UFC 119 Preview: Matt Serra vs Chris Lytle
Probably the most evenly matched mixed martial arts fight on the main card of UFC 119, put on this Saturday in Indianapolis by the Ultimate Fighting Championships, features a former welterweight (170lb) champion
facing off against a long time mid-level fighter in the division, as Matt “The Terra” Serra locks horns with Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.
The fight is actually a rematch of the finale of the fourth season of the reality show MMA tournament The Ultimate Fighter. Both Serra and Lytle made it into the final round, and fought a famously close battle
that featured Lytle peppering Serra on the feet but Serra working Lytle over on the ground. All three rounds could have gone either way, and in fact one judge scored all three rounds for Lytle and the other two scored all three rounds for Serra, giving the
New Yorker the victory.
That victory earned Serra a title shot against divisional king Georges St-Pierre, and in what is often considered the most shocking upset in MMA history, the 11-1 underdog Serra knocked out St-Pierre in the
first round to earn the title. He lost his belt to St-Pierre in a rematch in 2008, and hasn’t been active much since then, losing a split decision to Matt Hughes in 2009 and then knocking out Frank Trigg in his only fight in 2010.
“Lights Out” Lytle has, like Serra, been one of the longest running fighters in the UFC’s 170lb division, with a history that extends back to 2000. He’s gone just 8-9 in the promotion during that span, but
has locked horns with some of the best in the sport, including Hughes, Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck (he lost to all). A notoriously tough and scrappy fighter, despite having a 29-17-5 record he’s only been stopped twice, and both times that was by cut, rather
than being knocked out or submitted.
He possesses very good boxing, having been a state champion with a 13-1-1 pro record, and an increasingly effective and aggressive submission game, that has seen him win his last two fights in a row by submission,
including a beautiful rolling kneebar against Brian Foster at UFC 110 that earned him submission of the night honours.
In the process, he’s done something he’s never done in the UFC, and hasn’t done in any organisation since 2004 - win three fights in a row.
Breakdown and prediction
Serra is built very solidly for a welterweight, with a 170lb pound frame concentrated in his 5ft 6in height. That means he’s quite strong, and also possesses very heavy hands. It will of course put him at
a reach disadvantage, and Serra will have to move inside.
Lytle will attempt to use his better striking and longer reach to batter Serra from the outside, but he’ll be quite capable if this goes to the mat.
Both these men are entering at nearly even odds, so this one’s a toss-up for the bookmakers. But since their first fight in 2006, it’s Lytle who has improved more, so look for him to outstrike Serra in an
exciting match to pick up a decision here.
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