Matt Serra | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra has been retired for over three years now but remains active in the fight game through coaching at the Serra-Longo gym in Long Island.
His star pupil? UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who scored…

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra has been retired for over three years now but remains active in the fight game through coaching at the Serra-Longo gym in Long Island.

His star pupil? UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who scored his second victory over the legendary Anderson Silva in a roughly six-month time frame at UFC 168 this past Saturday.

In an interview with Examiner, “The Terror” explained that while he felt bad for Silva suffering such a serious leg break, sometimes that’s just the luck of the draw.

See, here’s the thing; of course you’d like to have a nice knockout or a nice submission, or a ref stoppage or something like that, but the fight game is like chess, and he [Weidman] made the right move. He made the right move. If Chris doesn’t lift that leg up and check it — like Ray Longo showed him how to — he’s eating that kick. And here’s the thing about a kick like that; the harder you throw it, the worse for wear you are … So, it is unfortunate, but it was the right move by Chris. I’m upset that Anderson got hurt, and that’s unfortunate. But at the same time, our guy did the right thing.

Weidman, now ranked the No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the UFC’s official rankings, boasts a perfect 11-0 record (including eight finishes) as a professional mixed martial artist.

However, “The All-American” still has naysayers who believe both of his victories over Silva involved more luck than skill.

In their first encounter at UFC 162 in July, Weidman became the first competitor in 39 fights to knock “The Spider” out, but he received limited credit for the big title win since Silva was excessively taunting and showboating before getting dropped.

In the rematch, Weidman convincingly won the first round prior to Silva shattering his left tibia and fibula on the champ’s knee as he checked a leg kick.

Meanwhile, Silva’s future remains up in the air, as it will take somewhere between six to nine months before the Brazilian is able to train rigorously again, per MMA Fighting.

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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The 5 Most Unlikely Title Winners in UFC History

When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbabl…

But Weidman wouldn’t be the first to pick up an unlikely win against a dominant fighter and champion.

Other champions have set foot in the cage with the odds in their favor, only to witness the belt change hands at the end of the night. So here are the top five most improbable title wins in UFC history.

Note: This list will include only upsets which occurred during the Zuffa era, meaning Maurice Smith defeating Mark Coleman is out of the picture.

Begin Slideshow

The 5 Most Unlikely Title Winners in UFC History

But Weidman wouldn’t be the first to pick up an unlikely win against a dominant fighter and champion.

Note: This list will include only upsets which occurred during the Zuffa era, meaning Maurice Smith defeating Mark Coleman is out of the picture.

Begin Slideshow

With Matt Serra Unavailable, Chris Weidman’s Father to Corner Him at UFC 162

Due to medical issues and the birth of his third daughter, Matt Serra won’t be able to corner his star pupil, Chris Weidman, in the UFC 162 headliner against Anderson Silva (via MMA Fighting). However, “The All-American” saw the situation as a ble…

Due to medical issues and the birth of his third daughter, Matt Serra won’t be able to corner his star pupil, Chris Weidman, in the UFC 162 headliner against Anderson Silva (via MMA Fighting).

However, “The All-American” saw the situation as a blessing in disguise, since his father, Charlie Weidman, will now be able to corner his son for the biggest fight of his life.

Weidman discussed the matter at length with ESPN:

“Having my dad out there brings another dynamic,” Weidman told Franklin McNeil. “He’s real spiritual. It’s important for me to be spiritual, in the right place. He’ll pray for me before I go out. And that’s a huge part of me having an advantage going against Anderson Silva. [My father] has been driving me to wrestling camps and every match that I’ve had growing up, since second grade — sitting in the stands. He’s never been in my corner, even for wrestling. This is his first time .. “He’s my biggest fan. This is a great thing for him, too. It’s like a lifetime dream; he’s happy.”

The undefeated prospect looks to bring his record to 10-0 against Silva, widely recognized as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

The pound-for-pound great is 16-0 inside the Octagon with 14 finishes, and has faced few challenges in that span outside of his two encounters with American rival Chael Sonnen.

However, Weidman‘s elite blend of wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu could give “The Spider” a tough challenge on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Serra, a former UFC welterweight champ, spoke with ESPN as well, expressing his belief that Weidman has everyone he needs in his corner for UFC 162.

“I feel very confident in Chris for this fight,” Serra said. “He’s got all the guys in his corner: Ray Longo for striking, John Danaher for the ground, jiu-jitsu, and I think it’s nice that he got his father in there. It might be more important [having Charlie Weidman] than having me there right now. It will mean more for him, his spirit. It’s a beautiful thing, having his father in the corner.”

“The Terror” put New York’s Serra-Longo Fight Team on the map when he shocked the world by capturing the welterweight strap from Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 in April 2007.

Will Weidman be able to pull off a similar feat by stopping Silva’s reign atop the middleweight division this weekend?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com