berserker15 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Once buddies, Matt Serra now wants to retire Matt Hughes at UFC 98by Jon Lane on Jan 19, 2009 at 2:30 pm ET Matt Serra wears his heart on his sleeve. If he doesn't like you, he won't talk behind your back. He'll say it to your face without thinking twice. That doesn't mean he's a bad or vindictive person. He goes out of his way to prove that perception is far from reality. He's proud of how he's been labeled the underdog his entire MMA career, more so about the crop of fighters he's developing at his Long Island-based Serra Jiu-Jitsu academies and his future as a full-time instructor. When it comes to Matt Hughes, Serra puts on that persona. To put it bluntly, Serra flat out hates Hughes, and neither nine months of inactivity nor 13 months of waiting for what he calls his "legacy fight" has cooled the bad blood between the two that will finally come to a head May 23 in Las Vegas. "The guy's a dick," Serra told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I might cuss once in a while, but I'm not that guy." Time heals all wounds? Yeah, right. The animosity reaches its boiling point at UFC 98, when Serra and Hughes will collide after injuries to both fighters postponed the bout originally scheduled for December 2007. Hughes initially wrote on his Web site he received a call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva about the bout but added it wasn't 100 percent confirmed. Serra, though, has now confirmed the fight is official. Serra was supposed to defend the welterweight championship, earned with his shocking TKO of Georges St. Pierre, against Hughes at UFC 79 before Serra suffered a herniated disc in his lower back while demonstrating a move to a student. He hoped to get Hughes in January, but Hughes was still rehabbing a partially torn PCL and a completely torn MCL in his left knee sustained during his TKO defeat to Thiago Alves. Silva then targeted March and UFC 96 in Columbus for the bout, but Serra declined with his wife set to give birth to the couple's first child, and that led to the May 23 date in Vegas. "The most important thing is we got a freaking date," Serra said. "I think this is definitely the biggest fight of my career. Not that I want to give this guy a compliment, but he's a future hall-of-hamer in the fight game. Me taking out Matt Hughes, man that would be a couple of hall-of-hamers I'd have wins over, thinking St. Pierre is headed that route. "Let me go on the record: I can't stand him. I don't like him. There's a lot of pride on the line here." It wasn't always like this. In fact, after Serra lost a split decision to Din Thomas in Atlantic City at UFC 41 in February 2003, he met Hughes at a bar in the Trump Taj Mahal. Hughes approached Serra and struck up a friendship, and he proposed on working with each other to build up respective weaknesses. "I thought he was a good guy," Serra said. Once Serra saw Hughes coach opposite Rich Franklin on "The Ultimate Fighter 2," he noticed something a lot different: his attitude. By the sixth season of the show, Hughes and Serra were opposing coaches, and it left Serra thinking, "What a jerk," he said. "This is no BS," Serra (9-5) said. "I don't like him; he don't like me. I'm going to train and do the right thing with one goal: to decapitate Matt Hughes." Hughes (42-7) steps into the octagon for the first time since the devastating loss to Alves. This will be Serra's first fight since April 19, 2008, when he lost a rematch to St. Pierre and the welterweight crown while suffering an injury to the ulner nerve to his left elbow. Finally healthy, Serra recently completed negotiations on a new multi-fight deal with the UFC and plans on fighting more than once a year. "Right now I'm all good, knock on wood," Serra said. "I want to keep it that way. And I plan on it." But Serra never looks past any fight, especially this one. He believes his guard has improved since the GSP rematch and likes his chances better in a three-round bout. Rather than bide his time, wear out his opponent and then try to put him away, Serra intends to go for the k*ll immediately. "I thought I was way too reserved (in the second GSP fight), especially with my ju-jitsu game," Serra said. "I'm going to come up with strategies standing up and on the floor. I'm going to be squared away no matter what happens." Hughes hinted at retirement after the Alves fight. Last September, Serra told MMAjunkie.com he plans on making his decision easier. While Hughes has dropped three of his past four fights, Serra is expecting a dangerous rival hellbent on leaving on a high note. Serra is expected to be the underdog, but he's defeated the odds before. And in his world, fighting for pride is more important than becoming a champion. "Do you think he'd be a gracious winner?" Serra said. "I can't have that. I cannot – cannot – lose to this guy, and I know that."source: http://mmajunkie.com/news/13759/once-buddi...s-at-ufc-98.mma Quote Link to comment
