Matt Serra looks to solidify his position as the best Welterweight in the UFC. While, Karo Parisyan looks for an opportunity to maybe be champion someday.
The UFC Welterweight Grand Prix has reached its final four. Those fighters are Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Diego Sanchez and Karo Parisyan. These four fighters will fight twice tonight, first in the semifinals, than in the championship and consolation bouts.
#1 Matt Serra vs. #5 Diego Sanchez
“The Terror” Serra made it to this point after easily defeating Rich Clementi in the prelims. He then took out “The People’s Warrior,” Josh Burkman, in the quarterfinals, to reach this point.
For “The Nightmare” Sanchez, he easily took care of business in the prelims, defeating Joe Riggs by way of knockout. Sanchez then defeated no.-13 seeded Jon Fitch in the quarterfinals to make it to the semifinals.
The fight goes through the first round, with Sanchez dominating that round. Serra makes a comeback though in the second round, landing some hard shots on the ground.
In the third round, Serra opened up a nasty cut, making it difficult for Sanchez to stay in the fight. Ultimately the ref stepped in and ordered a stop to the bout, declaring Serra the winner and the first fighter in the finals.
As for Sanchez, he remains questionable for the third place bout.
#2 Matt Hughes vs. #6 Karo Parisyan
Hughes, the Hinsdale, Ill.-native, made it to this point after defeating Luke Cummo in the prelims and Jeff Joslin in the quarterfinals. Hughes is hoping to win so that he can take on his future colleague, Serra.
Both Hughes and Serra will be a coach for the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter. They will also be facing each other for Serra’s Welterweight title sometime in the fall.
Parisyan made it to this point of the grand prix, after defeating Roan Carneiro in the prelims and upsetting Georges St. Pierre in the quarterfinals.
There is no doubt that Parisyan is a star in the Welterweight division. He defeated Josh Burkman the other night at UFC 71, via a unanimous decision.
There would be no decision in this bout as both fighters come out swinging. Parisyan took down the former Welterweight champ and submitted him late in the first round, via a rear-naked choke.
This puts Parisyan in the finals against Serra and Hughes against Sanchez.
#2 Matt Hughes vs. #5 Diego Sanchez
The match is over in less than a minute. Sanchez knocked out Hughes with a right hook to the head. This puts Sanchez in third place and Hughes in fourth.
#1 Matt Serra vs. #6 Karo Parisyan
This is a rematch of a UFC bout from several years ago. Parisyan came out on top in that bout and proceeds to do so in this one.
“The Heat,” Parisyan, is the champion in the first ever UFC Welterweight Grand Prix. He did so with a submission in the first round.
Maybe this will lead to a title shot for “The Heat.”
That about does it for the WWGP, 16 fighters entered this tournament with hopes of coming out on top. But only one stood tall as the champion.
