By Hector Flores
, all the while greeting curious passersby who inquire about classes at his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow.
For months now, martial arts enthusiasts and practitioners at all levels and in all disciplines have been flocking to Serra¹s academy to see for themselves the East Meadow native who has made a name for himself in the world of mixed martial arts. Since Serra, 32, defeated the reigning welterweight title holder, George ³Rush² St. Pierre, last Saturday in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ‹ a Las Vegas-based competition in which mixed martial artists trained in boxing, kick-boxing, wrestling and jujitsu fight one another in a range of weight classes ‹ his school is sure to be more crowded with visitors and fans ‹ and students.
Serra was crowned champion of the 170-pound division at the Toyota Center in Houston when he knocked St. Pierre out in the first round.
Serra, who has been competing in the UFC since 2001, qualified for the title match by beating out 16 other contenders in the UFC¹s reality television show, ³The Ultimate Fighter,² which aired last November on cable television¹s Spike Network.
Despite his success on the show, Serra, who stands only 5 feet 6 inches tall, was the underdog in the fight against St. Pierre, who has a four-inch height advantage. In addition, St. Pierre had defeated former welterweight champ Matt Hughes by knockout in November. On Saturday, however, all the naysayers were proven wrong.
³I had the element of surprise,² Serra said. ³No one thought I was going to stand up because I usually fight on the ground. But for this fight, I got in a lot of sparring, and I had fun shocking the world.²
In preparation for the fight, Serra had spent three months working on his jujitsu and boxing. He was scheduled to fight St. Pierre on Feb. 3, but due to an injury suffered by St. Pierre, the fight was postponed to April 7. ³I used the extra time to train more,² Serra said. ³I wasn¹t concerned with losing, but putting up a good show. I didn¹t want my only title match to be boring.²
And it wasn¹t. At the start of the bout, Serra showed no fear in meeting St. Pierre in the middle of the octagonal ring. The two combatants exchanged blows and kicks, but then Serra connected with a powerful right punch to the back of St. Pierre¹s head, which made the champ¹s knees buckle. Seeing his opportunity, Serra let loose a barrage of punches on St. Pierre, pummeling him until he could no longer protect himself. At 3:35 of the first round, referee John McCarthy pushed Serra off St. Pierre and stopped the fight.
³Even though my reach isn¹t the best, I¹m kind of like a ball, hard to hit at least in sparring,² Serra said in an interview after the fight. ³I don¹t get banged up too much. My chin is down and I throw nice overhands, and I land a lot in sparring with all the guys.²
No one was more proud of Serra than his fiancée, Ann Di Siore, who said that the fight could not have gone any better. ³He really did shock everyone, and made everyone eat their words,² she said. ³I knew he was going to do well. He had trained hard for this fight, and I saw some of his sparring tapes and he looked amazing.²
For Serra¹s parents, Janet and Ralph, longtime residents of East Meadow, the win was a long time in the making. ³We are very happy for him,² Janet said. ³We always believed in him, and this was a long time coming. We¹re very excited.²
Ralph explained that his son had starting training in martial arts in high school and now, with his younger brother, Nick, runs two jujitsu schools on Long Island, one in East Meadow and one in Huntington. ³[In the early ¹90s] we used to watch the UFC fights in my parents¹ house in Jamaica, Queens,² Ralph recalled. ³And then they started training. I went from watching the sport with my sons, and now I¹m watching them win.²
Serra knows that Hughes wants nothing more than to regain his title, but he appears unfazed by the prospect of meeting the former champ in the ring. In fact, he is looking forward to it. ³That will be a pleasure,² he said.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
