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Wednesday, Apr 11, 2001

Matt “the Terror” Serra



FCF Profile of
Matt "The Terror" Serra
By Tom DeFazio

Matt Serra
Name: Matt Serra
Nickname: "The Terror"
Height: 5’6 1/2"
Fighting weight range: 168-170 lbs.
Age: 26
Originally from: East Meadow, NY
Mixed Martial Arts record: 9/0

Black belt under Renzo Gracie

Titles/awards won:

  • 1999 Mundial Brown Belt Medium Weight Class Gold Medal
  • 1999 Pan American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt Gold Medal
  • Abu Dhabi Qualifiers (for 2001) Champion
  • Grapplers Quest Superfight Champion
  • NAGA Superfight Champion

Matt, Renzo Gracie’s first American black belt, is currently over in Abu Dhabi competing in the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship. In addition to competing with some of the best submission fighters in the world at ADCC, Matt is making his big time debut in MMA. This has been a long time coming, he’s paid his dues along the way in the local shows and now, after a number of disappointments with proposed fights in the WEF & Pride, he is set to face Shonie Carter in UFC 31 on May 4th in Atlantic City. I spoke to Matt before he left for Abu Dhabi and asked him about his upcoming bout against Shonie…

      I’m psyched bro! This is the big show…especially now with the new owners, the show is looking like it’s gonna be the best show out there, you know? So I’m really psyched…I’m just looking forward to fighting…I really love to fight. But this will be my first time in the Octagon…this is really where it all started, as far as in the U.S. The UFC is the biggest thing, people who know nothing about martial arts…you bring up other events, they won’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but if you say "the Ultimate Fighting Championships," they know exactly what you’re talking about. It is the World Series of Mixed Martial Arts, and it better get ready for Matty S.!
Matt Serra
      I’m real happy that my first time in a big show, Ricardo [Almeida] is fighting on there also…we’re training together for it; even when we were over with Renzo in Japan we were up at 6 in the morning training, hitting the pads, working out. So it’s great that a real good friend of mine, a brother from the academy is fighting the same day as me.
Matt Serra
      I see it being a good fight, a tough fight. I definitely respect the guy; I think he’s tough and got a lot of experience. He looks like a good striker and looks difficult to get down, so that makes it pretty entertaining. So hopefully–because he’s got a lot of experience and he’s fought a lot of tough guys, I don’t think he’s gonna be intimidated–
he’ll come in and try to bang with me. That way we’ll both meet, because we’re both gonna go forward…that way it will be a real nice fight, ’cause I hope I don’t have to chase him. I like to fight aggressively, whether it’s trying to take the guy down or punching and kicking, I plan on I going forward. I don’t go for judges’ decisions. I don’t think this is gonna go the time limit, either he works on knocking me out or I work on taking him out by submission or otherwise.



Warriors Challenge XII Results

IFC Super Heavyweight World Championship
Gan McGee defeats Rocky Batastini by TKO roughly three-minutes into the first round.
McGee retains his title.

Sam Sotello defeats Paul Buentello by tapout from strikes to the body with less than a minute remaining in a four-minute overtime period.

Joey Villasenor defeats Eddy Rolon by TKO/referee stoppage from a cut late into round one.

Steve Heath defeats Phil Bensminger by heel hook roughly four-minutes into round one.

David Padilla defeats Ty Alcorn by TKO/referee stoppage from strikes early into round one.

Cruz Gomez defeats Josh Hernandez by arm-bar just after one-minute into round one.

Abram defeats Andy Martin by triangle choke just under one-minute into round one.

Mike Jonet defeats Willie Solorio by rear naked choke roughly 50-seconds into round one.

Middleweight Tournament Eliminator Fight I

Jimmy Walker defeats Jason Von Flue by KO less than two-minutes into round one.

Middleweight Tournament Eliminator Fight II

Dennis Asche defeats Toby Imada by triangle choke halfway into round two.

Asche wins tournament be default because Walker could not continue.

Scott Gohde defeats Darren Holtzclaw by tapout from strikes around the six-minute mark of round one.

Victor Estrada defeats Keith Guaglianone by heel hook under two-minutes into round one.

Caleb Mitchell defeats Lincoln Tyler by arm-bar with roughly 20-seconds to go in round two.

Thanks to Sean Shelby for the results.

Coverage of the event will be in the next issue of FCFighter.



