UFC Hall-of-Famer Matt Serra and world-renowned scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson shared an enlightening conversation on the UFC Unfiltered podcast back in 2017. The episode brought together the wisdom of astrophysics and the intensity of grappling, as Serra and Tyson exchanged knowledge and techniques in a unique session.
Tyson, a cosmologist, astrophysicist, science communicator, and author, asserted that wrestling stands as the world’s toughest sport. With a rich background in amateur wrestling, Tyson’s statement is backed by personal experience. During his youth, Tyson was the captain of his high school wrestling team and later competed for Harvard University’s wrestling squad.
“Wrestling is the hardest thing to do. Anyone who says something else is the hardest thing, has never wrestled. A wrestling match is just the laws of physics. Where is the tipping point? Where is the center of mass? What are the support forces? And that’s how I thought about it,” Tyson remarked, highlighting the scientific principles underlying the sport.
In their 2017 grappling session, Serra introduced Tyson to the nuances of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , demonstrating a kimura submission hold. Tyson, in turn, showcased his wrestling prowess with a clever pinning technique against Serra, the former UFC welterweight champion. The session was a delightful blend of BJJ and wrestling, showcasing the respect and curiosity both men had for each other’s disciplines.
UFC commentator and MMA personality Joe Rogan, a friend to both Serra and Tyson, later commented on the session via Instagram. He shared a video, captioning it as a beautiful merging of technique and science: “This is a beautiful thing: @mattserrabjj explaining the technique and leverage of Jiu Jitsu to @neildegrassetyson. Science with the scientist!!! Talking Kimuras, wrestling and oh yeah some space stuff with the great @neildegrassetyson!!! #ufc #mma #science #neildegrassetyson #jiujitsu #wrestling.”
Tyson’s enthusiasm for the laws of physics extends beyond wrestling. In a more recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast, Tyson and Rogan delved into cosmic topics such as the Big Bang and the Multiverse theory. Tyson emphasized the importance of testing hypotheses and gaining consistent results to form a new understanding of the universe. He noted, “If you have an idea about something then you test it. Multiple ways. And get other people to test it. If the tests give you consistent results, you have a new understanding of the universe.”
