UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap the action from over the weekend, including Johnny Walker's continued emergence as a heavyweight following his third-round knockout of Waldo Cortes Acosta in the main event.

Fresh off his first UFC victory, Joe Kropschot returns to UFC Unfiltered to break down his impressive submission of Nick Klein on Halloween. “The Land Animal” talks shop with Matt about the intricacies of his jiu-jitsu game before opening up about a remarkable chapter of his teenage years that saw him sent away to a wilderness prog...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Cortes Acosta vs. Walker in Las Vegas, where a late change to the main event pits heavyweight contender Waldo Cortes Acosta against Johnny Walker.

Also on the main card is veteran bantamweight “Dangerous” Davey Grant, who joins the show ahead of his matchup against rising prospect Elijah Smith. Still competing at a high level at 40 years old, Grant discusses what it takes to remain competitive against the sport's younger generation and the challenges presented by a 24-year-old opponent riding an eight-fight win stre...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap Saturday's Halloween UFC Fight Night, where Tom Nolan scored a third-round stoppage of Renato Moicano in a main event that has sparked major debate.

Fresh off a dramatic first-round knockout of JeongYeong Lee in his retirement fight, Julian Erosa returns to UFC Unfiltered to reflect on the storybook ending to his 16-year professional career. “Juicy J” explains why he made the decision to walk away before Saturday's fight, discusses the challenges of balancing fighting with family life and reveals his plans to return to Washington to take over a family business. He a...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for Halloween night's UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan in Las Vegas, welcoming fighters from both Saturday's main and co-main events to UFC Unfiltered.

Undefeated welterweight Jacobe Smith returns just weeks after his latest first-round knockout to preview his short-notice co-main event against Randy Brown. Having already shared sparring rounds with Brown, Jacobe discusses his approach to fighting someone with Randy’s style before opening up about the sacrifices and lifestyle changes he’s made while developing his career under Daniel Cormier. 

Then...

Just days removed from a stacked night of fights in Abu Dhabi, Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap the UFC 333 action on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered.

Fresh off his first-round knockout of Azamat Murzakanov, Dominick Reyes returns to UFC Unfiltered to break down his impressive finish and discuss his renewed push toward another light heavyweight title opportunity. “The Devastator” also explains his unique approach to training without a traditional head coach and updates Jim and Matt on his plans for the five-acre property of his dreams.

Then, undefeated heav...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra look ahead to UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, where Alexander Volkanovski defends his featherweight title against unbeaten challenger Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan meets Merab Dvalishvili for a third time with the bantamweight championship on the line.

Matt shares his thoughts on how Merab can get the better of Yan in Saturday's trilogy fight. While it's no secret who Matt is rooting for, he and Jim also dive into some of the card's other intriguing matchups as they each lock in three predictions for the weekend.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap an action-packed UFC Edmonton card that saw 12 of 13 fights end in finishes, including Mike Malott's spectacular second-round knockout of Joaquin Buckley in the main event.

Fresh off back-to-back first-round submissions, Chelsea Chandler makes her UFC Unfiltered debut to break down her kimura victory over Melissa Croden. Chandler discusses how overcoming injuries has helped rejuvenate her career, reflects on her unconventional introduction to martial arts in Thailand and shares what she's learned training alongside the Diaz brothers in Stockton.

Then, Montel Jackson returns following...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott in Edmonton with returning guest Tanner Boser, who joins the show ahead of his heavyweight matchup against Jhonata Diniz.

Boser takes Jim and Matt through his unconventional journey into MMA, beginning with childhood soccer before discovering karate. With Saturday marking his first fight in Edmonton since his regional circuit days, Tanner reflects on the resilience he’s developed through tough losses and shares entertaining stories about working as a bouncer at an Edmonton strip club. Along the way, he reveals th...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan, including Brendan Allen’s late submission win over Christian Leroy Duncan, Loopy Godinez’s close decision victory and a few more takeaways from Saturday’s card.

Then, Andre Fili returns to UFC Unfiltered after snapping his two-fight skid with a second-round head kick knockout of Kai Kamaka III. Before breaking down the win, Fili’s comic book aficionado side comes out as he and Matt dive into superhero storytelling, old collections and what makes a comic adaptation actually work.

Aft...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Duncan with two returning guests set to compete on Saturday’s main card.

