Matt Serra vs. Georges St. Pierre I

Prior to their fight at UFC 69 in April of 2007, Georges St. Pierre was a heavy favorite over Matt Serra, with some sportsbooks having him a -1100 favorite to retain his belt. Many fans considered his first title defense over Serra to be a given, and analysts were talking about future challengers for the champion before Serra had even entered the cage. Following the upset, Serra became the most unlikely welterweight champion in promotional history.

“I will not consider myself champion,” St. Pierre said in the lead-ins to the fight. “I will consider myself a challenger who is going for that title.” “It’s going to sound cliché, but it will be a dream come true [to get that belt],” said Serra. “You don’t have to be the better striker to out-strike somebody in MMA. If he’s thinking one thing and I’m doing the other, the fight could be over.”

Randy Couture discussed what Serra had to do to pull off the upset prior to the bout. “Matt Serra’s got to get on the inside. He’s got great clinch work and he can find a way from top or bottom to end this fight.”

Serra entered the cage first, looking confident and energetic. Rogan: “The question is, can he get Georges St. Pierre to the ground? And even if he can, what can he do when he gets there because St. Pierre is no slouch on the ground?”

St. Pierre entered to French rap music wearing his traditional Gi. He looked solemn and serious. Goldberg: “You won’t hear any trash talk from St. Pierre. He is a first-class competitor who may have the talent and the ability to rule the welterweight division for a long, long time.” Rogan: “The sky’s the limit for this kid; he’s only 25 years old.”

While St. Pierre was widely considered the more skilled striker heading in, early he was having difficulty dealing with Serra’s odd blend of power striking, aggression, and short stature. St. Pierre missed most of his straight punches and head kicks. About three minutes into the round, Serra caught St. Pierre behind the ear with a right hook, which spelled the beginning of the end for the champion, as he was unable to regain his footing and was ultimately pounded into submission at the 3:25 mark of the opening frame.

Matt Serra was humble and jocular following the win. Speaking to Joe Rogan, he said, “Joe, I was wondering if you and Dana had some humble pie in the back. Georges is the future of the sport by far, but this is possibly the greatest upset in UFC history.” While some have criticized St. Pierre in recent years for relying too much on his ground skills rather than standing up and trading strikes with his challengers, he constantly references the loss to Serra as the defining moment of his career.