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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Though it's been nearly three years since he last stepped foot in the Octagon, former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra has not closed the door on a return to the UFC. But on Wednesday, he gave the closest thing to a retirement speech that you'll likely see out of him.
"It's hard to say it. It's like you can't say it, even though it probably is true," Serra said in an interview with Newsday. "I would love to put closure on my career with one last fight at the Garden, but at the same time, if that doesn't happen, I definitely consider myself done. It's hard to say the 'R word.' I might never say the 'R word.'"
"I really think I'm walking away. I'm going to be 39, I just had my rib taken out. I'm having my third kid. My schools are doing well. What am I doing, looking for another pay day? It's not really for that. I mean, it doesn't stink, but it's not really for that. Am I still trying to hold on for the glory? Glory is a drug, dude. I'm telling you, that's the problem. It really is. I know why guys can't walk away. I absolutely get it."
Serra made good on the UFC's concept of "The Comeback" on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter, earning a shot at the UFC Welterweight Title when he defeated Chris Lytle in that season's finale. Then he did the unthinkable, and not only captured the Title, but knocked out Georges St-Pierre in the first round to do so.
Unfortunately for Serra, the dream was shortened by injury issues, and when he finally returned over a year after that title win, he was handily defeated by St-Pierre. Another year-long layoff ensued, and he returned to finally face Matt Hughes, whom he had coached against on The Ultimate Fighter's sixth season.
But he lost a decision in that fight and spent another nine months on the sidelines. He got one final highlight in February of 2010, when he knocked out Frank Trigg in the first round at UFC 109, and he'd return once more in a fight against Chris Lytle that September. He lost a decision in that fight, and has't been in the cage since.
His decision to walk away was prompted by a scary ordeal which hit him recently, as he was experiencing severe pain only to find out he had blood clots in his arm and his lungs. Drastic action was needed, so earlier this month, Serra underwent a procedure to have his rib removed.
"Then I got freaked out," Serra said. "You don't catch that [and] after the lung, that stops your heart or your brain. Then you're done. I'm very fortunate to, basically, be here. Sounds kind of morbid. If I didn't catch that - I was about to go to bed. I'm like, man, something's not feeling right."
"They had to cut me open through my armpit and cut through whatever they had to cut through and get my rib out. It's definitely strange and I'm feeling it in there."
That leaves Serra in recovery mode for some time, and while he still thinks he'd have something in store for the welterweight division, he's not looking to make that return.
"An aging fighter? You know, it's like an aging stripper, but not as funny," Serra joked. "Not a lot of people want to see that... I know I can be beat by some of these guys, but I know I can still knock some of these guys out and be a threat on the ground. But at the same time, it used to be that the thing that made me happiest was the next fight."
"Now, I whistle to work going to my schools. I love hanging out with my kids, my family. That's something you never really anticipate or understand it until you have a family. I love spending time with my girls. I'm a very involved dad."
Penick's Analysis: Obviously the joke will be made that he was already retired, but it's a hard thing for a lot of people to come to grips with. He's gone past the point of being able to compete regularly, and it took a serious and potentially life-threatening issue to finally stamp down the fact that he's done. He can look back on his career with nothing but pride, because he held that belt, and he pulled off the biggest upset in the history of the UFC to do so; that's something no one can ever take away from him. So while he fizzled a bit on his way out, the lengthy layoffs and injury issues are a factor in that story. But if he can close the door on that chapter of his life, he can fully concentrate on moving forward as a coach and family man, and that's a good role for him now.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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