UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

With UFC 288 right around the corner, Matt Serra and Jim Norton are joined by two fighters on Saturday’s card in featherweight Charles Jourdain and Serra-Longo trained lightweight Matt Frevola. After Matt begins the show with a recap of his trip to England that saw him reunite with former rival Georges St-Pierre, Quebec’s own Charles Jourdain hops on the show and promptly explains how GSP’s success inspired the Canadian featherweight as a pre-teen. Ahead of his matchup against Kron Gracie of the legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu family, Jourdain explains why as a BJJ black belt himself he is prepared to defeat the youngest son of Rickson Gracie. Then, the guys are joined by Matt Frevola, who explains how the fan-friendly matchup between him and Drew Dober on the final fight of the prelims will entice fans to buy Saturday’s pay-per-view headlined by his Serra-Longo teammate Aljamain Sterling’s bantamweight title fight vs. Henry Cejudo. Finally, the guys wrap up the show with predictions for some of the fights from the main card of Saturday’s electric card in New Jersey.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With Matt Serra flying back from London during the taping of today’s UFC Unfiltered episode, welterweight Michael Chiesa steps in alongside Jim Norton as today’s co-host. After beginning the show with an update on his physical health after a lengthy layoff, Chiesa follows up with his desired plans for what’s next in the cage following the cancellation of his return fight against Li Jingliang due to his opponent’s injury. After a brief chat about Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon card, Jim shifts the topic towards Saturday’s UFC 288 card, Chiesa provides his detailed opinion on what’s in store for former two-division champion Henry Cejudo as he makes his return to a stacked bantamweight division against champion Aljamain Sterling. As Chiesa wraps up his thoughts on the main event with a prediction for the fight, the guys wrap up the show by unpacking the circumstances surrounding the short-notice co-main event between welterweight contenders Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt and Jim are joined by UFC middleweight Cody Brundage and actor and comedian Tom Arnold on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered! Just days away from his fight against Rodolfo Vieira on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon card, Cody Brundage opens up his interview by talking about his journey from wrestling to mixed martial arts. Reliving the day he met his former UFC fighter wife, Cody explains how it began with her being the female boxer at his gym who showed him how to properly throw combinations on a punching bag. The guys are then joined by actor and comedian Tom Arnold, who shares how growing up in a small town in Iowa led him to a career in Hollywood. After sharing what it’s like to be guest starring in the TV remake of the 1994 film True Lies he co-starred in alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom wraps up his interview by explaining how watching UFC fights with his son is one of his many favorite parts about fatherhood.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt Serra and Jim Norton are joined by ESPN MMA journalist Brett Okamoto for a detailed recap of last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes event. With heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich steamrolling Curtis Blaydes for a sixth-straight 1st-round knockout win, the guys discuss where Pavlovich stands in the heavyweight division and what it might take for the 30-year-old to secure a fight against legends like Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. Then, Jim takes the guys through the rest of Saturday’s fight results as Matt explains what he liked from fighters across the main card and prelims. As the topic shifts to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and their decision to use instant replay and change Bobby Green’s stoppage win over Jared Gordon into a no contest, the guys engage in an insightful conversation about other problems with state athletic commissions in which Brett takes a hard stance against the idea that open scoring can fix the recent problem of poor scorecards from cage side judges.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by a pair of enthusiastic guests in lightweight Bobby Green and the one and only Eddie Bravo of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. Matt feeds off Bobby’s infectious energy immediately, gleefully applauding through Green’s heated debate with Jim regarding fighter strategy in what could have been a 10-8 debate round for the lightweight scheduled to fight Jared Gordon on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes event at the UFC APEX. Bobby wraps up his interview by dismissing Paddy Pimblett’s plans of a rematch with Jared Gordon as Bobby issues a stern warning to the Liverpool native about what would happen if the two met in the cage. The guys are then joined by 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo, who together with Matt Serra strolls down memory lane of the UFC’s earliest days in an insightful conversation about BJJ’s role in the evolution of modern MMA. To close off the show, Jim and Matt predict several fights from Saturday night’s card, leaving room for two very specific picks in the heavyweight main event between heavy-hitting Sergei Pavlovich and seasoned wrestler Curtis Blaydes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by two guest callers in SiriusXM radio host Jimmy Smith and welterweight contender Belal Muhammad. Jim and Matt kick off the show with a conversation with former MMA fighter turned fight analyst and host Jimmy Smith, who chats with the guys about what it’s like hosting three-hour episodes of his “Unlocking the Cage” show every weekday on SiriusXM channel 156. Smith wraps up his insightful interview with an idea of what steps former featherweight champion Max Holloway can take to fight his way back to a fourth title shot against rival and current titleholder Alexander Volkanovski. Jim and Matt run through the rest of last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen card with analysis on an exciting night of fights in Kansas City before fourth-ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad eventually hops on the call. Firmly believing that he deserves a title shot as soon as possible, Belal discusses his current eight-fight win streak and teases the possibility of a big-time co-main event against a notable welterweight contender on short notice at UFC 288.