First, 8th-ranked strawweight Loopy Godinez joins the show ahead of her matchup with Ketlen Souza. Godinez reflects on what she learned from her loss to Tatiana Suarez, why she’s not overhauling her approach after one setback, and how she stays during fight week by sticking to her normal routine — training, walking her dog, spending time with family and staying loose backstage.

After some D...

With Jim Norton out, Matt Serra is joined by guest co-host Ray Longo for a UFC 332 recap show featuring Johnny Walker and newly signed flyweight Christian Natividad.

Fresh off a $100K bonus-winning heavyweight debut, Walker joins the show after knocking out Mick Parkin with a first-round knee from the Thai clinch. The Brazilian explains why heavyweight feels like his natural home, how much better camp felt without cutting to 205 pounds, and why he wants to take his time climbing the division — with Marcin Tybura standing out as a name that interests him.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for UFC 332 with a pair of main-card fighters: returning middleweight Ateba Gautier and first-time guest Natalia Silva.

First, Gautier joins the show ahead of his matchup with Roman Kopylov and reveals a few unexpected layers outside the cage. If you heard a middleweight knockout artist say he was a My Little Pony fan, a physics lover and a geology major, which one would you not believe? In Gautier’s case, two of those are true — and you have to hear him explain it for yourself. He also talk...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs. Barcelos while welcoming two fighters fresh off wins at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.

First, 14th-ranked light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield makes his UFC Unfiltered debut following his split decision win over Iwo Baraniewski. Menifield talks about fighting through a gruesome broken thumb, digging deep through adversity, working with Pat Barry, and how his football background eventually led him into MMA.

After reacting to the ending of Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos and several other results from Saturday’s...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas with a pair of bantamweights competing on the main card.

First, Brady Hiestand returns to UFC Unfiltered ahead of his matchup with Rinya Nakamura. The former TUF finalist talks about the long road back from injury, becoming a firefighter during his time away from the Octagon, and the parallels he sees between firefighting and professional fighting. He also reflects on sharing the card with Sikjitsu teammate Melissa Amaya, who fights in one of Saturday’s two TUF fina...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap a loaded UFC 331 card while welcoming two first-time guests to UFC Unfiltered.

First, unbeaten UFC middleweight Damian Pinas joins the show ahead of his upcoming UFC 332 fight against Andrey Pulyaev. Representing both his native Suriname and his adopted home of Aruba, “The Baba Yaga” reflects on how watching Mike Tyson helped spark his late entry into combat sports before assessing what he expects from his next opponent in a few weeks.

Then, Jim and Matt react to the biggest moments from UFC 331, including Josh...

With Matt Serra off for the day, Jim Norton welcomes guest co-host Michael Chiesa to help preview Saturday’s UFC 331 card in Los Angeles.

First, fan-favorite heavyweight Tai Tuivasa joins the show ahead of his prelim matchup against Robelis Despaigne. Tuivasa talks about preparing for a 6-foot-7 striker with massive reach, how he handles long travel and time-zone changes as an Australian fighter, and what it will take to snap his skid and regain momentum on Saturday.

Then, Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson makes his UFC Unfiltered debut ahead of...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap Noche UFC while catching up with two fighters fresh off wins in the past two weeks.

First, Ignacio Bahamondes joins the show after a successful move up to welterweight against Muslim Salikhov. Bahamondes talks about snapping his two-fight skid, how his size and activity translated at 170 pounds, and what his presence in the division could do for an already stacked weight class.

While unpacking this past weekend’s Noche UFC results, the guys discuss Jean Silva’s main-event submission win over Jose Miguel Delg...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get ready for Saturday’s Noche UFC card with a pair of fighters competing in featured spots in Glendale, Arizona.

First, unbeaten featherweight Tommy McMillen makes his UFC Unfiltered debut ahead of his main-card matchup against Marwan Rahiki. “Tommy Gun” talks about the trash talk surrounding his fight, his wild Montana upbringing, fighting since childhood, the role his father played in his journey, and why he sees every walk to the Octagon as a chance to throw a party for the fans.

After some UFC Pa...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by a pair of featherweight veterans before making picks for Saturday’s UFC Paris card.

First, Giga Chikadze returns to UFC Unfiltered ahead of his UFC 331 matchup against Joanderson Brito in Los Angeles. The Georgian veteran discusses getting back to full health after pulling out of his previously scheduled fight against Vinicius Oliveira, opening up a new gym in Huntington Beach, and the urgency behind snapping his current skid as he looks to make another run at 38 years old.

