Ray Longo Says "I'd Love to See Matt Serra Fight BJ Penn"
by Nick Thomas on Feb 10, 2010 10:37 AM EST
in MMA News
Email
PrintOn Frank Trigg:
"I just knew that if it stood up long enough that would be the outcome."
"It's MMA, I don't know if Serra's technique will ever catch up with his punching power but that's the beauty of this sport. In that sometimes I have him purposely have him throw a little wider."
"…He's proven that if he hits ya, he's going to hurt ya."
On future fights:
"You know what I think would be a great fight and that's only because they fought once before. I'd love to see him fight BJ Penn. If BJ wanted to come up in weight because obviously Serra can't get any lower. But I thought they had a great fight, I think it's an interesting fight because BJ will stand there with him I think. And they're both not going to go anywhere standing up now."
"Matt didn't really have the standup when he fought the first him time and the ground thing would be exciting. I think that's a really good fight and I'd like to see Matt now stay with the marquee names and some big fights."
57 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
If Bj wants to take another run at GSP he’ll have to fight someone else at 170, I think Matt Serra would be a great fight, one I think BJ would win unfortunately, but a fun fight with some guaranteed fun interviews before the fight!!
yeah, i hate to say it but serra is going to have to prove quite a bit before that happens. an interesting fight, yes, but i can’t justify making it happen. serra has fallen too low in the ww rankings and bj fights in ww so rarely, seems like pairing them up would be quite a waste.
i’d rather see serra lay off the cupcakes and pasta, drop down and try to make a legitimate run at the lw title, instead of begging for a big payday he doesn’t deserve through longo.
wth are u talking about?
People have reason to weight cut, just like people have reasons not to weigh cut… Serra has said many times that he walks around at like 200lbs… When he’s cuttin to 170 he isnt eating pasta and cupcakes… He is a thick guy who prolly doesn’t feel as good at 155….
Also, stating that he is asking for a big pay day thru longo is laughable… Matt made 150k this fight, with a 60k fotn bonus, and sponsors… He also runs a few BJJ facilities…. I don’t think he’s begging for anything.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
serra has also talked multiple times about how many people tell him he should cut down to lw, but he won’t, because he won’t give up his pasta. i threw in the cupcake bit myself.
ok, you think it’s laughable to think serra wants a big payday? was it laughable when wandy was trying to call out anderson? or any other time a fighter, towards the end of his career, calls out a champ he can’t actually EARN a shot at?
you think it’s laughable that serra might want to angle a fight that will get him a big pay day. i think it’s laughable that you, longo and matt serra at this point in time seem to think he’s deserving of a fight with bj.
i’m sorry, i like serra, but this is sad. as a sort of maybe hypothetical it’s an interesting thing to think about. but in practical terms it’s a guy struggling to stay relevant calling out a dominant champ and p4p candidate. either he’s greedy or delusional, as a serra fan, i’m going to go with greedy.
Actually, BJ would be the one to have to earn a shot at Serra, as the fight would be at WW, where Serra is more relevant than Penn.
And if you watched any of Serra’s most recen vlogs, the guy is not eating pasta for months before fights. He may not be tall, but he is a legit WW in size. He’s not a LW, and won’t be fighting at LW.
If Penn really wants to move to WW and be a guy who could eventually earn a future title shot at that weight, Serra is a good, tough opponent.
by Hardcharger on Feb 10, 2010 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
find me ww ranking with serra above bj, anywhere. please
let’s say that bj does fight serra and wins. what does that prove? he beat a guy i can’t find anywhere ranked in the top ten. hell, i just checked the bloody elbow/usa today consensus rankings AND the mma elo rankings AND SERRA ISN’T EVEN IN THE TOP 20. he’s not even listed at all on the mma elo rankings.
bj doesn’t need to fight a gatekeeper, he needs to fight a contender.
BJ Penn isn’t even ranked at WW. He’s not won a fight at WW in the UFC in 6 years. He’s 1-3 overall at WW in the UFC. Whatever Serra is rated at WW, it’s higher than Penn.
At least Serra has one win over GSP to go with his loss. And fighting Hughes to a virtual draw and then KOing Trigg better establishes Serra than what Penn’s blind cult followers want to believe BJ is ranked at WW.
if you’re really looking at this like bj is a ww nobody and has to climb his way up from the very bottom then you’re right, a fight with serra makes perfect sense. but i can’t justify treating a fighter as well known and successful as bj as a complete newcomer. if anything give him hughes, they also have history and hughes recently beat serra.
i don’t want to admit serra is a gatekeeper and i don’t think bj should have to fight a gatekeeper. but i suppose it’s possible that both of these are true.
