slammed Carlos to the mat. The win could be argued either way.
In no way shape or form am I taking away from his abilities because I have watched him from early in his career and all I can say is "Wow", but the power of the media has him beat. When a guy wins 41 fights most of them are televised which hurts him. Your style is known and your best moves you use to win are visible. Enter BJ Penn and George St Pierre.
BJ beat him the first time they fought (and I was there!). BJ had lost the title fight at 155lbs to Jens Pulver. He was ticked off. So BJ, being BJ, said I'm moving up a weight category to win the 170lb title. Unheard of at the time. Hughes called him disrespectful for it. But BJ was able to rattle Hughes with a punch to the head while he was on top and then grab him from behind in a rear naked choke. Matt could have got out but he was still dummied from the punch and had to tap out. Wow. NO ONE saw that coming. Side note, I got a photo with BJ that night, it was amazing. This was before UFC got to where it was today. Myself and a buddy met him outside of Mandalay Bay by himself waiting for a cab. How times have changed. BJ ended up leaving UFC due to "reason unknown". A lot issues with himself and UFC and the title got vacated. Hughes recaptures it after that.
An up and comer in George St Pierre is tearing up the competition and gets a title fight. GSP dominates the first 2:55 of the fight against Hughes. But GSP frees an arm and Matt (when did he learn BJJ? ) grabs an arm bar and GSP taps with 1 second left in the first round. That is a mistake on GSP's part and more importantly his corner. No way should he have tapped like that. Suffice, he lost.
Rematch.
Guess who was there! George controls the whole fight. Has an answer to everything Matt throws at him. Now, here's where the idea of the televised fights comes in. GSP knew every move Matt had from studying video and it was obvious. He controlled the whole fight and beat him 3X in my opinion. 1 - leg kick that Matt claimed was a groin kick and got a time out 2) End of round 1 Matt is out but saved by the bell 3) GSP gets the TKO. WOW!
GSP dominates. Now he has huge crowd support.
Enter Matt Serra.
Always liked him but never thought he'd make it far. Low and behold he wins ultimate fighter series of 'has beens". Proved to be a great team mate and a coach. Good on him. Well done Serra. He wins the series and a chance at GSP. I missed the fight aginst GSP as I was in Thailand but was surprised when I heard he won by TKO. Congrats to the millionaires who bet on him cause the odds were nuts!
Enter Politics. GSP deserved an immediate title fight / rematch. But Dana White wrapped up Matt and Matt to coach the Ultimate fighter series and fight for the title as a wrap up for the TV show on Dec 29. Lots of animosity on the show between the two. Built up a good fight that had Hughes being the favorite. However Serra is now hurt.
Dana picks up the phone and GSP says "Yes" on short notice and we have a blockbuster on our hands. Great rubber match!
Reality check, limited time for GSP to train for a real fight. And Hughes has done his homework for sure as he hates to lose.
There is question as to George's mental stability when it comes to big fights. He blew it against Hughes the first time and Serra 2 fights ago (he dominated Josh Koschek whom I refuse to chat about cause I think he's over rated). Both were pressure fights for different reasons. Question is, can he over come the mental barrier?
Now if you think cage fighting is just a "fight", go to a gym with a cage. Walk in and close the door. That alone will freak you out. Now pretend there are 20k people watching, a few million on TV and a guy who wants to smash you 20' away. Not easy and GSP has a few things to control in his head when the added pressure of a title is involved.
Hughes will be ready for Dec 29. Guaranteed. He's mentally tough and a warrior. Will George?
Mack's bet? I am a betting man and I like George St Pierre!
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