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joining Jim Norton on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered is the one and only Din Thomas, who fills in for Matt Serra on a show that features two guest callers in comedian Big Jay Oakerson and fast-rising featherweight sensation Arnold Allen. Oakerson discusses his brand new Dog Belly comedy special that just released on YouTube and tells Din about his taste in music before reflecting on his appearance on the roast of Bert Kreischer alongside Jim. Then, fourth-ranked featherweight Arnold Allen joins the show to discuss his mindset going into the biggest fight of his career against Max Holloway and map out his big picture plans to join training partner Leon Edwards as a British champion in the UFC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt unpack the exciting action from Saturday’s UFC 287 card in Miami alongside bantamweight Rob Font and welterweight Kevin Holland as guest callers, who each discuss the details of their knockout victories. Fresh off a devastating 1st-round knockout victory over 12th-ranked bantamweight Adrian Yanez, Rob Font discusses his journey back to the win column after his 12-month drought before pitching Jim and Matt on why a fight between him and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo makes sense for the Brazilian’s jump to 135 pounds. While waiting for Kevin Holland to hop on, Jim and Matt react to the biggest storylines from Saturday’s card, with a full breakdown of went wrong for 18-year-old bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr. in his loss to Christian Rodriguez followed by a conversation about what’s next for Israel Adesanya after reclaiming his middleweight title with a statement knockout win over Brazilian rival Alex Pereira. Finally, Kevin Holland hops in the show for the final interview of the episode, where the 30-year-old Kung Fu specialist explains why he feels confident fighting at both middleweight and welterweight before describing how surreal it felt channeling Mike Tyson in the cage with a textbook left hook to knock out Santiago Ponzinibbio while the legendary heavyweight boxer sat cageside in attendance.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With just three days until UFC makes its long awaited return to Miami, Jim and Matt unpack everything from the exciting UFC 287 card in today’s episode with bantamweight Christian Rodriguez and country music star Brantley Gilbert as guest callers. After beginning the show by reflecting on the untimely loss of Matt Serra’s dear friend, the guys are soon thereafter joined by Dana White’s Contender Series alum Christian Rodriguez — who shares his thoughts on being matched up against prized 18-year-old prospect Raul Rosas Jr. to kick off Saturday’s pay-per-view action. Using information pulled from their conversation with Rodriguez, Matt and Jim then assess what Rodriguez’s chances of an upset are against Rosas Jr. as they go on to predict the outcomes of the Kevin Holland vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio welterweight scrap and the bantamweight bout between ranked fighters Rob Font and Adrian Yanez. Finally, the guys are joined by country music star and diehard MMA fan Brantley Gilbert, who follows up his funny stories about raising baby goats and his close encounter with a 500-pound alligator with predictions of his own for the Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal welterweight co-main event and the rematch atop the UFC 287 card between newly-crowned middleweight king Alex Pereira and his determined rival Israel Adesanya.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s UFC 287 fight week! On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by welterweight Gilbert Burns and middleweight Chris Curtis five days before both guys make the walk to the cage this Saturday in Miami. As the guys take a brief look up and down Saturday’s card, Matt dishes his thoughts on where welterweight Jorge Masvidal stands at this point in his career ahead of his high-stakes co-main event against Gilbert Burns. Jim and Matt are then joined by Burns himself for a chance to dive deeper into Saturday night’s explosive co-main event, with Burns issuing his stance on where he believes he’d stand in the welterweight title picture with a win over Miami’s own Jorge Masvidal. Finally, 14th-ranked middleweight Chris Curtis hops on the show to talk about how he feels about the matchup between him and Kelvin Gastelum on the last fight of Saturday’s prelims.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim and Matt are joined by rising bantamweight Jonathan Martinez and actor Jeremy Piven on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered! Jeremy Piven kicks off the show by sharing a story about the time he tried a takedown on Rashad Evans. He then loops the guys in on all the details surrounding his starring role in the inspiring new film called Sweetwater that’s set to hit theaters on April 14th before wrapping up his interview with what Dave Chappelle taught him about the world of stand-up comedy. The guys are then joined by 14th-ranked bantamweight Jonathan Martinez, who discusses what’s next for his career after an impressive upset win over Said Nurmagomedov earlier in March at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili in Las Vegas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt have the pleasure of recording the show with former middleweight champion Chris Weidman! Weidman explains how his solo radio show on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation has fulfilled him as he nears the tail end of his recovery from the gruesome right leg injury he suffered in April of 2021 against Uriah Hall. As Weidman reflects on the comforting injury advice he received from future UFC Hall of Fame middleweight Anderson Silva, the New York native discusses how competing in a recent submission grappling event in England gets him one step closer towards his goal of returning to the cage this summer during International Fight Week. The guys then shift the conversation to a recap of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Sandhagen action in San Antonio, where Chris offers his praise for male and female bantamweights Cory Sandhagen and Holly Holm following each of their decisive wins atop the card. The trio also discuss Colby Covington’s standing in the welterweight division, lightweight Paddy Pimblett’s decision to call out Jared Gordon for a rematch, and the problem with bad scorecards in MMA.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by a combat sports legend in women’s bantamweight Holly Holm and a burgeoning social media star in Chase DeMoor. Fresh off signing a brand new six-fight deal with the UFC, the 41-year-old Holm shares why she believes that her constant evolution as a martial artist has her feeling more confident than ever that a co-main event win against Yana Santos on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Sandhagen card keeps her in a great position to recapture a UFC title. The guys are then joined by reality TV star Chase DeMoor, who talks about how playing defensive end at the college and professional ranks led him to his current place in life starring in reality shows and fighting fellow influencers with large social media followings. Jim and Matt wrap up the show by plugging Saturday’s card set to take place in San Antonio.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off Saturday’s massive UFC 286 pay-per-view in London, Matt and Jim return for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered with plenty to talk about as the MMA power couple of coach John Wood and women’s flyweight Joanne Wood join as guest co-hosts. Returning to the cage in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2017, Joanne shares how it felt to end her 1-year layoff with a win over Luana Carolina. Alongside his Scottish wife, Syndicate MMA owner John Wood shares the perspective of what it’s like serving two important roles as both Joanne’s husband and head coach. As Jim shifts the talk to the rest of Saturday’s fights from UFC 286, Matt and John use their coaching experience to dissect the game plans utilized by both Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards in their welterweight title fight before ultimately working their way through the rest of the fights from Saturday’s main card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale fills in for Matt Serra as a guest co-host alongside Jim Norton for today’s UFC 286 heavy episode of UFC Unfiltered! Jim and Phoenix