In preparing for my interview with Matt Serra, I had read that he was just 5'6" tall. That was not, however, my impression when I met him.
He emerged from his driver's car at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Sunday where he was to give a training clinic to about 70-80 serious students. He was so much bigger than I expected—both in demeanor and also, seemingly, in stature.
His neck was as wide as his head and he exuded solid strength and power.
The promoter for this event, Rick Mann of MMA Stars, had arranged for us to interview Matt before the clinic began. He suggested that we “snag” him as he arrived, before he was surrounded with the fighters who had come to work with him.
As he pulled up to the Fairgrounds, I worried that he might be annoyed that a journalist was meeting him at his car, almost before he could emerge with his coffee and gym bag.
Instead I was surprised and delighted that he greeted Dan Magnie of ColoradoFightEvents.com, our photographer Kathie Framarini, and me warmly as we escorted him to an interview room.
He graciously posed for photos with us and seemed to catch the contagious nature of our excitement. We were thrilled to be spending some quality one-on-one time with him.
I had done some research leading up to this interview and had found that another man named Matt Serra was the CEO of Foot Locker. The age spread made me think that perhaps Matt Serra the fighter might be the son of Matt Serra the CEO.
In spite of the similarity in name and the fact that both men are involved in the athletic world, there is no relationship between the two. The father and hero of our Matt Serra is a retired New York City Policeman.
I’d like to go on record here as seeing a cosmic lunar connection over Matt Serra when the calendar rolls into the end of May or the beginning of June.
Matt was born on June 2, 1974. He was the first American to win a Black Belt from Renzo Gracie on May 23, 2000 and he was just married to Ann Serra on May 25, 2007.
I teased him that if he and his wife got pregnant during the end of August or beginning of September, that this pattern would truly be set. Matt laughed and said that as a newlywed, we might be moving a bit fast for him.
We discussed family for a bit as Matt confirmed that his younger brother, Damien, had just been awarded his Jujitsu Black Belt from the representatives of Renzo Gracie.
That makes four Serra men who have earned their Jujitsu Black Belts—Matt, his father, and his younger twin brothers, Damien and Nick. Matt and Nick own two martial arts school together in East Meadow, NY.
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