By Matt Serra
UFC Welterweight champion
I really thought the way Matt Hughes dumped on Daniel Barrera after last week’s fight was awful. The accusations Matt made about Barrera being scared were off base. Barrera, what he lacked in skill, he made up for in heart and effort. He wasn’t scared. He ate a ton of shots. He’s new to this, and you have to expect some growing pains in this sport.
I think Hughes is taking the fights on this show a little too personally. It should be all about the guys on his team competing and leaving here better fighters, not about his name in the center of the Octagon. He said it on an earlier episode, “I’m really competitive, and if I can’t win, I won’t play.” Saying he wanted to leave the show because he was so frustrated sounds like he doesn’t want to play anymore.
His temper tantrum aimed towards Blake Bowman aside, Mac Danzig showed a great deal of maturity in dealing with his teammates to this point. Ray Longo said it best when we were watching the episode this week – Mac could have, and maybe should have, been the coach of that team. He handled the guys way better than Hughes ever could in the face of mounting adversity.
Anyway, the fight announcement came down, and I wasn’t surprised – this is a matchup we’d been expecting. I thought George would be in good shape, regardless of his opponent. He is an extremely well rounded fighter, and, as I said on the show, his work ethic is unparalleled – sometimes we have to slow him down a little bit so he can save some for the fight!
Leading up to the fight, there was a bit of drama in the house about George not waking his teammates up. I wasn’t in the house, obviously, but when word came down to me about friction there, I could see where Ben was coming from. There are no alarm clocks in the house, so you’re relying on your biological clock to get you going, which can be a problem. I know when I was on the show, Din Thomas would give me a wake up call if I slept in. Anyway, I don’t think George was doing it to be rude or competitive or whatever Ben thought, it may have just been a cultural thing. Regardless of that drama, we squashed it before it became an issue. I’m proud to say that, contrary to Matt Hughes’s accusations earlier, my guys acted as a true team, and I think that’s a major reason why everyone has gotten better and we were 5 and 1 heading into this week’s matchup.
At the weigh ins, I didn’t like the way J-Roc was acting, telling George to stand in a certain place. It looked like he was trying to punk him, but, to his credit, George handled himself well, and wasn’t going to be intimidated by anyone. Intimidation tactics…maybe that was the Matt Hughes influence… What was definitely his influence was that witch doctor he brought in to look at J-Roc’s rib. I don’t even know what a witch doctor is, but it sounds creepy, and I just hope that dude doesn’t use voodoo on me for my bout with Matt in December
The scene with J-Roc and George eating breakfast the morning of their fight made me laugh. I’ve been in that position before: the night before my fight with Pete Spratt we ate dinner together, and it was definitely awkward. Whatever the outcome was, though, we knew that inside the Octagon, it was business, and once it was over, we could go back to being cool.
The fight went exactly how we wanted it to, George winning by picking J-Roc apart on his feet with some great counters. At one point they had a nice exchange when George shot in for as take down and J-Roc had a nice kumara defense, which brought the fight back on to its feet. George just caught him when they stood up, and we moved to 6 and 1 on the season.
As usual, Hughes started dumping on his team in defeat. The second J-Roc lost, he changed his tune from “J-Roc’s fighting with a rib problem, so he obviously wants to fight” to “it looks like he didn’t want to be in there to begin with.” Pretty convenient, I wonder if he’d be saying that had J-Roc caught George with a right instead of the other way around. It’s really amazing to watch the change in reaction to losing from Dorian’s loss in episode 2 to now.
J-Roc was pretty broken up about his loss, but he shouldn’t be. He’s a talented kid, and he’ll be back in the Octagon. Like Dana said, sometimes you just get caught.
That said, I think it’s ironic that, out of everybody there, he was the one making fun of my voice in his post fight interview. Not for nothing, but he makes Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sound like DMX!
Until next week…
Comments (14)
Hey Matt,
Hope the training for December's going well.