begin the show debating whether Jon Jones’ three-year hiatus should’ve been more thoroughly considered when making the decision to place him atop the male pound-for-pound list over more active fighters in lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Canadian flyweight Malcolm Gordon then joins the show to talk about how his days of playing goaltender on the ice rink as a youth hockey player created transferrable skills that allowed him to develop nicely into a mixed martial artist. Gordon makes a strong case for why he prefers to let his coaches watch film of all of his opponents as he discusses the stakes of his upcoming matchup against Jake Hadley on Saturday’s UFC 286 early prelims. Jim and Phoenix then discuss whether they think there is more pressure on Leon Edwards or Kamaru Usman going into their highly-anticipated trilogy fight for the welterweight title in London. As Rafael Fiziev joins the show, the Azerbaijani lightweight contender reflects on how his upbringing led him to Thailand to develop a strong Muay Thai skillset that ultimately became the base for his foray into his career as a mixed martial artist. Fiziev discusses how riding a six-fight winning streak shapes his mindset going into a high-stakes co-main event against Justin Gaethje. Finally, Jim and Phoenix go up and down the UFC 286 card for fight predictions before Jim wraps up the show with special news about a recurring segment set to return to UFC Unfiltered episodes starting next week!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s a Serra-Longo Fight Team party on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered! Not only does the great Ray Longo end his six-month drought of not appearing on the show by filling in as a guest co-host for Jim Norton, but he’s joined by bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili fresh off his dominant win over Petr Yan in Las Vegas at UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili. Matt and Ray sing Merab’s praises as the proud Georgian fighter explains why he’s at peace with allowing close friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling to finish out his run as bantamweight champion before requesting a title shot of his own at 135 pounds. When Merab leaves the show, Matt and Ray recap the rest of last Saturday’s fight card and share a couple of names of fighters who impressed them the most. Finally, the guys take a sneak peek at this Saturday’s high-stakes UFC 286 pay-per-view card headlined by the welterweight title fight and third iteration of Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman. Ray and Matt find themselves on opposite sides of the argument over who leaves London as the king of the UFC’s 170-pound division before rattling off the rest of their fight picks from Saturday’s stacked card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim and Matt begin the show by reciprocating the love Dana White showed for the UFC Unfiltered podcast on his personal Instagram through reposting Matt’s hilarious, highly-specific and accurate prediction of Jon Jones’ first-round submission. They are then joined by Steve Howey, who not only shares what it was like spending 11 seasons as a cast member of Showtime’s hit show Shameless, but also discusses his Muay Thai training, watching UFC fights back in the day and his role as the lead actor in the new CBS show ‘True Lies’. Then, 14th-ranked heavyweight Alexandr Romanov joins the guys ahead of his co-main event fight on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili card. While assessing his matchup against 8th-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov, Romanov explains how his confidence going into the match stems from years of wrestling experience dating back to his time as a 7-year-old learning from his father in his native Moldova. Jim and Matt wrap up the show by sharing their excitement for the fights on Saturday’s card leading up to the highly-anticipated bantamweight main event between Serra-Longo trained fighter Merab Dvalishvili and former champion Petr Yan.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off the heels of Saturday night’s massive UFC 285 pay-per-view, Matt and Jim return for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered with plenty to talk about alongside guest co-host John Hackleman. The show begins with ‘Mattstradamus’ taking a Monday-morning victory lap after having accurately predicted everything about Jon Jones’ first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. Guest co-host John Hackleman then hops on the show to provide a coach’s perspective on Saturday night’s fights. The Hawaiian Kempo founder finds particular interest in the strategy successfully adopted by newly-crowned women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso in her upset win over long-reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko. The guys are then joined by lightweight Nazim Sadykhov roughly two weeks removed from his Fight of the Night performance in his UFC debut against Evan Elder. The Serra-Longo trained fighter talks about his journey as a mixed martial artist which began in his native Azerbaijan before eventually moving to Brooklyn as a kid with his family.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim and Matt peel back the curtain of Saturday’s stacked UFC 285 card on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered with three special guests — middleweight Bo Nickal, welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov, and gambling expert Gianni “The Greek” Karalis. After Bo shares his mindset going into his highly-anticipated UFC debut against Jamie Pickett, the 27-year-old wrestling prodigy explains how being raised by a mom with an amateur boxing background and a dad with decades of wrestling experience fostered his desire to venture into the world of mixed martial arts. Matt and Jim then run through some of their picks from the main card of UFC 285 before their chat with unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov and his translator. While Shavkat admits that a fight against Khamzat Chimaev would be an entertaining matchup between two undefeated beasts, the UFC’s first-ever Kazakhstani fighter insists that he remains keenly focused on Saturday’s fight against 7th-ranked welterweight Geoff Neal and taking fights that will inch him closer towards a title shot. Riding an impressive winning streak of accurately-placed bets in the UFC’s first two months of 2023, Gianni “the Greek” caps off today’s show with the rationale for his red-hot takes from the prelims on up to Saturday’s highly-anticipated main event featuring heavyweights Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by a special guest co-host in Tristar Gym owner and head coach Firas Zahabi. With UFC 285 right around the corner, Firas explains why he thinks the main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title is as mouthwatering of a matchup as the recent Fight of the Year candidate put on by pound-for-pound kings Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. With Tatiana Suarez successfully bouncing back in the win column on Saturday for the first time in her 1,358-day layoff, Firas explains why the 32-year-old’s 2nd-round submission win over women’s flyweight Montana De La Rosa proved she can return to the top of women’s MMA and have a Khabib Nurmagomedov-like reign in the women’s strawweight division. Finally, Jim takes Matt and Firas on a stroll down memory lane of the years the two spent on opposite ends of the iconic welterweight rivalry between Matt and Zahabi-trained fighter Georges St-Pierre.