About Matt Serra
Matt Serra (born June 2, 1974) is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co-host of the official podcast of the UFC, UFC Unfiltered, alongside Jim Norton. Serra defeated Pete Spratt, Shonie Carter and Chris Lytle en route to becoming The Ultimate Fighter 4 Welterweight Tournament Winner. He captured the UFC Welterweight Championship immediately after. Serra also served as the head coach for The Ultimate Fighter 6 reality show opposite Matt Hughes, and he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. In grappling, Serra holds a Silver Medal in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. Serra began practicing martial arts at an early age, starting with Wing Chun. In the 1990s, he began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie. In 2000 he became the first American to be promoted to black belt by Gracie. In addition to competitive bouts with UFC Hall of Famers Hughes and B.J. Penn, Serra's biggest accomplishment in mixed martial arts came at UFC 69 where he defeated Georges St-Pierre in a Knockout of the Night award-winning performance to capture the UFC Welterweight Championship. Serra's father was enthusiastic about mixed martial arts, and Matt first began Wing Chun at an early age. Serra trained under Craig Kukuk, the first American BJJ black belt, who at the time shared an academy with Renzo Gracie. In 2000 Serra became the first American to receive his BJJ black belt from Renzo Gracie. Serra won first place at the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 1999 and third place at the 2000 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Brazil, in the brown belt division.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.