Should we really have considered Matt Serra’s victory over Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69 that big an upset? After all, Serra has only been knocked out once in his career. He’s never been submitted. And every fight he’s ever been in— no matter whom the opponent— he’s either won or been in it until the bitter end.

Said another way, Matt Serra is no joke. Then again, you don’t have to be a joke to lose to Georges St. Pierre, particularly when he’s focused. In fact, when Georges St. Pierre is focused he’s proven capable of dominating the best the UFC Welterweight Division has to offer.

Just ask Matt Hughes.

Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre 2 at UFC 83 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM On April 19, 2008, Matt “The Terror” Serra will take on Georges “Rush” St. Pierre at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Since losing to Serra back on 4/7/07, St. Pierre went on to dominate Matt Hughes at UFC 79: Nemesis on 12/29/07 via armbar.

On the other hand, Matt Serra hasn’t fought since that magical day, having to pull out of a fight with Matt Hughes due to injury. So what will it all mean when the two hook up for the UFC Welterweight Championship?

Keep reading to find out.

Matt Serra holds an overall MMA record of 9-4 with four submission victories and one TKO to his credit. That one TKO came against Georges St. Pierre for those of you who haven’t figured it out yet. Despite the lack of KO victims, Serra has always had good technical striking skills of the boxing variety, good power on his feet, and a solid chin.

But his real bread and butter are his jiu jitsu and submission skills. Serra is an elite, upper level black belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner with outstanding submissions. He also possesses strong takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills. Beyond that, Serra always comes to fight in shape.

Thus, it’s hard to come up with a real weakness other than his size. Serra has competed in the lightweight division before and only stands 5-foot-6 inches. It’s a solid 5-foot-6, but nonetheless. . .

Georges St. Pierre possesses an overall MMA record of 15-2 with six (T)KO’s and five submission victories to his credit. In sum, St. Pierre is as explosive an athlete as MMA has ever seen. Further, he has top of the line takedown, takedown defense, and ground control skills. In addition, he’s good on his feet in a technical sense and has truly become a diverse striker.

Even his submission/ jiu jitsu skills are above average.

Thus, when you put it all together we’re talking about a guy that seems almost unbeatable. Still, St. Pierre did get tagged by Serra in their last encounter, so we know that’s not the case. The question is, could it happen again?

Prediction for Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre at UFC 83

Matt Serra is a very good submission guy. He also has good hands and power on his feet.

Unfortunately for him, he’s going up against the most athletic and explosive fighter in MMA today. Further, there’s absolutely no chance of Serra taking him by surprise in this one, as St. Pierre will come in as focused as ever before.

Could Serra win via submission or knockout? Yes, he’s got high enough caliber skills to pull it off. But the more likely scenario sees St. Pierre using his kicks at a distance effectively, and then taking Serra down. Once Rush does that, the ground and pound onslaught will begin.

Got to go with St. Pierre via decision in this one (possibly even TKO due to a cut on the ground from those razor sharp elbows of his). Serra is outstanding. But St. Pierre is one of those guys you could see people calling ‘the best ever’ down the line.

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