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With three days until the UFC Fight Night: Krylov vs. Spann card kicks off, Matt and Jim are joined by two fighters from Saturday’s fight card in women’s flyweight Tatiana Suarez and light heavyweight headliner Nikita Krylov.Tatiana talks about how maintaining an optimistic mindset throughout her string of serious injuries over the past four years has kept her in great spirits as she seeks to end her 1,358-day layoff with a victory over Montana De La Rosa in a fight contested at a 125-pound weight limit instead of her usual 115-pound strawweight limit.With some help here and there from his translator, Nikita Krylov assesses the state of the light heavyweight division he competes in and previews his upcoming fight against Ryan Spann in the Ukrainian light heavyweight’s first-ever main event as a UFC fighter.Finally, Jim and Matt weigh in on the matchups on Saturday’s fight card with some predictions for the main event and a few other bouts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt opens the show by congratulating Jens on his recent induction into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, and together the two take a stroll down memory lane to the early days of the UFC’s compelling history.As the guys reflect on their unique experiences coaching and fighting on The Ultimate Fighter, they dish their thoughts on what to expect from Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler’s upcoming stint as coaches on the 31st season of the show.The guys are then joined by featherweight Jamall Emmers, who talks about how the strong two-way relationship between he and his coaches helped guide him from an 18-month absence from the cage to a victory on Saturday night over a previously unbeaten Khusein Askhabov on the UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield undercard.Jamall rounds out the interview by fondly looking back at how his younger days of watching rented VHS tapes from Blockbuster of old MMA fights with his father and brother led him to transition into fighting.As Matt and Jens wrap up the show with their key takeaways from Saturday’s fight card, Matt offers his take on whether flyweight Erin Blanchfield's dominant main event win over Jéssica Andrade is reason enough to believe the 23-year-old has the skills to dethrone champion Valentina Shevchenko.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen and comedian Jesus Trejo join Matt and Jim on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered.First, Jim and Matt begin the show with their thoughts on Jéssica Andrade’s decision to replace Taila Santos on a week’s notice in this Saturday night’s main event of UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield from the UFC Apex against 10th-ranked flyweight Erin Blanchfield.The guys then weigh in on the UFC’s latest rankings update, with Jim issuing his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski holding onto the top spot on the men’s pound-for-pound list despite losing to the man just below him at number two, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.Next, comedian Jesus Trejo joins the show and recounts his humble beginnings into the world of stand-up comedy as a door guy and valet worker at the famous Comedy Store in West Hollywood. Trejo then explains to Jim and Matt how he and his father fell in love with MMA way back in the day.Cory Sandhagen then joins the show and discusses how he plans to get back to contending for a title in the stacked bantamweight division beginning with his upcoming fight on March 25th against 4th-ranked bantamweight Marlon “Chito” Vera.Finally, Jim and Matt wrap up the show by predicting the outcome of Saturday night’s main event between Jéssica Andrade and fast-rising contender Erin Blanchfield.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by two friends of the show in bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili and guest co-host Sayif Saud to talk all things UFC 284. Merab tells the guys about where he stands in training camp with a little less than a month until his upcoming fight against Petr Yan. Having already seen what Yan looked like against fellow Serra-Longo fighter Aljamain Sterling in a pair of bantamweight championship fights, Matt explains why he thinks Merab is an even tougher stylistic matchup for Yan than Sterling was. The topic then shifts to the all-time classic battle in the UFC 284 main event featuring featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. As Jim sings the praises of City Kickboxing’s risk-taking champions, Sayif explains why the UFC’s pound-for-pound number 1 and 2 fighters can confidently feel like they raised their stock on Saturday night. Sayif mixes in some talk about Ciryl Gane’s matchup against Jon Jones at UFC 285 before wrapping up the show with why he thinks his fighter Brandon Moreno’s dreams of defending his flyweight championship in Mexico City against rival Alexandre Pantoja would make for an electric co-main event to Alexander Volkanovski vs. Mexico’s Yair Rodríguez following Yair’s interim featherweight title win on Saturday night against Josh Emmett.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by three guests — actor Wes Chatham, heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes, and gambling analyst Gianni “The Greek” Karalis.Chatham begins the interview by discussing how his passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu led him to earning a purple belt. As the topic shifts to all things science fiction, Wes opens up about the six seasons he spent acting on Amazon Prime’s The Expanse — one of Matt's favorite Sci-Fi shows.The guys are then joined by Curtis Blaydes, who assesses his status as a contender in a rapidly-changing heavyweight division now that Francis Ngannou is no longer with the UFC.With Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane locked in for a vacant heavyweight title fight at UFC 285 this March and Stipe Miocic rumored to fight the winner, Blaydes dishes his thoughts on how he matches up in hypothetical eliminator fights against both Serghei Spivac and Sergei Pavlovich following both of their impressive wins.Jim and Matt wrap up the show by inviting Gianni the Greek on for an inside look at how the gambling analyst separates emotion from his fight predictions ahead of Saturday’s UFC 284 card. As the guys reveal their picks for Saturday’s main and co-main event, Gianni reveals if lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s status as a sizable betting favorite makes betting on him to beat featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski worth betting on at all.