Pan-American Results
By Elton Sasaki

Black Belt – Preta:

Super Feather – Pluma
1. Wellington Dias "Megaton" – Relson Gracie
2. Tadeu Tani – Tani Japan

Feather – Pena

1. Sandro Santiago – Gracie Barra
2. Fernando Lopes – Godói/Macaco
3. Ney Cunha – Bolão

Light – Leve
1. Édson Diniz – Infight
2. Maurício Mariano "Tinguinha" – Gracie Barra
3. Francisco Neto – Yamasaki

Middle – Médio

1. Bruno Severiano – Gracie Barra

2. Fernando Augusto "Tererê" – Alliance

3. Regus Lelare – Relson Gracie

3. Thiago Cruz – Godói/Macaco

Middle Heavy – Meio-Pesado

1. Roberto Corrêa "Gordo" – Gracie Barra

2. Gustavo Muggiati "Gutti" – Gracie Barra

3. Alexandre Ribeiro – Relson Gracie

3. Cássio Werneck – Brazilian Top Team

Heavy – Pesado

1. Fernando Pontes "Margarida" – Brazilian Top Team

2. Fábio Gurgel – Alliance

3. Roberto Godói – Godói/Macaco

3. Fábio Leopoldo – Gracie Barra

Super Heavy – Super Pesado

1. Roberto Tozi – Godói/Macaco

2. Ricardo Arrivalene – Godói/Macaco

3. Rodolfo Amaro – Equilíbrio

Extra Heavy – Pesadíssimo

1. Jorge Patino "Macaco" – Godói/Macaco

2. Garth Taylor – Cláudio França

3. Nílson Liboni – Relson Gracie

3. Luís Gustavo de Almeida – Tanque

Absolute – Absoluto

1. Alexandre Ribeiro – Relson Gracie

2. Fábio Leopoldo – Gracie Barra

3. Luís Gustavo de Almeida – Tanque

3. Cássio Werneck – Brazilian Top Team


Complete coverage of the results will be in the next issue of FCFighter.






From the event’s promoter:


International Free Fight League Presents

Southern Impact II


Southern Impact II

April 13, 2001

Promoter: Rob Braniff

The Brick House

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

206 New Orleans St.

601-584-6393

$12.00 at the door


NHB Matches

David Benefield vs. Chris Gates

Aaron Williams vs. Marc Knowles

Aaron Benard vs. Vincin Salvador

Michael Kinslow vs. TBA

Lee Coates vs. Grady Hurley

Brent Toon vs. James Wakefield


Super Fight Submission Match


Mike Gallo (IFC Veteran) vs. David Ferguson (Danger Zone Veteran)






From the event’s promoter:


Latest Official PANCRASE Ranking
(as of April 12, 2001)


Open-weight

the 9th K.O.P. Semmy Schilt(Holland/Golden Glory)

#1 Yuki Kondo(Pancrase Tokyo)

#2 Kiuma Kunioku(Pancrase Yokohama)

#3 KEI Yamamiya(Pancrase Tokyo)

#4 Yoshiki Takahashi(Pancrase Tokyo)

#5 Sanae Kikuta(Pancrase GRABAKA)

#6 Osami Shibuya(Pancrase Yokohama)

#7 Jason DeLucia(U.S.A./Pancrase Hybrid Budokan)

#8 Katsuhisa Fujii(freelance)

#9 vacant

#10 vacant


Light-heavyweight(177lbs.under 199lbs.)

the 1st K.O.P. vacant

#1 Yuki Kondo(Pancrase Tokyo)

#2 Sanae Kikuta(Pancrase GRABAKA)

#3 PAULO FILHO(Brazil/Brazilian Top Team) *NEW!

#4 Ikuhisa Minowa(Pancrase Yokohama)

#5 Omar Bouiche(Sweden/Mixed Martial Arts Stockholm)

#6 Brian Gassaway(U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)

#7 MITSUYOSHI SATO(Pancrase GRABAKA) *NEW!

#8 Kosei Kubota(Pancrase Yokohama)

#9 Daisuke Ishii(Pancrase Tokyo)

#10 vacant


Middleweight(under 177lbs.)

the 1st K.O.P. Nathan Marquardt(U.S.A./Colorado Stars)

#1 Shonie Carter(U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)

#2 Kiuma Kunioku(Pancrase Yokohama)

#3 Chris Lytle(U.S.A./I.F. Academy)

#4 Genki Sudo(freelance) *left GRABAKA

#5 vacant

#6 vacant

#7 vacant

#8 vacant

#9 vacant

#10 vacant

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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