Matt Serra At Risk Of Being Cut By The UFC?
Right now, the occupation of professional cage fighter in the UFC is one of the most unsecure jobs in America. In the wake of 3 more announced cuts of Ultimate Fighter runner-up Tommy Speer, American Top Team’s Din Thomas, and shooto veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka, there is speculation that former welterweight champion Matt Serra could be the next in line to clean out his locker.
In an interview with Percy Crawford from Fight Hype, recently-release middleweight Travis Lutter talks about Serra and the possibility that he may be cut from the UFC roster. Lutter is just one of many fighters that have been cut by the UFC in the past month and seemed to be in a good position in the 185-pound weight class even after losing 2 straight bouts to Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin. In both of those fights Lutter actually had the upper hand at one point, having Silva mounted and sinking in an armbar against Franklin.
From Lutter:
“I would guess that Serra will have a similar fate as me if he loses the Matt Hughes fight.â€
Hughes recently stated on his website that no matter the results of the upcoming Thiago Alves fight June 7th in England he will be fighting Matt Serra next. Serra and Hughes have a heated rivalry that was on display during their tenure as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter reality show’s sixth season and the fight is anticipated to be one of the last of Matt Hughes’ hall of fame career.
Serra dropped the welterweight title to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83 in front of a record crowd in the main event of the first-ever Canadian UFC event. Serra is not expected to fight against between now and the Hughes fight and is at risk of being dropped by the UFC should he lose back-to-back bouts inside the octagon.
Tags: Matt Hughes, Matt Serra
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lutter is chating **** after hughes beats serra, matt serra will drop down to 155 and i think he will be good in that division, lutter u got cut because u gas after 20 seconds sort it out and maybe u will get another go in the ufc, an was everyone else rolling around on the ground laughing when lutter said silva will never beat me again thats because u will never be as good to step inside the cage with him again loser!
Why does Lutter need to be such a jerk. I thought he had a great chance to beat Rich but he failed and is now trying to bring down others. Sad
I wouldn’t be surprised either way. I think Serra matches up a lot better at 155, but the way the UFC has been cutting people and if they are serious about getting the numbers from 250 to 150, there are more athletes that are sure to be on the chopping block! If Serra looses to Hughes that will be 2 straight for him that seems to be thin ice in the current UFC.
i personally would like to see what serra could do in the 155 division before they just give up on him. most of there cuts so far have made sense but not serra getting the ax if he loses to hughes.
Serra is going to drop to 155 after Hughes beats him. he can practice his TURTLE defense there for 1 or 2 fights. I can’t wait.
The UFC would be very stupid to cut Serra anytime soon. With the exposure he gained from beating GSP and becoming the WW champ for a year, in addition to being a TUF winner and a coach on TUF, he would be a valuable asset to any other organization that is trying to make headway on UFC’s dominance in the market. So far, Dana has been pretty careful in only cutting guys who more than likely won’t be missed (Speer, Thomas, Hironaka, Doerksen, and Lutter – Sylvia chose to leave on good terms temporarily.) Serra is, at the very least, above this group. His release by the UFC would be a mistake.
Burtoni, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Lutter shouldn’t be surprised he was cut. I’m not. The one thing a fighter can do to piss off Dana White more than anything is to not make weight. Not only did he manage to pull that off in a manner rivaling Gabe Ruettiger, but he also managed to flush away possibly millions of marketing dollars by ruining a title fight in the process. There is no reason for being 7 lbs overweight when a fight is known about for months in advance. Take that into account with his recent preformance and his non-existent cardio and it’s easy to see why Dana let him go.
Lutter is just speaking out because he got cut. He’s the kind of guy who likes to make sure everyone is knocked down a level along with him from what I’ve gathered from his different interviews. I don’t see Serra getting cut two fights removed from knocking out GSP for the title, and I’m by no means a Serra homer. I could see him making the drop and things would be a little more slick for him. I could also see the UFC trying to get him in more of a commentating type role or maybe doing impressions, something like that.
2 losses in a row is not the same as 2 losses in a row to st pierre and then matt hughes. by lutters rational dan henderson should be on the chopping block to but so far i’ve still seen that guy getting a ton of respect. if anyone heard dana on the canadian radio interview that was posted like a month ago, it’s pretty clear that he really likes matt serra. even if he loses two in a row, the guy still has a big name and can make money for the UFC.
