Path of "Terror": Seven Exciting Match-ups for Matt Serra

At UFC 109, Matt "The Terror" Serra snapped a two-fight losing streak with a vicious first-round knockout over Frank Trigg. The former UFC welterweight champion has now re-emerged as a relevant competitor and depending on whom you ask the Long Islander has also placed himself back into the upper echelon of the welterweight division.

The heavy-handed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is not entirely concerned about winning back his championship but is more determined on entertaining the fans with the most exciting fights possible.

With that said, let's take a look at the seven most exciting matchups for the only man to ever knockout Georges St. Pierre.

Phil Baroni

This would be a fun fight for several reasons. For starters, both fighters are from Long Island and are known for their entertaining back and forth pre-fight banter. Plus, they each have bricks in both hands and are constantly looking for the knockout.

Sure, "The New York Bad Ass" isn't exactly top-tier competition, but styles make fights and Baroni is a very exciting matchup for Serra.

This fight would be huge if it took place on the UFC's very first event in Madison Square Garden. Hopefully New York legislators get with the times and allow sanctioned MMA events within New York State sooner rather than later.

Mike Swick

Recently Swick has had some uninspiring performances against Dan Hardy and Paulo Thiago, respectively. Back-to-back losses have exposed Swick and have fans scratching their heads thinking, "Really? This guy was in line for a title shot?"

Instead of having his name mentioned in the same breath as his AKA teammates Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch, Swick is being compared to a fighter in a higher weight division: Keith Jardine. Much like Jardine, it seems Swick is stuck in Gatekeeper status in the welterweight division.

A big win over an ex-champ like Serra would be just the thing to get the Swick hype train rolling again. The reality is, despite his recent performances Swick is a lot more skilled than most believe and he has name value. Serra has stated that he enjoys throwing down with name opponents and that is just what Swick is.

Matt Brown

"The Immortal" Brown has been on a demolition derby since competing on Season Seven of The Ultimate Fighter. Brown was defeated by Amir Sadollah in the semi-finals on the show, but has boasted four victories in the Octagon and three have come by way of a TKO finish.

One of those victories came against Serra's best friend and training partner Pete "Drago" Sell at UFC 96. Brown beat Sell down pretty badly, so surely Serra will be looking to avenge his friend's loss should he and Brown cross paths.

Much like Serra, Brown is an extremely tough individual. He is a very dangerous striker and is also quite good on the ground as well. He might not be as big of a name as some of the other fighters on this list, but stylistically a fight between "The Immortal" and "The Terror" could prove to be an all-out war.

Marcus Davis

Some of the most intense battles in the history of combative sports have been contested between a fighting Irishman taking on a fiery Italian. The classic boxing trilogy between the late Arturo Gatti and "Irish" Mickey Ward comes to mind.

While Davis and Serra are American-born, they are both very proud of their European heritage, Davis especially. "The Irish Hand Grenade" possesses crisp boxing technique and is also well-versed on the ground, so it would be interesting to see how he would match up with Serra.

Serra doesn't have the professional boxing experience of "The Irish Hand Grenade", but as evidenced in his wins over St. Pierre and Trigg, he has insane knockout power. The Long Island native would also have a clear-cut advantage in the Jiu-Jitsu department, but that's if this fight even goes to the ground, as they may just stand and trade until one of them crumbles.

Davis is known for earning fight of the night honors on multiple occasions, so when looking for the most exciting opponent possible, Serra should look no further than Davis.

Diego Sanchez

After getting brutally dominated by lightweight champion B.J Penn, Sanchez has returned home to the 170-lbs. weight division. At UFC 114, English striker John Hathaway will welcome Sanchez back to the division but assuming "The Nightmare" gets past Hathaway, there will be several high-caliber opponents for The Ultimate Fighter winner to challenge on his path to a welterweight title shot.

While Sanchez is gunning for a rematch with Fitch and Koscheck, a fight with the UFC's very own version of Rocky Balboa could prove to produce the most fireworks. And in case you didn't get the Balboa metaphor, it was in reference to the ultimate underdog in the 5'6" Serra.

Sanchez always comes forward with a frantic pace and is very dangerous both with his striking and his grappling ability. Over the past three years, "The Nightmare" has been ranked in the top 10 for the welterweight division and recently the lightweight division.

Clearly a win over Sanchez would elevate Serra up the ladder tremendously. He might not talk much about a rematch with St. Pierre, but a win over a fighter of Sanchez's caliber would put Serra right back into the title picture.

Carlos Condit

"The Natural Born Killer" is a vicious, vicious man. His UFC record may read 1-1, but he looked frightening in both of his performances in the Octagon, and prior to that he was slashing through the competition in the WEC.

Condit is a very aggressive striker that is constantly going for the kill although he has yet to finish a fight in the UFC. Serra wants to be a part of memorable wars, and a fight against a young wrecking-machine in Condit would fit that description to a tee.

The former WEC champion is coming off of a win over Jake Ellenberger and will need to string together wins over top tier competition in order to enter the UFC title picture. Serra wants to be a part of great fights and Condit needs to beat a notable opponent, so it is a win-win situation for both fighters.

Anthony Johnson

His UFC 106 submission loss to Josh Koscheck aside, "Rumble" Johnson is the most explosive athlete in the welterweight division next to the current champ St. Pierre.

Johnson has a very sound wrestling base, but is more known for his powerful striking arsenal than anything else. Before the Koscheck loss, Johnson was knocking fighters out left and right and was well on his way to earning a shot at the prestigious UFC championship.

A great way to work his way back into title contention would be to knock out a former champ in Serra. On the contrary, for Serra a win over a hungry young lion in Johnson would speak volumes for his relevancy in the division.

As far as the fight would be concerned, fans should expect nothing more than an intense battle ending dramatically. Someone will have their lights put out, as both athletes have sticks of dynamite in their strikes.

Then again, Serra might look to exploit Johnson's weakness on the ground and utilize his world-class Jiu-Jitsu en route to a submission win.