Reign of "Terror!"
Matt Serra upsets St. Pierre, becomes first reality champion

Octagonside by Victor Perea
Photo by Chris Cozzone
FightwireImages.com

East Meadow New York’s Matt “The Terror” Serra entered the fourth installment of the reality series The Ultimate Fighter in 2006 with nothing to lose.

A favorite to win the show before it even started, Serra showed the ability to lead those on his team as well as perform on fight night—but  the question still remained about Serra’s ability to be able to beat the best, not just keep his head above water in arguably the toughest UFC division.

Everyone knew he was still good, but nobody—and I mean nobody—thought he was going to do what he did Saturday night in Houston.

After winning the show and earning a shot at the welterweight title held by seemingly invincible Georges St. Pierre, Serra now found himself in Houston, Texas as the underdog half of the main event at UFC 69: Shootout.

After landing the first strike in the form of a right hook to the body of the champion, Serra was countered by a left kick to the body and another to the head, both partially blocked. The shorter and stockier challenger managed to, at least, appear comfortable striking with the well rounded French-Canadian.

Two minutes into the contest most in attendance appeared to be surprised that St. Pierre was not yet in total control of the reality series winner. While St. Pierre countered with leg kicks that came up short, Serra found his distance and cracked the champion with a left hand from hell, followed by a right. To the horror of the whole of Canada, St. Pierre staggered backward, feeling the affect of his opponent’s precise power shots. St. Pierre’s left leg buckled, apparently from a slippery spot on the canvas, and Serra pounced on the champion, issuing a surplus of strikes as the Jiu Jitsu master knew this was his open window to finish the contest.

St. Pierre attempted to compose himself and was, at first, able to get up on very shaky legs, still dazed and confused while some now very excited guy in Vegas held the only ticket in the world picking Serra over St. Pierre.

Serra relentlessly went after his adversary, while the crowd on its feet looked on in dismay at the dismantling of their beloved champion.

St. Pierre stumbled backwards and onto his back with the help of Serra’s fist and elbows. Fully mounting the disoriented champion, Serra unleashed a flurry from above until referee “Big” John McCarthy saved St. Pierre at 3:25 of the very first round, making one New York native’s dream come true in the process.

“’Holy shit, he’s hurt,’ that’s what I thought, said the newly-crowned welterweight champion of the UFC. “We worked on striking in training and worked over and over because we knew that’s where he had the advantage.

“Of course we were prepared to go to the ground but I worked on setting up my punches. I have the greatest team training with me and nothing could have worked out better. I respect Georges—that guy is the future of this sport. But, for now, it’s my time.”

The always noble St. Pierre made no excuses for his losing performance

“Today I was beaten by a better fighter. He should be given the credit. I hope the UFC can grant me a rematch as soon as possible.”

St. Pierre (13-2) was knocked out for the first time in his career while being recognized as one the top welterweight fighters in the world; meanwhile Serra (9-4) could not be found on any top ten list previous to Saturday night.

“It’s so nice,” said Serra. “It so nice right now. I’m going back home and I’m going to soak it all up then we’ll see what’s next for me.”

Former welterweight champion sitting octagonside, Matt Hughes, looked like a kid in a candy store after seeing Serra’s stoppage of the man who dethroned him. Serra and Hughes have exchanged words in the past and a shot for the Illinois native to get his title back against the newly crowned champion is not far fetched.

“I congratulate Matt on his victory tonight,” said Hughes. “He did what he needed to do to win and now he is the champion.

“He better be ready because I’m coming to get my title back. And all that talking he’s done he’s going to have to show up very soon inside an octagon with me.”

Sanchez fails to deliver, Koscheck upsets!

Albuquerque’s Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez has been touted as one of the best up and coming welterweight fighters in all of MMA. His performance inside the octagon had been cast in iron as a fan-friendly, opponent trashing, all-action warrior.

Coming on the heals of his thrilling knockout over Joe “Diesel” Riggs in December of last year, and a fight of the year candidate with Karo “The Heat” Parisyan a few months before that, Sanchez was raved about by most MMA media outlets, and rightly so.

Enter Josh Koscheck--a member of inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, along with his now-biter rival and current adversary Sanchez. With the Texas sized crowd of over 15,000 expecting to see an absolute brawl, Sanchez and Koscheck passed up on touching gloves and appeared to want to get right to it.

But, they didn’t.

Koscheck began the contest with a blocked right head kick; Sanchez countered with a an awkward karate kid style knee with a kick. A minute and half into the contest a significant strike had not been landed which appeared to be the typical feeling out process. However, three minutes later the apparent shadow boxing had become a nuisance to the paying fans in attendance as they began to verbally show their frustration.