The UFC needs to start making more thoughtful cuts, going left and right will only make fighters nervous thus causing a revolt and maybe even a Union (which the UFC will have a hard time getting rid off).I don’t even like Matt Serra but seeing/hearing someone lose their job is always sad.
hey i just saw matt serra yesterday in the elevator at the capital building in albany…and i belive he was there to promote the ufc to get it sanctioned in new york…so hopfully if dana has serra doing that then maybe he wont be cut that quickly
Serra is not going anywhere. He is a character who has played the “game” well, in helping to promote his fights. He is a very talented fighter who will make a lasting impression in the UFC. After the Hughes fight, Serra “will” drop to 155 and compete WELL in the lightweight division. In addition, the fact that he resides in a state that still requires sanctioning is useful to Dana and his crew. Luters comments are baseless fodder. The only way Serra leaves the UFC… by choice. If one of the rival promotion companies put some coin on the table, Serra would have the choice to leave once his current contract is up.
I am so not a Matt Serra fan, but you cannt drop him…yet. Suppose he fights Hughes next and loses to Matt Hughes, which i suspect will happen. You cannot cut him for losing to two of the top 4 welterweights in the world, the last two guys to hold the title (other than Serra), and possibly the best and second best welterweights ever. You expect to lose to St. Pierre and Hughes, anything else is a upset.
With that said, Serra’s win over St. Pierre was lucky at best. There is a reason Serra was on the “comeback” season…because he had gone away! Serra is not a top ten welterweight and won’t be. As much as I would love to see the trash talkin punk canned, he is good for the UFC, and can still fight the second and third tier fighters well. I wrote on my blog about the UFC cuts and gave Dana some guidlelines to use…Serra doesn’t fit unfourtantley.
While I don’t think the UFC will cut Serra anytime soon, I think Lutter does make a valid point. Lutter did win TUF 4 (which was supposed to guarantee him a 6 figure contract and many thousands of $ in sponsorships.) Though he now has 2 consecutive losses, they are to the best 2 fighters in the MW div (Hendo notwithstanding.) True, the fact that he didn’t make weight for a title match was surprising and embarassing, and his most recent performance against Franklin showed that he obviously isn’t very serious about his cardio. But was it really necessary to cut him? The UFC is notorious for “babying” certain fighters, constantly assigning them lesser opponents to build up their records (Michael Bisping and Roger Huerta come readily to mind.) Being that Lutter won TUF 4 fair and square, shouldn’t he at least have the right to finish up his contract against some lesser opponents in the UFC? Kendall Grove won TUF 3, and his last 2 fights have both resulted in first round knockout losses. And now Grove is headlining the TUF 7 finale with Evan Tanner, who has lost 3 of his past 4 fights. All I’m saying is that if Lutter can go from TUF 4 winner and a 6 figure contract to being cut in 2 fights, other fighters should be wary.
Well, I wanted to write a comment, but you all said what I wanted to
I have not read them all, but the gist I was seeing is that it would be stupid to cut Serra. That is totally right, you cannot have all the hype winning TUF, of beating the best WW, being the champ for a year (regardless of it being a defenseless year) Losing again to the best WW, then getting beaten by a hall of fame superstar – and then be dumped. WTF? Where is the shame in any of that?
Lutter, stop being such a douche. Serra made the best of his opportunity, you blew it. Serra became champ, you didn’t even get to fight for the belt. Franklin showed you for the undisciplined chump you are and the UFC dumped you, stop being so bitter, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Grove may be on the TUF 7 finale card, but the loser of the Tanner v. Grove fight gets cut.
burtoni i like you for two reasons… 1 you make a very good point, and two i agree that bisping is nothing more than a launching pad into the UK market and as such has received special treatment. as for huerta, i grudgingly agree cuz it’s true up until the last fight he had that he was getting fairly easy opponents. i say grudgingly cuz i really like huerta and regardless of who he’s fought, i think the guy has done a good job both inside and outside the octagon representing the sport. on my last note, the guaranteed loser of tanner vs grove is going to be the viewer. what a horrible main event.
I dont see Serra going anywhere. If memory serves me, I believe Serra is pretty loyal to the UFC and gets along very well with Dana. I dont think that would keep his place as a fighter, but I could see him moving into another role within the UFC.
I dont know the details about what lead to Lutter’s cut but I think it was a little premature myself. I am very disappointed that he didnt make weight. He did still have a good fight with Silva and could possible beat Silva because he is a good matchup there. He is a bad matchup for Rich Franklin though so a title shot is almost out of the question. What is possible though is for Silva to lose to someone else and then get a rematch with Lutter assuming Lutter can scrap his way back into contention.
Lutter might not be a champ, but he is no chump and puts on a respectible show. He is with the “Lions Den Dallas” which I dont know much about. But he doesnt seem to reach the cardio level he should be at, expecially for a 5 rounder.
If there’s one thing that’s going to keep Serra alive in the UFC it’ll be the fact that now he’s working to MMA events sanctioned in New York. Also Serra’s a pretty entertaining guy and would be awesome as a cornerman or in the broadcast booth.
A drop down to 155 after the Hughes match would be good for him too.