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s pay-per-view fight week! With merely five days remaining until UFC 284, official Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer hops in as a guest co-host for the duration of today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered and also recently-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill joins. Bruce dishes his thoughts on Dana White’s bombshell announcement that not only is former UFC double champion Conor McGregor set to return as a coach on this upcoming 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, but that the coach on the opposite side of the Irish superstar will be none other than exciting lightweight contender Michael Chandler. While the guys wait until Jamahal Hill hops on the show, Bruce opens up about how his upbringing in Philadelphia helped foster his early affinity for mixed martial arts as both a practitioner and a consumer. Buffer then talks about his friendship with coach Ray Longo — and as luck would have it, Ray calls Matt during the show, who jokingly accosts Ray for spending too much time with Buffer and not enough time with him. Finally, Jamahal Hill joins the show live from the UFC Performance Institute with an idea of what’s in store for his first light heavyweight title defense. And as Jamahal’s call ends, the guys briefly recap last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card and look ahead to Saturday’s UFC 284 event in Australia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, longtime friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale returns alongside Matt and Jim as a guest co-host to offer up her takes on some of the latest fight announcements and discuss Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card. Joining first as a guest caller is 15th-ranked UFC heavyweight Blagoy Ivanov, who reflects on how his near-death experience from a stabbing that hospitalized him for three months has shaped him into the mentally tough fighter he is today. Ivanov wraps up his interview by previewing his matchup with 10th-ranked heavyweight Marcin Tybura. The crew are then joined by their second heavyweight caller of the day, 12th-ranked Serghei Spivac, who alongside his translator discusses what a win against popular heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis can do for his career. Finally, Matt and Jim cap off the show by bouncing off some upcoming fights with Phoenix, who shares her thoughts on how former featherweight champion Max Holloway would stack up in a rumored matchup against Arnold Allen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by The Schmo as a special guest co-host.The group chats about their favorite fights coming up on the UFC’s 2023 calendar, and then the Schmo plays matchmaker for the UFC’s biggest stars.As the topic shifts to the UFC’s heavyweight division, Matt explains why he feels very strongly about Jon Jones’ ability to dominate Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut at UFC 285.The guys talk through the welterweight title picture and discuss how so much hinges on whether Khamzat Chimaev decides to go up to middleweight or stay at 170 pounds.Finally, they wrap up the show by looking ahead to Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by lightweight Thiago Moisés and fast-rising women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield. Fresh off a second-round submission victory over late-replacement opponent Melquizael Costa, Thiago talks about what it felt like going from five consecutive fights in the crowdless UFC Apex to fighting in front of a passionate crowd of friends and family in his native Brazil on last Saturday’s UFC 283 card. Thiago then explains how his kickboxing father helped instill a passion for martial arts that led Moisés to American Top Team in Florida, where he currently lives and trains in an attempt to re-enter the lightweight rankings. As Erin Blanchfield hops on the show, Matt can hardly contain his excitement to talk about the ins and outs of jiu-jitsu with the 23-year-old New Jersey native. After discussing her most recent win over Molly McCann, Erin explains her reaction to the UFC matchmakers’ decision to match her up against No. 2 women’s flyweight Taila Santos and how it could fast-track her to a title shot against the winner of the upcoming match between women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and 5th-ranked challenger Alexa Grasso. Jim and Matt then wrap up the show by looking ahead to some of the intriguing matchups recently announced as part of a 2023 UFC calendar that’s quickly taking shape.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, lightweight contender Michael Chandler returns as a guest co-host alongside Jim and Matt for a recap of the fights from Saturday night’s UFC 283 card in Brazil — with a special bonus interview with bantamweight Rob Font.Matt explains why he was particularly impressed with Glover Teixeira’s classy post-fight behavior after Jamahal Hill’s UFC light heavyweight title win in front of Brazil’s fervent MMA fans.As the guys react to Brandon Moreno recapturing the flyweight championship and closing out the UFC’s first-ever quadrilogy in impressive fashion, Chandler explains why he thinks Deiveson Figueiredo is well-positioned to succeed in his future as a bantamweight with less weight to cut.After revisiting all five of Jim and Matt’s predictions from Saturday night’s card and explaining what stood out to them most, the guys welcome bantamweight Rob Font on to the show.With his next fight tentatively scheduled for April against fast-rising bantamweight Adrian Yanez, Font explains why a win over his tough 29-year-old opponent with a perfect 5-0 record in the UFC can provide a big boost for him.Chandler wraps up the show with a sales pitch for why Conor McGregor’s highly-anticipated return to the UFC should be a blockbuster fight at welterweight against him this summer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ahead of the first pay-per-view of 2023, we wanted to get listeners a bonus episode of Din Thomas’ new podcast, Din’s Got Answers!A little about the show:Got questions about the UFC? Well, Din Thomas is here to answer them. Din will use his experience as a UFC veteran, analyst, comedian, coach to the biggest names in the sport, co-star of Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight, host of The Din Diaries, and more to answer your questions about everything and anything UFC related.On this episode, Din answers three questions.First, who will win each main card fight at UFC 283? Second, what’s up with fighters bulking up lately? And third, who’s the top bantamweight contender?Who will win each main card fight at UFC 283? As the UFC returns to Brazil, Din gives his picks for the main card fights. Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill face off for the vacant light heavyweight belt and in the co-main event, flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo takes on interim champion Brandon Moreno in the UFC’s first ever quadrilogy fight. Find out Din’s answers to who will win these fights and more!Second, what’s up with fighters bulking up lately? Din has his answer. He looks at fighters that have bulked up recently, including Conor McGregor and Khamzat Chimaev. Din also touches on fighters that just get plain big in between fights, such as Paddy Pimblett. Tune in to hear Din’s answer to why so many fighters are bulking up!Who’s the top bantamweight contender? Din has his answer. To help answer this question, Din hollers at his homie, Rob Font, who is the 6th ranked UFC bantamweight. Font gives insight into other top contenders like Marlon “Chito” Vera, Cory Sandhagen, and also answers the question. You won’t want to miss Din and Rob’s answers!Feel free to reach out to Din on Twitter (@DinThomas) or Instagram (dinthomas) with any questions for him to answer on a future show! DISCLAIMER: Betting odds stated in the episode are from the time of the recording and not reflective of any live betting odd changes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first UFC pay-per-view card of 2023 is upon us! With just three days until the UFC makes its highly-anticipated return to Brazil, welterweight Neil Magny and lightweight Terrance McKinney join Matt and Jim via Zoom from their hotels in Rio de Janeiro for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered. While previewing his fight against fifth-ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns, Magny looks back on his three previous fights in Rio to share what it’s like as an American fighting a Brazilian