UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre overcame one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.
Georges St-Pierre was the victim of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history at UFC 69. But almost exactly one year after the stunning defeat, St-Pierre used added motivation to secure one of the signature victories of his career.
Few predicted Matt Serra would knock out St-Pierre in their UFC 69 clash for the latter’s welterweight championship. But just minutes into their fight, Serra proved he belonged at the top of the division, drowning St-Pierre with ground-and-pound to win the belt.
After suffering the stunning upset, it didn’t take long for St-Pierre and Serra to meet again in the Octagon. When they did, St-Pierre brutally turned the tide.
Georges St-Pierre smashed Matt Serra to reclaim the welterweight throne
St-Pierre worked his way back to a welterweight title shot with dominant wins over Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. After capturing the interim welterweight championship by submitting Hughes with an armbar, he secured a rematch with Serra at UFC 79 in Las Vegas.
A back-and-forth opening round between St-Pierre and Serra kicked off the highly anticipated rematch. But after St-Pierre got the fight to the canvas, he quickly earned side-control and proceeded to land a series of brutal knees to Serra’s midsection that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.
It was a destructive performance from St-Pierre as he avenged what would be his last career defeat in the welterweight division. After finishing Serra, St-Pierre defended the UFC welterweight title nine times, vacating the belt after a close win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167.
Serra went on to lose two of his next three UFC fights before retiring in 2010. He entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and is considered by many as one of the best MMA coaches in the sport today.
#OnThisDay in 2008: Georges St-Pierre got his revenge against Matt Serra 🇨🇦 🏆
Watch the rematch on @UFCFightPass 📺 pic.twitter.com/Ujo0NyQYPF
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 19, 2025
Georges St-Pierre took unusual measures to prepare for Matt Serra rematch
To prepare for his chance at redemption against Serra, St-Pierre took some unusual measures to ensure victory. After a meeting with a sports psychologist, St-Pierre wrote Serra’s name on a brick that he carried around everywhere, as a reminder of the importance of getting the belt back.
Despite the head-scratching move, St-Pierre used the reminder to put out one of the most dominant performances of his career.
St-Pierre went on to become a two-division UFC champion when he returned to the Octagon at UFC 217, finishing Michael Bisping to win the middleweight belt. But he would return to retirement shortly afterwards, plotting a combat sports return in 2023 before withdrawing from a planned grappling match due to injury.
