Anyone who enjoys high level submission matches should enjoy this video.This is the match from Pro Ams 2000 between Leo "Leozinho" Vieira and Matt (before he was "The Terror") Serra. I was at this event and remember it as the most spectacular match I had ever seen live. Matt Serra possessed a slight athletic advantage over Vieira, while Vieira was the more seasoned BJJ practitioner. There's a moment right at the end of the clip where Vieira throws Serra and Matt basically flips over his head and lands with his feet under him. It doesn't sound that spectacular, but watching it play out live was like watching Daredevil fight Bullseye. Frank Miller fans will know what I'm talking about. Anyway, when I found this match on Youtube, I knew I had to share it. [yt]V0kORUjS1nI[/yt]
Yeah, seeing it happen live was simply spectacular. When Leo threw him, I was expecting Serra to land on his back or head - but the way he flipped and landed on his base was awe inspiring.
Viera is no joke in the JJ world...a master.. Serra is no joke either..to show how dangerous Serra is on the ground... Even BJ refused to get into a ground war with him in their fight...thats respect.. of course BJ has better standup and ultimately better JJ slightly
I was always disappointed that BJ was reluctant to go to the ground in his fight with Matt Serra. A ground fight between the two could have been epic. :vonnecunt
Thats because BJ knows Serras JJ was great and why take the chance when his stand up at the time was way better. Id favor BJ though gi or no Gi... MMA ...BJs top game is sick and his flex is unreal
I'd favor BJ over Serra as well - but it is still a shame that fight never played out that way. Who knows what the future holds? If Serra can sucessfully defend against GSP and Penn makes it past Sherk, there could be a return match somewhere down the road. It's highly unlikely - but anything is possible.
I happen to like Serra..(maybe the NYrker in me) His standup has become decent...problem with him is his takedowns..if he could take GSP or Hughes down for example and ends up on top...he has a chance to beat anyone. He is also very compact and explosive..had he been 5'9 - 5'10 hed be a beast..as of now hes in between weights. I do agree that a BJ rematch is needed ..that was a close fight and I dare say that if anyone can sub BJ in MMA it would be Serra
