Matt Serra criticizes Ronda Rousey’s training for UFC 207 – ‘You fight the way that you spar’

Everybody and anybody (literally anybody) have chimed in on Ronda Rousey’s loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 this past December. It was one of the most lopsided title fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history, lasting just 48 seconds, and certainly warrants worldwide reaction. However, few people around mixed martial arts (MMA) know more about fighting than former UFC champion Matt Serra, who recently took some time to discuss the abrupt collapse of Rousey inside of the Octagon.

“She’s always, in the past, punched her way into the clinch through girls. Now, obviously from the last two fights, people are catching on,” said Serra during a recent edition of the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

“You fight the way that you spar. That’s a given. There was no Plan B. There was no, ‘I’ve got to circle, I’ve got to get on the bike a little bit because I’m stunned.’ She was still trying to get a hold of her. These are all things that need to be worked out in sparring. She needs correct sparring, smart sparring.”

While Rousey and head coach Edmond Tarverdyan had zero answers for Nunes’ overwhelming striking, “Rowdy” did spar leading up to UFC 207. But according to Serra, who is a well-known coach around these parts, there are different levels of sparring Rousey could have invested in after suffering her first loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

“The majority of her sparring should be geared toward mixed martial arts sparring,” added Serra. “Use the strikes to set in the level changes to get that clinch. I don’t see any of this after the Holly Holm fight. You’d think this is something they would implement.”

Serra also weighed in on the controversial coaching of Tarverdyan, who remains confident in his approach with Rousey.

“I think he means well, but I feel he’s just getting her ready for a stand-up fight type of thing. That’s what it sounds like to me,” said Serra. “I still think Ronda is awesome, but I feel that there’s a better way to play to her strengths.”

If Rousey does decide to make another return to the Octagon in 2017, she may want to think outside the box, put her past training regiments on the shelf and seek out help from other influential folk around MMA.

Everybody and anybody (literally anybody) have chimed in on Ronda Rousey’s loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 this past December. It was one of the most lopsided title fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history, lasting just 48 seconds, and certainly warrants worldwide reaction. However, few people around mixed martial arts (MMA) know more about fighting than former UFC champion Matt Serra, who recently took some time to discuss the abrupt collapse of Rousey inside of the Octagon.

“She’s always, in the past, punched her way into the clinch through girls. Now, obviously from the last two fights, people are catching on,” said Serra during a recent edition of the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

“You fight the way that you spar. That’s a given. There was no Plan B. There was no, ‘I’ve got to circle, I’ve got to get on the bike a little bit because I’m stunned.’ She was still trying to get a hold of her. These are all things that need to be worked out in sparring. She needs correct sparring, smart sparring.”

While Rousey and head coach Edmond Tarverdyan had zero answers for Nunes’ overwhelming striking, “Rowdy” did spar leading up to UFC 207. But according to Serra, who is a well-known coach around these parts, there are different levels of sparring Rousey could have invested in after suffering her first loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

“The majority of her sparring should be geared toward mixed martial arts sparring,” added Serra. “Use the strikes to set in the level changes to get that clinch. I don’t see any of this after the Holly Holm fight. You’d think this is something they would implement.”

Serra also weighed in on the controversial coaching of Tarverdyan, who remains confident in his approach with Rousey.

“I think he means well, but I feel he’s just getting her ready for a stand-up fight type of thing. That’s what it sounds like to me,” said Serra. “I still think Ronda is awesome, but I feel that there’s a better way to play to her strengths.”

If Rousey does decide to make another return to the Octagon in 2017, she may want to think outside the box, put her past training regiments on the shelf and seek out help from other influential folk around MMA.