UFC 109: Frank Trigg Says He Is "More Handsome Than Matt Serra"

Welterweight contender Frank Trigg  (19-7) is scheduled to cross paths with Matt Serra (9-6) this Saturday at UFC 109: Relentless .

At 37 years young, Trigg has seen his share of combat throughout his career. Now, in his second tenure with the Ultimate Fighting Championship , the man nicknamed “Twinkle Toes” is set to fight another grizzled veteran in Serra.

There has been no secret about the love lost between the two seasoned athletes. Several back and forth verbal assaults have taken place and, just days before fight night, they are not done.

Trigg talked via phone call and opened up about his opponent‘s fighting past. “He hasn’t submitted anybody that’s worth anything in mixed martial arts fighting in his entire career.”

It is blatantly obvious that Trigg is not the biggest fan of his opponent coming into his fight with “The Terror.”  Dislike aside, Trigg recognized Serra as a champion and not a lottery winner when the Long Island native knocked out Georges St. Pierre back in 2007.

Respectable as that may seem, Trigg would offer some career advice to Serra in the case that they played for the same team.

“If I’m his training camp I’m telling him he needs to drop to 155.”

A return to the lightweight division has been spoken in and around the rumor mill for quite some time, and Trigg has caught wind of it.  Apparently, Trigg feels his opponent for Saturday night is a bit undersized to compete with him and the rest of the UFC’s 170-pound roster.

“He’s a guy at 5’6” that should be fighting at the lightweight division…he should be fighting at 155-pounds.”

Trigg looks to make a statement with a win over Serra on Saturday night. After taking some time off from the fight game and doing some color commentating, Trigg says he found himself “begging Joe Silva” to let him return to the UFC and cement himself as one who can be competitive.

“I’m still viable at 170-pounds. I actually have the ability to be able to fight and to fight for a title.”

Yes you read that right…a title.

After losing to Josh Koscheck at UFC 103 last September, Trigg is driven to get another winning streak going so that he can, one day, be considered for a title shot. Time will tell who will be champion then, but with the way he has been holding a suffocating grip on the welterweight division of late, St. Pierre would be the likely title holder with which Trigg would battle.

As confident as he is, Trigg sees himself beating Serra on Saturday and speculates when, and how, a match with St. Pierre would take place. “I should be able to beat him with four or five more matches underneath my belt.”

For now, Trigg’s first priority is a man who he is two years the elder, but his intention is to not mislead fans when it comes to that fact. “I look a lot younger and I’m much more handsome. It doesn’t mean I’m any younger,” said Trigg when answering questions about the age of the two fighters.

The battle that will commence on Saturday night will look to be taken to the ground by Trigg. The former collegiate wrestler at the University of Oklahoma sees mistakes being made by Serra when he said, “I think he’s relying too heavily on his boxing…on his stand-up.”

Trigg will likely look to exploit Serra in the stand-up. “I don’t think he’s developed a skill yet to be able to knock a guy out all the time, especially now that we know that it’s coming.”

Trigg’s key to winning this fight will be to assume control, force Serra to be on his back, overwhelm him to the ground, and pound so much that the referee has to step in and stop the action. His wrestling pedigree will prove to be his ace in the hole.

Looking ahead to when his career is over, Trigg sees himself staying close to the sport of MMA and taking on the role that fans might have seen him in before. “I’m definitely going to move into commentating, into the booth.”

Perhaps some more play-by-play with Twinkle Toes and Jay Glazer?  Maybe one day, but not this weekend when Frank Trigg fights Matt Serra at UFC 109.

UFC 109 is scheduled to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV at 10:00 PM ET/7 PM PT.