Congratulations Matt Serra (Again)!

If you're a regular reader here, you might recall UFC pro fighter Matt Serra from way back in November, when I wrote about Matt winning a chance at the UFC welterweight title.

Well, just a few weeks ago on April 7, Matt "The Terror" Serra did fight Georges St. Pierre for the title. And - less than four minutes into the first round - we end up with... ... ...


The New UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Serra!

I wanted to take the chance to congratulate Matt on the amazing win. It was something straight out of a movie: Underdog dethrones the champ with a first round K.O., in no uncertain terms.



Here are a few videos I found that give some great insight into who Matt really is and the training required to pull off a truly classic underdog victory.

His Thoughts After Winning:


Training with Coach Ray Longo:


Sparring and Fight Prep:


In January, I was lucky enough to actually sit down with him and we talked about MMA training, the future of MMA as a sport, and some interesting life lessons too. You can read that interview here.

And don't forget, if you're in the New York area and want to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a genuine champion, be sure to check out Matt's school, Serrajitsu.

The Magic 13

So it's Friday the 13th. Ooooooohhhh, scaaaaryyyyy. While it inspires some people to rub a rabbit's foot, chew on a four-leafed clover, and watch gorefest movie marathons featuring a hockey-masked anti-hero, it reminded me about a terrific nutrition article I once read.

Power Foods: The Magic 13
by TC Luoma

The super-quick summary:
Foods that rule = Broccoli, wild salmon, grass-fed beef, walnuts, olive oil, blueberries, flax seeds, pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, turkey breast, yogurt, and shiitake mushrooms.

For the details, including why these are nutrition powerhouses (and just how much you need to eat to enjoy the benefits), give the article a quick read.

Lift Strong

www.liftstrong.com


Alwyn Cosgrove is one of the most influential fitness coaches around today. He's a regular contributor to several leading fitness magazines, and he's worked with Olympic athletes and pro sports figures. He's also survived cancer twice, most recently thanks to a stem cell transplant he received in June '06.

Alwyn's always had a unique, no-nonsense attitude about things. Somebody once commented to him "Congrats on the stem-cell transplant. It sounded pretty brutal, but I'm sure you were laughing in the face of death the whole time."

Without batting an eye, Alwyn replied "Actually I was telling cancer to get fucked."

That's classic Cosgrove. This is also the same attitude that led him to create a tremendous charity project to benefit the Lukemia & Lymphoma society. I'll let Alwyn explain what he did...

"I approached several of my closest friends in this industry and asked them to contribute to a little "book project" that I had in mind - to give me a 3-4 page article.

This little "book project" turned into an 800 page monster! My friends did not disappoint me -- and we have now (to keep costs down - released this product as a CD with all the articles in pdf format on the disc). I have 55 authors who contributed. For less than 50c each - (if that matters to you) - you can read all their articles.

I also included my email diaries when I was going through treatment. This was a "live" in-the-trenches-on-the-frontline account of cancer treatment - everything that went through my head."

All the proceeds from the sale of this product go to
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As my own way of saying an extra thank you, if you send me an e-mail (Chris@ColucciTraining.com) once you've ordered your Lift Strong cd, I'll send you a complimentary 6-week fat burning and body re-shaping routine. It's just my little bitty way of chipping in, and hopefully getting a few more donations for a great cause.

So please, check out www.liftstrong.com and invest just a little bit to help fund crucial cancer research. Thanks.