I wouldn’t view Penn as a nobody at WW. He’s the best LW, so you have to project that he’d be very good at WW. How good? Not GSP’s level, so the UFC has to figure out who to match him against. Hughes isn’t going to fight Penn with only about 2 fights left after Renzo in his career. Serra could sell a good fight, and I think he’s overlooked a bit at WW and seems to be a dangerous opponent for most people.
Correction:
Not at a greased GSP’s level.
I fixed it for you. Don’t forget, you can’t spell GreaSesPot without GSP!
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
If you like it, you should put a rec on it.
by jemaleddin on Feb 10, 2010 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Call me crazy, but the more I think about it, the better chance I feel Serra has than some of Penn’s recent list of challegers …
i pretty much agree...
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
You're crazy...
I like Matt Serra, but I think he’s got exactly zero chance of landing one of those big loopy bombs on a boxer of BJ’s caliber. Which leaves him trying to get the fight to the ground, where he doesn’t necessarily have much of an advantage. Fun prefight, but BJ murderizes him.
Tatum: I think he's a good man. I like him. I got nothing against him, but I'm definitely gonna make orphans of his children.
by Monte Fisto on Feb 10, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
I think this was meant as more of a statement about how bad recent challengers for BJ have been.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
If you like it, you should put a rec on it.
by jemaleddin on Feb 10, 2010 1:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Which is a little ridiculous. I think Diego and Sherk have both been successful at 170, and I think Kenny could handle Serra as well. Just because BJ has been dominating people doesn’t mean they were shlubs.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
They were just schlubs compared to BJ.
And this just further establishes how high BJ should be ranked at 170.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
If you like it, you should put a rec on it.
i appreciate
How Longo is a realist in terms of Serra’s striking technique. Also I do think a BJ fight would be interesting. Serra may not quite be BJ on the ground or with the technical boxing, but he is a tank with a decent chin and a damned good ground game. I’d expect bj to win 9/10 times, but I think Serra could make it an entertaining fight.
by JaeeJaee on Feb 10, 2010 10:50 AM EST via mobile reply actions
he has a better chance than Frankie for sure. I know im talking apples and oranges here.
HI YAH!
by Thats It For you! on Feb 10, 2010 10:53 AM EST up reply actions
i'd like to see this fight
but i’d like to see it at 155. i have no real interest in seeing BJ fight anywhere but lightweight.
Pre-fight smacktalk
Serra: “I beat GSP”
BJ: “Well I….Shit!”
by IRodC on Feb 10, 2010 11:01 AM EST reply actions 9 recs
The reason I think Serra can give Penn a run
is because of the weight move. He’s 1-2 in the UFC at welterweight, and Serra has spent a lot of time fighting bigger guys. BJ seems weird, all his training and power comes together at 155 but not at 170. And Serra is always so game, he’ll fight anyone.
Sera is underrated
Sera isn’t in the same level at BJ who I’d consider top 3 all time UFC greats. HOWEVER it does pose an interesting matchup since the ground game would essentially be neutralized by each other. I’d say that BJ would win by outboxing him and turning his face into hamburger helper (ala Sherk) however there’s always that chance that he gets caught it one of those big looping punches (which can be difficult to consistently block).
I’d like that fight a lot but I’d still consider BJ at least a 4:1 favorite but hell BJ is more than a 4:1 favorite against pretty much anyone at LW or WW not named GSP.
This would make sense
BJ keeps talking about wanting GSP again after Frankie Edgar. Well, prove it by fighting Serra at 170 since Serra is the last guy to beat GSP and you have beaten him at 155.
by William Wilson on Feb 10, 2010 11:07 AM EST reply actions
but serra, god bless him, has dropped to like 15th in the division. a win over trigg doesn’t propel him in to the top ten. there are other guys more deserving of this fight than serra. hell, i’d rather see bj fight matt hughes again, you know, the matt hughes that recently beat serra in his current slide back to mediocrity? i mean, i hate matt hughes and like serra, but i can’t justify giving serra a fight he doesn’t deserve because he wants a payday and he thinks his skillset matches up well.
Stop spreading your bullshit...
about him begging for a Pay Day. Matt is one of Dana’s favorite guys that fights for him…. He doesn’t need to beg for a pay day…
Do you also have a problem with Chael fighting for the title after losin to Maia? Or Alves gettin his shot a GSP without ever beating Fitch? This proposed fight between BJ and Matt wouldn’t have nearly the implication of those other two fights, and would be compelling in the fact that they fought to a close decision earlier in their careers, and because Serra has succeeded in beating GSP where BJ hasn’t.