After saluting the fi...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by two fighters preparing for next weekend’s Noche UFC card in Glendale, Arizona.

First, 15th-ranked featherweight Jose Miguel Delgado joins the show after finding out he’ll be stepping in for Yair Rodriguez to face Jean Silva in the Noche UFC main event. Having fully embraced his role as the underdog in this short-notice opportunity, the 28-year-old Arizona native out of MMA Lab identifies the ways his team has been able to replicate Silva’s fighting style and in-Octagon antics.

Between interv...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by two UFC Sacramento winners fresh off statement performances before looking ahead to this Saturday’s UFC Shanghai card.

First, 7th-ranked middleweight Gregory Rodrigues joins the show after collecting his fourth straight win in last Saturday’s main event with a unanimous decision over hometown favorite Anthony Hernandez. Humbly aware of his reputation as a devastating striker, “RoboCop” reflects on how a fighter with jiu-jitsu roots has grown into a complete mixed martial artist under Kill Cliff head trainer Henri Hooft.

A day remo...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap UFC Sacramento while catching up with two lightweights on opposite ends of their careers: short-notice UFC newcomer Stan Dorsainvil and recently retired legend Edson Barboza, one of the most electric strikers in UFC history.

First, undefeated lightweight Stan Dorsainvil joins the show after rallying to beat Gauge Young in his short-notice UFC debut. Dorsainvil talks about taking the fight on short notice and battling back from a difficult first round before finding common ground with Matt over their shared love of action movies and video games. But a...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra look ahead to UFC Sacramento with two ranked fighters competing on Saturday’s main card.

First, 6th-ranked middleweight Anthony Hernandez joins ahead of his hometown-adjacent main event against Gregory “RoboCop” Rodrigues. Fighting near his native Dunnigan, California, Hernandez talks about this Saturday’s homecoming, moving camp to Las Vegas to train with Sean Strickland after their fight earlier this year, and his long term vision to build a simpler life for his family.

After previewing Saturday’s card and congratulating the latest DWCS contract winners, J...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap UFC 330 while catching up with two fighters fresh off statement wins in Philadelphia.

First, Charles Johnson joins the show after submitting late-replacement opponent Eduardo Chapolin with a third-round Scottish Twister. Johnson discusses the chaos of his opponent change, bouncing back from his own rare submission loss against Asu Almabayev, and what he’s looking to do next.

Jim and Matt react to the biggest UFC 330 storylines, including Islam Makhachev’s record-setting welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry, Mackenzie Dern’s first strawweight title...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra get a good look at this weekend’s UFC 330 card with a pair of guests competing on Saturday’s main card.

First, 5th-ranked women’s strawweight Gillian Robertson joins ahead of her title fight against champion Mackenzie Dern. Riding a five-fight winning streak into a battle between jiu-jitsu black belts, Robertson explains the source of her extreme confidence going into her first five-round fight.

The guys then welcome lightweight Esteban Ribovics for his first appearance on UFC Unfiltered. Mixing in some English responses in betwee...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by women’s bantamweight Alex Apodaca and women’s flyweight Juliana Miller.

Eager to show what a full fight camp looks like, Apodaca looks two weeks ahead to her Dana White’s Contender Series main event matchup against Bella Mir. The 32-year-old Texas native discusses how casual kickboxing classes as a college student turned into Muay Thai dreams and eventually MMA, and what it’s like balancing her fighting career with a full-time consulting job at a Big Four accounting firm.

Then, Juliana Miller joins fresh off a pivotal...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra invite a pair of fighters with big UFC dreams in middleweight Joe Kropschot and bantamweight Jessie Rosas.

Joining first is LFA middleweight champion Joe Kropschot, who joins ahead of his fight on next Tuesday’s DWCS Season 10 premiere against unbeaten Jon Kunemann. Mentored by Gilbert Melendez, Kropschot discusses how a three-fight losing streak helped him turn the corner as an MMA pro now on the cusp of securing a UFC contract with a win.

After previewing and making picks for Saturday’s UFC Fight Nigh...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode with takeaways from a record-setting UFC Belgrade card that delivered 12 finishes — including a UFC-record 10 in the first round.