in front of an incredibly rowdy and supportive collection of hometown fans. Magny talks about his military service before ultimately wrapping up the interview by explaining how his conditioning level has him prepared to win Saturday’s fight and set up a fight against Belal Muhammad after that. Then, Terrance McKinney joins the show ahead of his fight against Brazilian lightweight Ismael Bonfim on the early prelims. Eager to fight outside of the United States for the first time in his career, McKinney outlines his goals for 2023, which include fighting several times in the year and ultimately breaking into the lightweight top ten. He then opens up about how living on a military base in Germany, dominating on the Washington high school wrestling scene, and surviving a near-death experience have shaped him into the man he is today. The guys wrap up the show by going up and down Saturday’s UFC 283 card for final predictions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The one and only Din Thomas returns as a special co-host alongside Jim and Matt on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered featuring lightweight contender Jalin Turner as a guest caller.With Francis Ngannou’s departure clearing the way for a Ciryl Gane vs. Jon Jones mega fight for the now-vacant UFC heavyweight title, the guys discuss what to expect from Jones in his first return to the cage in over three years.Then the guys recap the action from last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night from the Apex in which Sean Strickland outpointed Nassourdine Imavov as a late replacement opponent filling in for Kelvin Gastelum.With UFC 283 around the corner, Din offers his take on the vacant light heavyweight title fight between Jamahal Hill and Glover Teixeira and the UFC’s first ever quadrilogy fight for the flyweight belt between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno in the co-main event.Finally, 10th-ranked lightweight Jalin Turner hops on the show to share an update on his recovery from elbow surgery, touches on his love for spiders, teases details of an upcoming fight against a big-name striker, and much more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the first UFC event of the new year upon us, today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered features interviews with two intriguing fighters from Saturday’s main card in bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov and headliner Nassourdine Imavov. Set to face Raoni Barcelos in his fourth UFC fight, Umar shares why he thinks the Brazilian veteran is his toughest fight thus far. The unbeaten bantamweight then shares what it means coming from a family ingrained in martial arts before expressing his thoughts on cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to step aside from his role as a hands-on coach alongside American Kickboxing Academy’s own Javier Mendez. With the help of his translator, Nassourdine Imavov shares how he found out about the injury to Kelvin Gastelum which changed his main event opponent to 7th-ranked middleweight and notorious trash-talker Sean Strickland. Born in Dagestan but raised in France, Imavov talks his path from boxing as a child to discovering MMA later in life. Nassourdine opens up about how special it was to decisively beat Joaquin Buckley in front of friends and family in France’s first-ever UFC event after talking about what he expects from Strickland on Saturday night. The guys then wrap up the show with some fight picks for Saturday’s card taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas at 4:00 pm ET.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling as a guest co-host.The Serra-Longo product joins the show in his brand-new in-home studio at his Las Vegas residence; which he explains comes in handy for its proximity to the UFC’s Performance Institute where he is receiving treatment for his partially torn biceps tendon.Aljo talks about the status of his acting career and what it’d mean for the New York native to be a character in 50 Cent’s ‘Power Universe’ before issuing a stern warning for former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo ahead of their rumored fight set to take place sometime soon.As Matt and Jim ask Sterling for his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski jumping up in weight to fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284, Aljo explains why he likes Volkanovski’s chances.Sterling then gives his takes on the rest of the bantamweight division, assessing the upcoming fight between Cory Sandhagen and Marlon “Chito” Vera and explaining who he thinks his close friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili should fight next.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year! Jim and Matt are back from the holiday break for UFC Unfiltered’s first episode of 2023 alongside guests Sam Tripoli and Forrest Griffin. First, Sam Tripoli talks about how Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do, and jiu jitsu formulated the comedian’s passion for mixed martial arts. He puts on his tin foil hat for the guys as he lists some of his favorite conspiracy theories that he discusses on his many podcasts. Then, UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin joins the show. The former light heavyweight champion takes a stroll down memory lane while recounting his legendary three-round fight against Stephan Bonnar in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter’s first season. While reliving a fight that changed the trajectory of mixed martial arts altogether, Forrest shares his favorite heartfelt stories about his friend Stephan after his untimely passing at the age of 45 just two weeks ago. Forrest then goes on to talk about his transition to his current role as Vice President of Athlete Development at the UFC Performance Institute and Matt asks Forrest how he became a walking Snapple can full of fun facts that are shared on Fridays on Griffin’s Instagram account.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UFC Unfiltered has wrapped up a busy year. We wanted to get the listeners one more podcast before 2023. So we have a bonus episode of Din Thomas’ new podcast, Din’s Got Answers!A little about the show:Got questions about the UFC? Well, Din Thomas is here to answer them. Din will use his experience as a UFC veteran, analyst, comedian, coach to the biggest names in the sport, co-star of Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight, host of The Din Diaries, and more to answer your questions about everything and anything UFC related.On this episode, Din answers three questions.First, what’s up with all the madness at UFC 282? Second, which champions will lose their belts in 2023? And third, who’s the most dangerous welterweight in the world? Plus, an additional topic, as Din answers questions from the fans!What’s up with all the madness at UFC 282? The PPV proved to be exciting and full of controversy, as the card started with 10 finishes in a row and the light heavyweight title remained vacant at the end of the night. Din recaps the card and drops his answers to everything that happened at UFC 282.Which champions will lose their belts in 2023? Din has his answer. He looks at multiple scenarios where a champion could lose his or her belt. Will middleweight champion Alex Pereira lose his belt in 2023? Or will women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko finally lose her belt? Tune in to hear Din’s answer.Who’s the most dangerous welterweight in the world? Din has his answer. To help answer this question, Din hollers at his homie, Gilbert Burns, who is a top 5 