The witch doctor caught me off-guard too. Not sure if that was just a nickname or not but I'm pretty sure that Christians aren't supposed to be consulting with any sort of psychic or medium as they're tools of the devil. How do you get a witch doctor license anyways?
Next week on TUF : Come to Jesus meeting, baptisms, witch doctors, demon conjuring and more Matt Serra impersonations.
Visit http://www.lukecummo.com
I'm not sure if punishing fighters will necessarily improve their performance. It's just something else for them to worry about. Danzig has the most experience, but the rest are amateurs at best. Some are tentative and can't help but make mistakes. But learning from these mistakes is the only way they'll improve. It's literally the school of hard knocks. Regardless of the sport, coaches should correct, but never discourage. Very entertaining season so far.
Serra,
Great job training your team for their fights. I used to have so much respect for Hughes, but now his attitude is really a drag. I can't understand how a former Champion could be such a sore loser. I was pulling for him to win (in the couches bout) but now I want to see him choked out.
By the way, you’re right; it should be all about the fighters now and the couches later. I used to think you were kind of an arrogant Jerk, but your comments about Hughes being self centered is really on point. The more I watch the show I feel like you’re just acting true to the content of your character and I respect that level of honesty.
Good luck to your team,
Leif
Mr. Serra you are one entertaining dude! I'm not a fan of Matt Hughes either. You speak for the majority of MMA fans out there and that partly the reason this season is such a hit. You and your coaching staff have done an excellent job training these guys. Your ringside presence has definitely been a factor in some of those bouts although I think you can, at times, possibly, make the fighter a bit more anxious. But thats just an observation from at home on a couch so what do I know! Heh heh.
Great job Matt... you're dead on with just about everything.
Goodluck with your fight with Matt Pewwwwws.... and just punch his in the mouth once... REAL GOOD for everyone out here in Jerzy!
Be easy-
Krumbz
Jerzy Kidz Entertainment
Hey Matt,
Great work out there man. You guys have really pulled together, and grown as a team -- and it's been fun and entertaining to watch.
For me, it's like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote, "The real test of a man's character is not found in times of comfort, but in times of challenge and controversy." Either walk the talk, or don't say anything at all.
Keep the momentum going, and then ice that cake in December...
Here is the difference -- if Serra had lost 5 and only won one fight, I think he would still be coaching his guys the same way and working towards helping the team build a cohesive, team-like strategy to help the next guy on deck win the next bout.
Hughes seems just the opposite. The more his team’s loses the more frustrated he gets and the more we see his ultra-competitiveness taint the rest of the team for the worst.
For Serra, he's lost fights and hasn’t been always on top so he knows how to handle loss and adversity. With Matt Hughes he hasn’t lost very much and he’s usually on a winning team (look at his bio: http://www.matt-hughes.com/blog/matt-hughes-biography-testimony).
So when faced with a situation like this, Hughes short-circuits. It’s not his fault really, it’s just that his mind, right or wrong, is programmed not to loose and that is the major problem and contributor to the way he’s coaching these guys and reacting to them. It’s tough because I think he’s a good person in some ways but he also has a lot learning to do in terms of coaching young, up and coming fighters. He needs to realize that things don’t always go his way and he has to be flexible and adaptive, especially in today’s MMA environment.
Way to go Matt Serra!
I missed the last episode - they don't show it here in Thailand where I am on business for 9 weeks and will miss the finale - but I read the recaps and must say: "What a WHINER Matt Hughes is!!!"
Having coached athletes for over 15 years I can say that he is NOT a coach, but a self-centered arrogant egotist.
Kick his butt in December - I am coming home to California on the 29th to make sure I get to see you win.
Bill
Serra,
You are one funny guy. Thanks for making me laugh.
You have the right style of coaching and I am happy to see your team winning.
You bummed me out when you beat GSP, however, I was very impressed. Good luck against Hughes!
Thanks again,
Nick
NAQ Games
hey matt great job w/ your team. I saw you were @ ratpack gym awhile back (local gym) heard it was great your a great teacher.
