Left out of Aljamain Sterling’s corner at UFC 259, former welterweight champion Matt Serra decided to withdraw completely from the equation.
Serra said on Tuesday that he will “retire” as a cornerman and will no longer work with Sterling as an official corner, although he supports the new champion on his journey forward.
“My point is, going ahead, I think it is better to leave on a high note”, said Serra in “UFC Unfiltered”. “I will always be in this kid’s corner – just not physically, and not because of my choice, because of the choices that were made here. So, I’m just going to retire completely from this corner thing. “
Serra said he found out second-hand that he was not going to work in Sterling’s corner for a title fight with Petr Yan at UFC 259. The decision came after a scattered training camp in which the two worked together only briefly before Sterling went to Las Vegas, where he took over with Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick.
Although the former champion told Sterling in advance that he would understand the need to recruit others to end training due to the travel pandemic, he said that Sterling left him unsure whether it was necessary for the event last Saturday.
“I’m just more hurt,” said Serra. “I know you’re busy, but I need to know what the hell I’m doing.”
Serra’s longtime partner, Ray Longo, was appointed Sterling’s lead corner coach. The two regretted the choice to leave him out, Serra said. Sterling was one of several New York talents that coaches brought to the UFC. This record made the former champion’s decision difficult.
“Nothing against Eric Nicksick,” said Serra. “It is not his fault. Are you going to have this guy who’s been with you for 3 months over a guy who’s been with you for 7 years?
“Now, this is no longer our thing with mine and Longo. And that’s cool, we did this thing to help these guys achieve their goals, but at the same time, you can’t help but feel a little disrespected. “
Serra clarified that his posture did not start from vanity.
“I’m not trying to get my head into the fight,” he said. “What am I, Pauly from Rocky 1? – The meat guy is trying to stick his face in! I am not that guy. Listen, I don’t need more popularity. I’m good. I thought this was something that we were all together. “
But now, the retired fighter and trainer said his role will be behind the scenes.
“When people make choices, there are consequences,” said Serra. “So it’s like, I can understand, maybe, nobody wants to say anything on my behalf because they don’t want to f * ck this kid’s head for the fight. I can understand that, but at the same time, I would have handled things differently if the shoe was on the other foot. “
Sterling became the first UFC fighter to win a title by disqualification when Yan hit an illegal knee that prevented him from continuing. Nicksick talked about the final controversy and the consequences of the fight in an interview with MMA Fighting. A rematch between Sterling and Yan is planned for the near future.