ranked welterweight. Gilbert gives insight into his fights against Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev, and also answers the question. You won’t want to miss Din and Gilbert’s answers!To wrap up the show, Din answers fan questions in rapid style. So keep them coming and hit up Din on Twitter (@DinThomas) or Instagram (dinthomas). Happy holidays and enjoy the show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt and Jim are joined by light heavyweight title challenger Jamahal Hill and bantamweight contender Marlon “Chito” Vera on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered — the last one of 2022!Set to hop back in the cage in exactly a month, Jamahal talks fighting outside of the United States for the first time in his professional career as he passionately defends the UFC’s decision to place him in the vacant light heavyweight title fight against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 in Brazil.Chito joins the show with some breaking news that he has accepted a fight for February against another one of his fellow highly-ranked bantamweight contenders. He and coach Jason Parillo wrap up the interview by talking about the Ecuadorian martial artist’s training regimen and plan to hold off on a rematch against Sean O’Malley until it’s for the bantamweight title.Finally, Jim and Matt sign off by spreading holiday cheer and wishing all listeners a very Happy New Year! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Megan Olivi joins the guys as a special guest co-host for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered!The trio start off the show with a recap of last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland card from top to bottom.With the holidays upon us, Megan and the guys next talk about their favorite Christmas songs of all time.Continuing with the Christmas spirit, Serra-Longo trained fighter and UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili brings a smile to Matt’s face by calling in to the show live from his Jamaican vacation with teammate and bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.Finally, Megan, Matt and Jim wrap up the show by reviewing the wild year that was — making their picks for UFC upset of the year, UFC fight of the year, UFC knockout of the year, and UFC breakthrough fighter of the year among other awards.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier and lightweight Drew Dober join Matt Serra and Jim Norton on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered as the guys look ahead to this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland card.Looking to rebound from his title shot loss to former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Cannonier talks lessons learned from that loss as he previews his main event fight against Sean Strickland and discusses what he’d do if Sean started talking trash mid-fight.Matt and Jared bond over their passion for teaching mixed martial arts to the next generation, with Cannonier expressing a desire to open up a gym in his hometown to train up-and-coming fighters when he’s retired from fighting.Jim and Matt mix in some predictions from the card before Drew Dober hops on the show to assess his main card matchup with Bobby Green. After talking about his loss to Islam Makhachev and how it helped him get back to his current two-fight winning streak, Dober shares his excitement over becoming a first-time father this upcoming June and finally adding “dad strength” to his toolshed.Matt then brings Jim up to speed on his wild story at Universal Studios, with the guys wrapping up the show with more picks for Saturday’s card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, the dynamic duo of Matt Serra and Jim Norton return for a recap of last Saturday’s UFC 282 pay-per-view with Fortis MMA owner and head coach Sayif Saud. Matt and Sayif begin the show talking about the unique motivational and in-fight-advice-giving methods they each use to get a hold of various fighters. Then, the guys begin a recap of the UFC 282 fights by asking Sayif about what it was like seeing his fighter Alex Morono go from dominating the first two rounds of his short-notice fight against welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio to getting caught in the third round for a knockout loss. As the topic shifts to Paddy Pimblett’s co-main event victory over Jared Gordon and the split draw in the vacant light heavyweight title fight between Magomed Ankalaev and Jan Błachowicz, Sayif states his case for how state Athletic Commissions can clean up MMA judging across the board. The guys wrap up the show by talking about which of the 10 consecutive finishes on Saturday’s card they found most compelling, featherweight Alexander Volkanovski’s quest to become a double champion at lightweight, and much more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s UFC 282 fight week! And while Jim Norton couldn’t make it in today, the one and only Din Thomas is back for his second appearance of the week alongside Matt Serra for this stacked episode of UFC Unfiltered.Matt returns to the show for the first time since the video teasing his hilarious interaction with a theme park employee went viral, giving Din and the listeners part of what they came for with the conclusion to his theme park bathroom story for the ages!As for the guests on today’s show, Din and Matt get a chance to talk to welterweight Alex Morono, who shares his mindset on filling in for Robbie Lawler as Santiago Ponzinibbio’s late-replacement opponent on just five days notice.To wrap things up, our pal, the ever-entertaining Steve-O hops on the show — demonstrating the full breadth of his UFC fandom with opinionated thoughts on the matchups across this Saturday’s UFC 282 pay-per-view, with Matt and Din chiming in with predictions of their own for some of the fights leading up to the vacant title fight between light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev and former champion Jan Błachowicz. There is much more than fight talk with Steve-O. Have a listen now to hear all the stories and the amazing conversation.Check out Steve-O's new book, A Hard Kick In The Nuts: What I’ve Learned From A Lifetime Of Terrible Decisions and The Bucket List Tour coming to a city new you soon. For more information go to www.steveo.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With Matt Serra out and about in Orlando enjoying a family day at Disney World, Jim Norton is joined by guest co-hosts Din Thomas and Jon Anik on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered!Anik uses his cage-side perspective as the play-by-play announcer of last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland card to provide an in-depth recap of the action that took place in Orlando from the prelims on up to the main card.As the conversation shifts to Michael Bisping’s criticism of the strategy employed by Kevin Holland in his fourth-round corner stoppage TKO loss to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the main event, Din and Jon find themselves on opposite sides of the argument over whether Holland demonstrated bad fight IQ.The guys mix in some UFC 282 talk with an assessment on the landscape of UFC’s light heavyweight division, discussing fights from the prelims on up to the re-shuffled main event title fight between light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev and former champion Jan Blachowicz.