Sanchez, who disappointingly tested positive for marijuana after his December fight with Riggs, appeared to be stale and uncomfortable in the cage with a man he admitted he hated and was going to knock out. Sanchez managed to make just one significant move during the entire first round after being taken to the canvas by Koscheck the New Mexico native switched positions and took his opponents back as the round ended finally giving the judges something to score.

The second round was nearly identical to the first, with Koscheck keeping his distance while landing a quick one-two throughout. Sanchez could not avoid the stiff left jab Koscheck sent his way during the contest and failed to ever make a significant stand or offensive strike to take the contest into his hands.

The crowd continued to grow tired of the technical (but not tactical) contest and neither fighter seemed bothered to bother the crowd. With two rounds in his favor, Koscheck rode out the final round while it appeared Sanchez was content quietly waiting for the bout to end.

When the contest was over, the crowd and Koscheck both knew he had just handed the ballyhooed Sanchez his first loss and Bruce Buffer announced the judges scores, all three 30-27 for the everything but graceful winner, Koscheck.

“Hey ya’ll fans can love me or hate me,” he said in the octagon. “But Diego is now 19  . . . one!”

Koscheck (11-1) went on to call out welterweights Chris Leben and Josh Burkman who sat octagonside. Leben, known for his brash behavior advised Koscheck that he was number one with both hands and would like to meet him inside the octagon again.

Huerta and Garcia trade heavy shots in lightweight battle

Two of Texas’ finest pint-sized warriors entered their scheduled three round lightweight contest in search of respect. After it was all said and done, the two men embraced after three full rounds of fast-paced action at its finest, to a standing ovation.

Highly touted and popular Roger “El Matador” Huerta entered the contest having won his first two fights inside the octagon while Garcia made his UFC debut.

The actions started immediately. Garcia landed a left leg kick and Huerta countered with a right hand left hand combination. Huerta did not stop to breath after countering, instead opting to overwhelm his opponent with constant pressure. Garcia was bum rushed to the ground and quickly found himself defending a rear naked choke from his statesmen.

Garcia battled back to his feet and tied on a deep guillotine choke on the impending Huerta who found himself in trouble for the first time in the contest. With Garcia tightly wrapped around his entire body Huerta decided his best way out was to take a risk and slam his opponent into the canvas while his head remained locked in the guillotine choke attempt. The rough decent and landing to the mat loosened Garcia’s grip just enough to escape and take top position. An amazing first round ends with yet another change of positions as Garcia somehow manages to take top control and end a close round in the favor of Huerta.

Like two madmen Garcia and Huerta continued to trade and relentlessly pursue a fight ending combination of strikes and submission attempts while the near capacity crowd looked on in disbelief at the display of ruthless fisticuffs continued for the next two rounds. Huerta managed to do the most damage to the game Garcia throughout the contest, while Garcia continued to smile and swing back and his face was battered and the bout was nearly stopped.

Both fighters saluted the crowd before beginning the final stanza and the extremely grateful crowd saluted back as the two fighters began the round as they did the first two; with a rabid exchange of well placed aggression. To the ground they went again battling for position, Huerta attempts an Americana before Garcia switches positions and takes Huerta’s back keeping with the consistency of a back and forth battle.

With an entire two minutes left they trade places again with Huerta in side control pounding away at his smiling but deteriorating opponent. With Garcia pinned down taking a great deal of punishment it appeared the fight was close to being halter again before Huerta grows tired of throwing punches with half a minute to go.

Garcia survives as Huerta pounds it out and the fight ends, the fighters kneel and embrace each other after a beautiful display of the fistic arts, the crowd gives the two warriors a standing ovation after witnessing the fighting spirit Mexican fighters have brought to boxing has now hit the octagon.

The decision is a unanimous one in favor of Huerta (17-1-1) in the kind of fight where there is no loser,

“All I gotta say is this guy right here, look at his face—nuthin’ but heart,” said Huerta respectfully after the contest.

“I had one month to train and I guess I gotta go back to Albuquerque and train harder,” said a still-smiling Garcia, now 9-2. “I think this match deserves a rematch, don’t ya’ll?”

Okami ruins homecoming for Swick

In a contest where each middleweight contender was sure to make his case for a shot at the middleweight title, Japan’s Yushin Okami and Houston’s own Mike “Quick” Swick battled it out for a scheduled three rounds.

Okami, a well versed and diverse fighter, appeared the larger of the two men with broad shoulders and a slight height advantage. Swick, known for his fast hands, was hoping to please his hometown crowd with a knockout victory over Okami, who was undefeated in 3 UFC fights.

Okami seemed content to wait and counter with his slight reach advantage as the normally fast-acting Swick failed to throw more than one punch at a time.

Chants of “U-S-A and Swick-Swick” filled the arena as the crowd awaited for the speedy onslaught Swick has been known to deliver.

However, it was Okami who landed the more accurate punches and after doing s,o clinched and swept the hometown boy to the mat.

