Former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra recently discussed the use of Sports Psychologists in MMA. Serra famously defeated George St Pierre way back at UFC 69, winning in the first round via TKO.
At the time? This was massive. GSP was THE MAN in the Welterweight division, having defeated Matt Hughes in 2006 for the Championship. Matt Serra winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 and going on to actually beat GSP was, in essence? A bit of a miracle.
Matt Serra on GSP
Matt Serra made the comments about phycology in MMA during the most recent UFC Unfiltered podcast. “I would think a lot of this is bullsh*t” would begin on the show. “But after I beat GSP? He saw a shrink and that guy told him to write my name on a brick and then throw it in a lake.”
GSP would defeat Serra in the rematch at UFC 83 in Canada. “Next thing I know? I’m getting my ass kicked in Canada!” Matt Serra would continue. “So listen. there might be something to it (sports psychologists). there might be something to it!”
George St Pierre himself discussed the initial loss to Serra. Speaking to BT Sport last year, GSP said ‘my loss [against Serra] made me much stronger because I learned from it, but my victory weakened me. I was the new face of the UFC, I was young and I was the guy who just beat Matt Hughes. Everyone saw in me an aura of invincibility, and I started to believe in it.
‘Nobody gave him (Serra) a chance, including myself” GSP continued. “I went there and he clipped me with a very good punch and I was never able to come back into the fight. I learned a big lesson again, it’s not always the best fighter that wins the fight, it’s the fighter that fights the best the night of the fight.’
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