UFC Hall of Famer reflects on upset win over Georges St-Pierre: "I knew I was going to take my chances"
A UFC Hall of Famer recently reflected on his incredible upset win over Georges St-Pierre to become the welterweight champion at UFC 69. 'Rush' was a heavy favorite, however, he was dropped with a right-hand before finished him via ground-and-pound at 3:25 of the first round.
Matt Serra's career-defining moment came as a result of winning season 4 of 'The Ultimate Fighter', which was billed as 'The Comeback'. The season featured middleweight and welterweight veterans competing for a second chance with the promotion and a UFC title shot.
'The Terror' took advantage of his opportunity by dethroning the young 26-year-old phenom. During his latest appearance on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's JAXXON PODCAST, the Hall of Famer reflected on his welterweight title win, which is considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.
Serra mentioned that he was known for his grappling background, but made the decision to take a different approach and tried his luck striking with St-Pierre:
"I was known as a Jiu-Jitsu guy. I never really stood up with the guys cause I know that my bread and butter is getting a guy down and smoking them like a joint...Georges fought better wrestlers than me...If I'm trying to get this guy to the floor and that's usually my tactic, how am I gonna have that success, man? First of all, it's gonna be hard to get him fu**ing there and second of all, it's gonna be hard to keep him there...So I knew I was going to take my chances standing up."
Check out Matt Serra's comments regarding his win over Georges St-Pierre below:
Georges St-Pierre never lost again after UFC 69
Georges St-Pierre's upset loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69 ended up being a massive turning point and became the second and final loss of his Hall of Fame career.
Thereafter, 'Rush' proved himself once again by defeating Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes to win the interim welterweight championship and set the stage for a rematch. This time he would earn a dominant win to regain his undisputed welterweight championship and would go on a dominant run at 170 pounds.
Since his loss to Serra in 2007, St-Pierre went on to win 13 consecutive fights, which includes his submission win over Michael Bisping following a four-year hiatus to win the UFC middleweight championship.
Check out highlights of Georges St-Pierre avenging his loss to Matt Serra below: