Trigg: Losing to Serra not an option

Frank Trigg makes no fuss about it. His chance at redeeming his first-round TKO loss to Josh Koscheck comes with a caveat: Losing to Matt Serra – a loser of his last two bouts and also on notice – is not an option.

“For sure it’s [a must-win],” Trigg told me during an interview for my UFC 109 piece on FightMagazine.com. “I lost to Koscheck and I’m going to lose to Serra? If I lose two in a row there’s no reason for the UFC to keep me. Serra’s in that same position. You have to start thinking about what’s going to happen.”

First on his mind is Serra, who’s TUF Season 4 win boosted his profile and led to a title shot against Georges St. Pierre (no need to remind you how he fared). GSP dominated Serra in the rematch and after a 13-month layoff to heal an injury to the ulner nerve to his left elbow suffered in the aforementioned rematch he dropped a close decision to rival Matt Hughes last May.

“Serra’s great on the ground and he’s improved his stand-up,” Trigg said. “He has a heavy left hand and body blow and I must be conscious of his big right hand,” Trigg said. “He’s very strong and compact for his weight class and like trying to fight a bowling ball. He’s a former champion for a reason.”

Painfully obvious what will happen if Trigg loses, I began asking him, “What if you win?” He cut me off. “When I win.” Trigg is ready and willing, and insists he's able.

“I’m taller and better looking,” Trigg said. “As much as Matt has improved the last couple of years he’s still pretty much the same fighter. I’ve had to adopt my style.”

Trigg’s experience against GSP at UFC 54 was the polar opposite to how Serra fared in his first fight thanks to humbling a rear naked choke submission defeat in the opening round. The loss would be Trigg's final appearance in the UFC until UFC 103, almost 50 events later, and he used the time away to compile a 7-2 record on the independent circuit that took him to Denver, Honolulu and Satiama, Japan, where he earned a win over 2006 Pride Fighting Championships welterweight grand prix winner Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 4.

“After I was run over and destroyed St. Pierre , UFC color analyst Joe Rogan called me an amateur,” Trigg said. “I looked like an amateur [and thought], ‘What do I have to do to fix that? Every training came I have to find something new.’ I want to prove that I still have some game left and I’m up for the challenge. After I beat Serra I’m not going to be a contender, that’s not going to happen, but I want to be a contender after the next couple of fights.”