Serra vs. Hughes and GSP is 1-2…. Some people think he beat Hughes in their fight…. BJ vs. Hughes and GSP is 1-3…. Some people think BJ beat GSP the first time, and only lost to Hughes due to broken rib… It isn’t a ridiculous fight, and isn’t out of the question due to the fact that people suggested BJ fight a few times at 170 before his rematch with GSP.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Feb 10, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
and I called it bullshit..
because there is no evidence to support that he is “begging for a pay day”…
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Feb 10, 2010 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i’m sorry, but when a fighter that is one or two losses away from a pink slip calls out one of the biggest draws in the company, he’s not doing it because he thinks he deserves the fight or has a chance at winning, he’s doing it because he realizes he has a lot to gain from it.
i understand that bj should have to have at least one more fight at 170 before getting gsp again, but wouldn’t you want to see him fight a top five guy? wouldn’t you want it to be a real contenders match? bj vs. serra would be a warmup for bj, on paper and in the real world. have they both gotten better since they last fought? sure, but bj has gotten light years better. serra won a tournament for also rans and got lucky against gsp. i’m sorry, i’ve spent a lot of time trying to convince myself and others this isn’t the case, but it is. serra is a mw gatekeeper at best, and bj has already gotten past the gate at 170.
why should bj
Jump right into a contender match? Let him fight serra to bide time for his mass gain and adapt to 170 properly as he has never done before. Its a fight that makes sense. It leave no excuse for bj if he drops the ball to another contender rather than the champ as he’ll have had a little bit of time to bulk up. It also puts serra back into the mix in an exciting way. As a fan of both I’m all for it.
by JaeeJaee on Feb 10, 2010 12:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
now that i agree with. if bj can’t beat a guy i can’t find ranked any higher than 22nd in the division then he should quit welterweight for good. if not fighting in general.
i’m sorry, i just don’t get this. if trigg had won would you be clamoring to see bj/trigg? or are you just hard up to see decade old rematches? it was a close fight then, i see no reason why it would be now. serra is fading fast, bj is burning bright as ever. if anything, serra is the two dollar version of bj. how did anderson fair when he fought the two dollar version of himself, forrest griffin?
I’m unclear on where Serra dropped to mediocrity. His recent losses are to GSP (with whom he IS 1-1) and a close one to Hughes, who’s still up there. I think the rematches with either guy are good fights for BJ if he moves up.
by HarmlessNinja on Feb 10, 2010 12:45 PM EST up reply actions
look, i like serra too, and i know we don’t go in for any of that “lucky punch” “i wasn’t 100%” bullshit, but the fact remains all evidence points to serra’s win over gsp being a fluke. he’d never beat a fighter at that level before, and he hasn’t since.
and considering i think matt hughes is also firmly entrenched in mediocrity the fact that he and serra went to a close decision makes perfect sense. what is the highlight of either fighter’s post-championship career? can you even find one?
i’m sorry, but they don’t hand you frank trigg when they think you’re a legitimate title contender. they do that when they’re trying to figure out how to squeeze a few more bucks out of you before they let one or both of you go.
like when they put Trigg against Koscheck?
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
He didn’t. BJ’s fans don’t want BJ to ever have to earn anything, they want to see him get immediate, undeserved title or #1 contender shots.
Could even be a catchweight fight
which would make it easier for BJ to defend his title in a subsequent fight and not require Sera to have to cut too much weight.
the 1st fight was close and both guys have gotten a lot better…the size difference is not as big as gsp/penn….i like this fight and think it would be fun. after edgar who is really left that is a marquee name at lightweight for penn? nobody…rather see edgar, griffin, maynard, florian, etc all battle it out against each other in the division and see who comes out champ.
he didn't last time
it was a close decision
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Feb 11, 2010 7:08 AM EST up reply actions
Drugs are bad.
Unless it is weed, you are from Stockton, and named Diaz.
I am suprised by how many people are ignoring the fact Serra and Penn fought before!
Summary of above:
‘Penn smashes him end of story’
Well he didn’t the first time. I for one would be interested in this fight again.
Rankings wise it doesn’t make sense, but it would still be an interesting fight nonetheless.
'He built his whole reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes' - Don Frye on Fedor Emelianenko
by Well Read Idiot on Feb 11, 2010 7:11 AM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bloody Elbow
Related FanShots on Bloody Elbow
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