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by UFC heavyweight Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa and women’s strawweight Emily Ducote ahead of their fights on Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN: Thompson vs. Holland event in Orlando.Tuivasa draws laughter from Matt and Jim throughout the interview as the enigmatic Australian explains why his fight against fellow knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich is guaranteed to end with somebody laying on the canvas.As Tuivasa explains why his come-forward style makes him confident hopping in the cage without watching film of any of his opponents, the man known for celebrating exciting wins by chugging beers through shoes talks about getting back in the title picture following his loss to Ciryl Gane.Set to make her second appearance with the UFC this Saturday night, Emily Ducote hops on the show to preview her matchup with veteran Angela Hill as she assesses the landscape of the UFC’s stacked strawweight division.Finally, Matt and Jim wrap up the show with predictions for some of the fights on the prelims and main card headlined by welterweights Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After taking the week off for Thanksgiving, Matt and Jim return to the show with former two-time UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, who’s serving as a guest co-host for today’s headline-driven episode of UFC Unfiltered.As the guys open an interesting discussion about how important it is for fighters to market themselves outside of the sport, the topic shifts to where Conor McGregor stands in the sport today.After Dominick gives his thoughts on Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira’s rivalry, the guys discuss how Jiří Procházka vacating his UFC light heavyweight title due to a shoulder injury changes the division.Dominick wraps up the show with his thoughts on the bantamweight title picture and what could be next for him as a fighter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt and Jim are off this week due to the holidays.That doesn't mean we don't have something for you to listen to. Din’s Got Answers is a new show hosted by our pal and yours Din Thomas.A little about the show:Got questions about the UFC? Well, Din Thomas is here to answer them. Din will use his experience as a UFC veteran, analyst, comedian, coach to the biggest names in the sport, co-star of Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight, host of The Din Diaries, and more to answer your questions about everything and anything UFC related.On this episode, Din answers three questions. First, what’s up with all the madness at UFC 281? Second, who deserves to be next to challenge for the bantamweight and lightweight titles? And third, what’s more effective in MMA, Sambo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?What’s up with all the madness at UFC 281? The PPV didn’t disappoint, as the main card was filled with all finishes and Israel Adesanya was dethroned of his middleweight belt by rival Alex Pereira. Din recaps the card and drops his answers to everything that happened at UFC 281.Who deserves to be next to challenge for the bantamweight and lightweight titles? Din has his answer. He looks at the current landscape of the bantamweight and lightweight divisions. Should bantamweight Sean O’Malley fight next for the title? Or, should it be someone else like Henry Cejudo? Then, Din hits on if featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski deserves to fight Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Is Beneil Dariush being snubbed? Din touches on every angle to give you his answer.What’s more effective in MMA, Sambo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Din has his answer. To help answer this question, Din hollers at his homie, Beneil Dariush, who is a top lightweight contender and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Beneil gives insight into how he uses Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to be effective in MMA and how Sambo can be just as or more effective. Their answers will surprise you!Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the show! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt and Jim are joined by UFC welterweights Andre Fialho and Jack Della Maddalena on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered! Set to make his FIFTH appearance in the Octagon this year on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac main card, Andre explains why he thinks staying incredibly active is beneficial for him ahead of his fight vs. Muslim Salikhov. The former amateur boxer turned MMA fighter then shares why he holds Luke Rockhold in such high regard as a mentor and friend. Matt breaks out his best Sylvester Stallone impersonation before Jack Della Maddalena hops on the show ahead of his main card fight against welterweight veteran Danny Roberts. While explaining how he overcame two quick losses in his MMA career before ultimately building his current 12-fight win streak, the Australian native shares why he’d find it special to fight on the UFC 284 card in his hometown of Perth, Australia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off an exhilarating UFC 281 card featuring a UFC record-tying 11 finishes, Matt and Jim dish out their full reactions to the card on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered with guest co-host and former NFL Pro Bowl defensive end Marcellus Wiley.While discussing what’s next for new UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira now that he’s dethroned Israel Adesanya, Matt explains why he thinks the Brazilian knockout artist’s inexperienced ground game makes a fight against Khamzat Chimaev a stylistic nightmare.After issuing an opinionated take on Michael Chandler’s actions against Dustin Poirier from Saturday’s Fight of the Night performance, Marcellus gives his thoughts on Frankie Edgar’s KO loss and how sports fans should analyze the final days of a retiring legend’s career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Just days away from this Saturday’s return to Madison Square Garden for UFC 281, Matt and Jim get three fighters from the card to hop on the show in women’s flyweight Molly McCann, lightweight Matt Frevola, and middleweight title challenger Alex Pereira.Coming off back-to-back knockout wins by way of spinning backfist, Molly explains how she has prepared for Erin Blanchfield’s ground game ahead of their fight on the prelims.Then, Long Island’s own Matt Frevola shares how it feels to see people from his hometown buzzing over his fight in Madison Square Garden.Alex Pereira joins the show ahead of his grudge match against Israel Adesanya to talk about what his longtime kickboxing rival might do differently in a fight with unified mixed martial arts rules.Finally, the guys finish the show with their picks for the main card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UFC fighter-turned-trainer James Krause fills in for Jim Norton as a special guest co-host alongside Matt Serra for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered!Matt and James kick off the show by interviewing former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar ahead of the final fight of his career on this Saturday’s UFC 281 pay-per-view card.After explaining why he feels thankful to be able to go out on his own terms at 41 years old, Frankie talks about where coaching, acting and stand-up comedy fit into his immediate post-retirement plans.After recapping last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos card, Matt and James take a sneak peek UFC 281 — where they dish out differing opinions on some of the evenly matched fights at the top of this Saturday’s pay-per-view card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.