bRIX Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 maiba naman tayo... Arlovski vs. Emelianenko who's your pick? I'll pick Arlovski on this one. Of all the heavyweights in MMA, I think Andrei has the best chances to win against Fedor (and also because he trained with Freddie Roach like MP). Quote Link to comment
riceb0i Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 maiba naman tayo... Arlovski vs. Emelianenko who's your pick? I'll pick Arlovski on this one. Of all the heavyweights in MMA, I think Andrei has the best chances to win against Fedor (and also because he trained with Freddie Roach like MP). Arlovski rin ako... i saw a video clip of him training and damn his hand speed was the shitz! i think he has a good chance of winning against Fedor if the Andre who KOed Ben Rothwell will show up Quote Link to comment
twentysix Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I'll have fedor by 60% and arlovski by 40%. I hope the underdog wins this one. Quote Link to comment
hardtohandle Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The question is: "Can Freddie Roach make a Manny Pacquiao out of Andre Arlovski?" Malabo ito... Hindi naman boxing ang laban. Quote Link to comment
maddromeo Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Fedor ako sa laban na toh! But he will have his hands full with Arlovski. Basta exciting ang laban and whoever takes this fight, its the fan who are the winners here! :thumbsupsmiley: Quote Link to comment
_eRon_ Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 fedor will definitely dominate arlovski; he is the more complete fighter Quote Link to comment
riceb0i Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 recently uso kasi ang mga spoiler fights ahehehe kaya Arlovski ako ahehehe basta lang yung Andre Arlovski na nagpabagsak kay Ben Rothwell ha kapag natalo si Fedor kasi medjo hihina ang Affliction, parang EliteXC kasi ang Affliction mashado silang bias sa isang fighter... kumbaga Affliction was built on Fedor's mystique... Quote Link to comment
JustSmile=) Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 the question will be.. "Will the real Arlovski show for the fight?" If he does, definitely, he can win against Fedor But if not, he will get f#&ked up.. hehe.. Quote Link to comment
riceb0i Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 the question will be.. "Will the real Arlovski show for the fight?" If he does, definitely, he can win against Fedor But if not, he will get f#&ked up.. hehe..hehehe true but that could go the other way as well Quote Link to comment
King Nothing Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 The question is: "Can Freddie Roach make a Manny Pacquiao out of Andre Arlovski?" Malabo ito... Hindi naman boxing ang laban. this is MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.... and boxing is included here... one of the guys with good boxing skills is no other than rashad evans look at his hand speed... so i guess having roach for andre's hands will be good... I'll take on andre he looks like a vampire he looks like lycan from the underworld! and fedors more of a mafia guy interms of looks! hehehe Quote Link to comment
hardtohandle Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 this is MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.... and boxing is included here... one of the guys with good boxing skills is no other than rashad evans look at his hand speed... so i guess having roach for andre's hands will be good... I'll take on andre he looks like a vampire he looks like lycan from the underworld! and fedors more of a mafia guy interms of looks! hehehe But Fedor is not dumb to succumb in a standup duel with the Pitbull... Im sure he will be the one to take this fight to the ground. Gayahin na lang ni Arlovski si Marcus Davis na magsabing: "The first man to take this fight to the ground is a pussy", heheheheh! Baka kumagat pa si Fedor dun, heheheh! Yun lang ang pag-asa nya, heheheh! Arlovski will definitely have his hands full with this fight. All he can do is hope that the Roach magic will be rubbed into him... Quote Link to comment
riceb0i Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 yep Andre would have his hands full in fighting Fedor, and so as Fedor... thats probably the reason why Andre hired Roach as his boxing coach, to improve his boxing, so he can make it a standup fight, but The Pitbull has a really bad sprawl just check his last fight his opponent was able to backmount him... i don't really believe in all the hype they give The Pitbull's training with Freddie Roach, for all i know Andre's been practicing his sprawl & guard game Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.