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On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra, are joined by two incredible guests in lightweight Michael Chandler and multi-talented actor and host Mario Lopez.   First up is Lopez, who hosts NBC’s Access Hollywood, Access Daily, and nationally syndicated radio show ON with Mario Lopez; in addition to his role as a producer on “The Golden Boy” documentary premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. The 49-year-old actor steps into the virtual studio to discuss how his unyielding passion for combat sports began as a high school wrestler and blossomed in the boxing gym, where he has sparred with Canelo Alvarez.   Mario then explains how he stumbled into the world of jiu-jitsu, where he now proudly holds a purple belt and occasionally throws down in tournaments alongside his son.   With Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter just around the corner, lightweight contender and all-around force of nature Michael Chandler joins the show to talk about what lies ahead. As he prepares for an eventual showdown with Conor McGregor, Chandler spills the beans on what he's looking forward to most in the upcoming season.

Jim and Matt get a dose of fight talk and comedy with entertaining welterweight knockout artist Joaquin Buckley and comedian and podcasting pioneer Adam Carolla on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered.   Adam Carolla and Jim compare their experiences on stage as comics as the guys break into an intriguing conversation about comedy. A former boxing trainer himself, Carolla gives his perspective on the world of MMA and the athletes that make the sport happen.   While looking at the results of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill card, Matt and Jim then assess the winning performance of Mackenzie Dern in Saturday’s main event as they wait for Joaquin Buckley to join the show.   After competing as a middleweight for the bulk of his career, Buckley talks about how Saturday’s head-kick KO win against Andre Fialho shows the type of athleticism that can make him a problem moving forward in the welterweight division.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan and women’s strawweight Loopy Godinez ahead of their fights on the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.   Edmen discusses how moving out of his hometown in California to Las Vegas and now training at the Xtreme Couture super gym has enhanced the 25-year-old middleweight’s career ahead of his co-main event fight against Anthony Hernandez.   As Jim shifts the conversation towards Saturday’s card, Matt issues a convincing argument for why Mackenzie Dern will beat Angela Hill before Loopy Godinez hops on the show.   Finally, Loopy Godinez opens up about her father’s decision to move their family from Mexico to Canada and shares how working small jobs helped her save money to embark on a professional MMA career.   The guys wrap up the show with predictions for Godinez’s fight against Emily Ducote on Saturday’s main card.

Jim and Matt are joined by former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and longtime comedian and actor Gary Owen on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered!   Seeking his second win of 2023, Garbrandt returns to Unfiltered for the first time since almost exactly two years ago in May of 2021. After announcing a fight scheduled in August for UFC 292 in Boston against Mario Bautista, Garbrandt connects with Matt Serra as the former welterweight champion gives Cody advice on how to climb back towards the top of the ladder.   Then, the guys are joined by comedian and actor Gary Owen who plugs his two upcoming movies while explaining how he stumbled into diehard UFC fandom while on set with the Wayans brothers for the filming of the comedy “Little Man.”   Finally, Jim and Matt dive into a recap of the action from last Saturday afternoon’s fight card as the guys explain who and what impressed them the most from UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by Johnny Walker and Anthony “Lionheart” Smith in separate interviews as the two light heavyweights approach their co-main event on Saturday afternoon’s UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida card in Charlotte.   Johnny Walker joins the show almost instantly as the 7th-ranked light heavyweight shares how two near-death experiences early in his life have given him a glass half-full outlook on life and his MMA career. The Brazilian then reflects on how meeting his wife led him to Ireland, where he and coach John Kavanagh have been crafting a game plan for the experienced Anthony Smith in Saturday’s co-main event.   Jim and Matt then dive deep into the card for some predictions from the prelims on up to the main event, but make sure to save their prediction for the co-main event until after Anthony Smith hops on to explain the importance of flying back home to his family in Omaha for weekends despite training in Colorado on Monday through Friday.   Showing off the analytical skills that have made him a rotating member of the UFC’s broadcast team, Smith then provides an in-depth assessment on Johnny Walker ahead of their fight on Saturday afternoon. As soon as Smith’s interview ends, Jim and Matt stay true to their promise by delivering their predictions for the co-main event.

Jim Norton takes part in the Serra-Longo Fight Team’s victory Monday as today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered calls upon bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for nearly 20 minutes alongside Matt Serra and guest co-host Ray Longo.   As the guys dive straight into Sterling’s UFC 288 win over former bantamweight king Henry Cejudo, Aljo discusses the mid-fight adjustments that were necessary to stave off the former Olympic gold medalist’s valiant effort during last Saturday night’s PPV headliner in New Jersey.   Sterling then dishes his thoughts on Sean O’Malley hopping into the cage immediately after his win as Ray Longo cracks up thinking about how Aljo’s good friend and sparring partner Merab Dvalishvili stole the show by climbing up the cage wearing O’Malley’s bright red jacket.   Speaking of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Matt and Ray sing lightweight Matt Frevola’s praises after the “Steamrolla” successfully detonated his third straight 1st-round KO with a beautifully-placed punch that earned him a $50,000 post-fight bonus and a callout acceptance from Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett.   The guys wrap up the show with the rest of their thoughts on the UFC 288 card and some analysis on how Henry Cejudo stacks up in a potential fight with Merab Dvalishvili.

After some of the most exciting cards in 2023, we are here with an 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 has the best post-fight celebrations? Second, what’s in the water in Mexico? And third, what’s the problem with fighters coming up too fast? Plus, an additional topic, as Din answers questions from the fans!   Who has the best post-fight celebrations? Din has his answer. He looks at 5 fighters who have some of the greatest post-fight celebrations of all-time. See who Din thinks has the best post-fight celebrations.   What’s in the water in Mexico? Din has his answer. With 3 recent Mexican champions, Din breaks down what makes these 3 Mexican fighters special and why Mexican fighters have extra motivation.   What’s the problem with fighters coming up too fast? Din has his answer. To help answer this question, Din hollers at his homie, head coach of Roufusport Duke Roufus. Duke talks about his experience grooming fighters from a young age, coaching against the youngest fighter in the UFC in Raul Rosas Jr., and why fighters typically come up too fast. You won’t want to miss Din and Duke’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).   Enjoy the show!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.