Unable to effectively use his speed without throwing punches in combination Swick found himself successfully defending a single leg takedown attempt from Okami thrice before being taken down again. Swick fended off a guillotine and kimura attempt before the round ended in favor of Okami.

Swick started the second round in better position, working his left jab to find a home for a follow up right hand. Okami figured his foe out quickly bobbing, weaving and countering with a flush right hand.

Okami managed to take Swick down yet again, before the Houston native received help from referee Mario Yamasaki and the two were stood up. Swick called for the crowd’s support and finally began to show the striking ability he is known for.

After landing a three-punch combination that hurt Okami, he was forced to clinch and take the fight back down. Yamasaki again stood the fighters up and almost immediately Swick served up a quick left-right-right that sent Okami to one knee and the crowd into a frenzy as a close round ended for Swick.

Swick appeared to second guess himself ,entering the final round of the contest and Okami made him pay with more on-target right hands. Okami over committed to a right hand and Swick came back into the contest with three punch combination before once again being taken down for the final time. Okami pounded away at Swick from the full mount while Swick blocked mostly everything. Okami gave up on several rear naked choke attempt after taking Swick’s back. With under a minute to go, Swick was somehow able to change positions and started punishing Okami from above in the closing moment.

Okami got the judges’ decision 29-28 twice and 30-27 on the third.

“Mike Swick is a great striker,” said Okami after improving to a 20-3 record. “I was wary of his punches and I wanted to get him into a ground game. I feel I was decently successful in doing so.

“It was extremely difficult taking on a fighter of Mike’s caliber in his hometown. I felt he was able to channel the crowd’s energy if he got into trouble . . . I heard some people booing when the decision was announced—that is understandable but it didn’t faze me.”

Swick dropped to a respectable 10-2.

Grove delivers in action filled bout!

Winning the entrance song of the night by a long stretch, Alan Belcher made his way into the octagon to a crowd-pleasing country version of Snoop Dog’s “Gin n Juice” unfortunately for the comical combatant—that was the only thing he was able to win.

Belcher swept Grove and earned a big takedown half a minute into the contest and took side control. Grove managed to bring it back to their feet and controlled the fight from then on.

The unusually tall, for a middleweight, Grove battered Belcher with body kicks and sharp strikes without pause, giving Belcher no time to react as he quickly tied up with a solid Thai clinch. A solid takedown from Belcher was stuffed by the lanky Grove as the round ended. Clearly evident that his continued training with Team Punishment was paying off, Grove was relentless in his pursuit of victory, starting the second round with a  flying right knee followed by a pinpoint right upper cut.

The innovative and game Belcher found himself looking to take the contest to the ground, “The Spider” web. Another solid sprawl from Grove stopped the Belcher takedown as the native Hawaiian unleashed a plethora of elbows from strikes from side control managing to open a cut on the dome piece of Belcher.

Another right knee from the clinch followed by a right hand, marked the beginning of the end as Belcher dropped to the canvas. Grove quickly took his opponent’s back and sank in a solid D’Arce choke as referee “Big” John McCarthy looked on closely. Moments later, as Grove tightened his grip on the submission attempt, Belchers arm went from stiff to limp, indicating that he was unconscious. Referee “Big” John McCarthy jumped in and stops the contest at 4:42 of the second round.

“Alan was game and I respected his striking ability,” said Grove, 8-3. “I’m psyched I am not going to the hospital to get patched up after a fight with someone of his ability.

Herring pounds out Texas sized decision over Imes

The lone heavyweight bout of the night had no problem blending into an exiting card from top to bottom. After a one year hiatus from the UFC Brad “Hillbilly Heartthrob” Imes entered the contest in hopes of adding a victory to his winless UFC career. Heath “Texas Crazy Horse” Herring came looking for redemption after a disappointing loss to Jake O’Brien in his much anticipated UFC debut.

After the 6’4”, 250 pound Herring opted not to touch gloves, the “Texas Crazy Horse” rushed Imes in hopes of earning a much needed highlight win in quick fashion. The amazingly bigger Imes, standing 6’7”, and topping the scales ten pounds heavier than his opponent, managed to take Herring to the canvas.

A stiff left jab continued to land for Herring to the battered face of Imes who looks like a trucker in a bar and fights like a biker. Herring ran Imes into the ground as the former offensive linemen defended his full guard. With 2 minutes left Imes struggled to get back to his feet after the referee instructed the fighters to do so. With a face battered beyond recognition, Imes continued to come forward and get punished for it. Somehow, Imes managed to takes Herrings back during the final seconds of the round, but was  unable to do anything effective other than impress the crowd.

