Happy Easter, Matt Serra.
For a fight that was overshadowed by the Diego Sanchez-Josh Koscheck bout, the UFC welterweight championship showdown between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra delivered the fireworks of the evening.
And perhaps, the biggest upset in the history of the promotion.
Matt Serra -- the likeable yet overwhelming underdog -- shocked just about everyone watching besides himself, finishing the talented St. Pierre in the first round with strikes.
He looked lean, confident and ready to fight tonight. But few, including myself, expected him to win the way that he won.
St. Pierre came out looking sharp, as usual, floating across the Octagon canvas. He and Serra exchanged punches, but in the early going, nothing was out of the ordinary.
In an instant, Serra caught "Rush" with a hook that wobbled the former champion. He dropped to the canvas, grasping at Serra's ankle to weather the storm.
"The Terror" pounced on him and beat him senseless until Big John McCarthy stepped in to rescue the Canadian.
It happened so fast that my head is still spinning.
Is there anyone on this planet who predicted that outcome? I don't think so.
If anything, Serra had the best chance on the ground -- not standing.
It goes to show just how insane this sport can be -- Matt Serra is the new UFC Welterweight Champion.
In defeat, St. Pierre was nothing but professional in his post-fight remarks. He got caught ... plain and simple.
And now Matt Serra heads home to Long Island with the UFC gold wrapped around his waste.
Unreal.
In other action, for 15 minutes Sanchez forgot that he was a mixed martial artist. Instead of doing what we've come to expect -- relentless ground and pound -- the "Nightmare" decided to stand and trade with Koscheck.
All the work with De La Hoya and Bojado didn't work -- the former NCAA wrestling champion outboxed Sanchez to earn the unanimous decision.
For the record, I counted one takedown attempt, which was successful, for Koscheck.
It was a weird fight that just sucked. Props to Koscheck for beating Sanchez at his own -- and apparently new -- boxing game.
He didn't bring out the blanket once.
There were a lot of folks who called this card "weak." I'm going on the record as saying it was one of the most exciting in recent memory.
Christ, the Huerta-Garcia bout was a three-round slug fest. And Kendall Grove? That dude looked sharp against a very solid opponent in Belcher.
UFC 69 didn't live up to expectations .... because there weren't any.
Yet, it will standout as one of the most action-packed cards to date.
And one that certainly shook up the rankings in just about every division, including heavyweight.
Don't forget, Big Nog is now a UFC fighter.
On any other night, that would most likely the lead story.
But not tonight thanks to Matt Serra ... the new UFC welterweight champion.
That sounds so weird.
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