Good Luck w/ Hughes the guy should be a gym
Serra
Whats happenin...Im sorry to say but Hughes sounds alot like my high school football coach...but oh well...I definitely think you are the far superior coach this season...and I hope Hughes gets whats comin to him...I know most of the fighters are inexperienced...but gettin in the cage and fighting is the only way they can earn experience...Yo Hughes...its called growing pains man...and i am pretty sure you had them starting your career in MMA...Do yourself...and the world a favor....Quit bailing on your guys just cus they lost...we win some and lose some...but we live to battle another day...
Quick question: you think they should change coaches and make Mac a coach/fighter?
Yes J-Rock was hurt prior to the fight...and im willing to bet you that any lesser man would have said the hell with it and not even show up.
All in all...i hope the fight between Hughes and Serra is a classic. Good luck and hope u defeat Matt Whooos
Matt,
Since watching you as a contestant on TUF, I've been a big fan. It was Drago's match on TUF that immediately made me think you'd be a great TUF coach, and look at you now! And you were so humble in your victory over GSP, even though you have every right to just rub it in to all the doubters. Yeah, you flicked a little sarcasm and humor about it out there, but nothing that was inappropriate or remotely approaching a "sore winner" type of response.
I always like Hughes in the past, but started having second thoughts as a fan when he took GSP's comment so personally (when it was simply a language barrier problem and the comment was taken out of context). The problem with so many overly Christian atheletes is that they almost always eventually come across as quite a bit hypocritical, and Hughes is no exception. It may just be the editing of the show, but am I the only one who has noticed that the more Team Hughes loses, the less that many prays, preaches, etc.? I know that Dana is his boss, but considering Hughes' criticism of your "colorful language", shouldn't he be offended by Dana's language in one of the last segments where Dana was advising that he come down hard on his team ("Kick their BLEEPing BLEEP....BLEEP....BLEEPING BLEEP...I mean, BLEEP...." etc.)? Hypocrit. He's mad because he's losing, so I guess all his devout Christian thoughts and way of life just get tossed out the window because he's so pissed at his team that he wants to quit the show? Forget about a hypocrit. How about not being such a little cry-baby? I haven't seen toddlers give up that easy.
Great season and I'm really enjoying the shows primarily because of you being one of the coaches. Can't wait for the December PPV to see the fight. I'm expecting you to win, baby, but whether you win or lose, I'm sure you'll show Hughes how it's done right as either a gracious winner or loser. I doubt we'll get the same from him, whether he wins or loses.
Like J-Roc, Carlton had a lot of heart!
Is "Kumara" a typo for Kimura? Or is it something completely different?
Anyway, I really enjoy reading your blog posts and Mac's blog posts about the show. Thanks for writing!
Serra;
when the show first started I was a little upset with the way you dumped tap-out after you got your title, they supported you all the way, and now that you have made it you leave them in the dust, not to champion-like, but, on the other hand hughes has been a bit of a d$#$! I never new how ignorant one person can be. The way he gets down on his fighters when they loose is disgraceful. the fighters get in there and give it their all then if they lose hughes degrades them somemore. Get a life Hughes and grow up. And Serra please punch hughes really hard in the head for all us fans at home and good luck in your fight, bring your A-game.
Peace and Godspeed
The Don
Hey Matt: My husband and I are HUGE UFC fans. We live in Britsh Columbia, BC and are successful entrepreneurs. We go to almost every UFC event in Las Vegas. In December, we will be taking all of our staff as well as a Christmas gift. At first, I wasn't crazy about you, but now, I LOVE YOU!! LOL!. I don't have anything bad to say about Matt Hughes, but I think you are fabulous. Great attitude, great coach. Great dramady for the TV series. Anyway, I hope I get to snap a pic with you at the end of December....you will be there, won't you? ;-) If you are ever in Vancouver, British Columbia - give us a call (sure, eh?) well, you might just have a great time! Hope to see you in Vegas in December. Cathrine & Marc