Simultaneous right hands from the big men began the final stanza and a well-placed right knee from Imes reminded Herring the fight wasn’t over yet. For the first time in the fight, Imes was the one in control.  Imes threw and landed two more huge knees to the face of Herring while his corner urged him to take down the disoriented Herring. Imes did what he was instructed and gave up control as Herring composed himself and looked for a north-south submission attempt. Herring threw a knee to his downed opponent, landing legally on Imes’s shoulder. A second knee illegally found the back of Imes’ head and the ref stopped the action and warned Herring, forgetting to stop the clock while allowing Imes to rest. Herring struck his defeated opponent and finished the contest in control, earning himself a unanimous decision, 30-27 twice and 30-28 once with the second round given 10-8 to Herring (27-12).

“I wanted the quick knockout but the guy wouldn’t quit,” said Imes, 5-3. “We put on a hell of a show for the fans and that’s what I wanted.”

Leites batters Sell to earn victory

Brazilian Thales Leites completely dominated the very game UFC veteran Pete “Drago” Sell in only his second octagon appearance.

After making his first takedown attempt a successful one Leites began a pattern of elbows and takedowns that would last the entire contest.

Wisely capitalizing on his opponents weak side, Leites continually took Sell to the canvas where he reigned with mighty elbows to the face and head of Sell. After nearly submitting Sell in the closing moments of the opening round Leites went back to what worked, a brutal game of ground and pound for the last two rounds. A battered and bloody Sell could do nothing more than hang on as he failed to make a significant stand during the contest other than a guillotine choke attempt in the closing moments of the fight. Leites escaped the attempt and again mounted and pounded Sell until the final horn sounded and the young Brazilian was declared the victor by unanimous decision.

“I felt I should have finished him earlier, I brought him to the ground and he defended my submission attempts very well,” said Leites, 10-1. “I have much respect for Pete Sell because he never gave in during the fight but that is why I train and that is why I won.”

Sell is now 7-3.

Spratt submits to the “Hand grenade"

In a scheduled three round welterweight match up UFC veteran Pete Spratt displayed quick hands and accurate counters before being submitted via heel hook by The Ultimate Fighter series veteran Marcus “Hand Grenade” Davis.

Davis threw a heavy left hand to begin and already the wise Spratt had seen enough and clinched. Davis has none of that and turns the tables taking Spratt to the canvas in side mount; Spratt showed excellent ground defense valiantly defending a rear naked choke from the Irish bomber for far longer than any man should have to.

Spratt managed to switch positions and landed on top with less than 20 seconds left in the round ending the first stanza on a positive note.

An inside leg kick from Spratt began the second round as Davis slipped out of the clinch while Spratt moved in, narrowly missing an uppercut with very bad intentions. Davis traded punches back to his feet and at some point during the rapid exchanged earned himself a bloody forehead. Davis decides it is best to Spratt to the ground with a single leg sweep, shortly after applying an ankle lock from standing position that forces Spratt to tap and limp back to his corner.

“I’ve been working on that very submission in training and it paid off,” said Davis (11-3) after the bout

With the loss the veteran Spratt drops to 15-8.

Cummo brings the pain to Haynes

In the opening bout of the night The Ultimate Fighter season 2 runner up Luke Cummo earned his spot among the winning end of the year’s best knockouts. Facing The Ultimate Fighter 4 runner up Josh “Bring the Pain” Haynes, who previously topped the scales well over 200 pounds, Cummo opted never to turn to his superior ground game.

The Long Island based welterweight managed to land a solid left elbow to the head of Haynes midway through the first round while the near capacity crowd chanted “Cummo-Cummo.”

After a close first round that saw each of the two reality series veterans land solid punches, Cummo took control with a more confident stand up game; starting by doubling up on his left jab.

Cummo defended Haynes best take down attempts just before doing what many boxing fans have been dying to see inside the octagon; a solid body shot. Cummo pounded Haynes with a thundering shot to the ribs unknowingly earning himself great interest from his bodily investment.

Cummo continued to effectively land his punches while Haynes stayed game but could not manage to counter successfully.

Skittishly dropping his hands to defend his body Haynes left himself open for Cummo to land his punches with even greater accuracy. Moments later Cummo landed another stiff jab this time following it up with a whaling right hand. The rocket thrown by Cummo solidly landed on the chops of Haynes and before Cummo could land his follow up left body shot “Bring the Pain” Haynes was down and out. Haynes (7-4) hit the ground so disoriented that he successfully took down referee Kerry Hatley before realizing the contest was over at 2:45 of round 2.

“I was going for the body shot but I caught him, that was as good of an outcome as I could have hoped for,” said Cummo after an unsuccessful attempt at preaching to the red crowd about politics.

“The refs and doctors are in place to make sure we are safe. I thought when Josh got dropped; his knees buckled and he kind of got it together. Josh is real tough, he is never going to quit. But the fact that he tried to take the ref down after he got up tells me that the referee made the right decision in stopping the fight,” added Cummo (5-4).

Bonus photos