First, heavyweight Steven Asplund joins ahead of his UFC Fight Night matchup with Guilherme Pat. Asplund discusses the message behind his recent Instagram post about fighting for “every little fat kid that doesn’t feel confident,” staying authentically himself, and what he needs to do to bounce back from his loss to Vitor Petrino in this Saturday’s fight.

The guys then turn th...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra look ahead to Saturday’s UFC Belgrade card while catching up with two fighters coming off statement finishes in Abu Dhabi.

First, 10th-ranked heavyweight Valter Walker joins the show after tying Demian Maia’s UFC record with his fifth straight submission victory. Fresh off a first-round calf slicer win over Thomas Petersen, Walker discusses his historic leg-lock streak, the heavyweight names hovering around the title picture, and what could be next as “The Clean Monster” continues climbing the rankings.

Then, Sam Patterson makes his UFC Unfi...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode with a full-fledged recap of Saturday’s UFC Abu Dhabi card, breaking things down from Magomed Ankalaev’s main event win over late-replacement opponent Bogdan Guskov all the way down to the opening fights of the night.

After assessing Ankalaev’s bounce-back performance and Ramazan Temirov’s statement knockout of Steve Erceg in the co-main event, the guys dish out takeaways from the rest of the card — including what to make of heel-hook specialist Valter Walker adding a calf slicer submission to his growing highlight re...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra celebrate the 1,000th episode of UFC Unfiltered with a pair of Hall-of-Fame guests and a look ahead to Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi.

First, Georges St-Pierre joins the show to discuss the upcoming biopic about his life, the art of knowing when to walk away from competition, and what advice he would give fighters like Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje as they continue navigating the later stages of their careers.

Shortly after, newly inducted Hall-of-Famer Dominick Cruz makes his long ov...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode by unpacking the biggest takeaways from UFC Oklahoma City, including Dricus Du Plessis’ bounce-back win over Kamaru Usman, what that result means for Sean Strickland’s next title defense, and where Usman goes from here.

Then, Chase Hooper joins the show fresh off his first-round submission win over Mitch Ramirez. Hooper walks the guys through his rear-naked choke, opens up about the pressure of entering a fight on back-to-back stoppage losses, and discusses how baby No. 2 being set to arrive at any given moment affect...

With UFC Oklahoma City just days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra preview Saturday’s card and lock in their picks before catching up with two fighters competing at the event.

First, former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis joins ahead of his main event clash with Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis discusses his first fight since losing the title to Khamzat Chimaev, what makes Usman dangerous, and why a statement win should put him right back in the thick of the middleweight title picture against Sean Strickland — a champion he has already beaten twice.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode by beginning to unpack a UFC 329 card defined by stoppages, comebacks and unexpected turns before welcoming the first of two winners riding the high of first-round knockouts.

Fresh off his win over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, Adrian Yañez joins the show to reflect, Yañez talks about the Cody matchup he long envisioned, the calming influence of coach Sayif Saud, and what kind of opponent he hopes to draw next.

Then, Jim and Matt continue their UFC 329 reca...

With UFC 329 just days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra make their final picks from Saturday’s International Fight Week card while catching up with two ranked fighters competing in Las Vegas.

After picking up Monday’s UFC 329 preview right where they left off, the guys welcome Tracy Cortez ahead of her ranked flyweight matchup with Wang Cong. Cortez details the ups and downs that have accompanied her seismic decision to switch gyms, move to Mexico City, and reconnect with her Mexican roots.

Finally, friend of the show Cory Sand...

Jim Norton and Matt Serra catch up with two fighters preparing for upcoming bouts before turning their attention to International Fight Week, where they make a few picks from Saturday’s UFC 329 card.

First, featherweight Austin Bashi returns for his second appearance on the show ahead of his July 18 matchup against Jose Miguel Delgado. Eager to return after an 11-month layoff, the 24-year-old explains why he’s so confident he’ll get another early finish and shares the story behind his Rocky Balboa-esque appetite for raw eggs and beef liver.

Betw...

Guest co-host Michael Chiesa fills in for Matt in an episode of Unfiltered that invites reigning strawweight champion into the show after discussions about UFC Baku and next weekend’s UFC 329 card.

First, Jim and Chiesa unpack the biggest storylines from UFC Baku, including Rafael Fiziev's much-needed knockout win in front of his home crowd. The conversation then shifts to UFC 329, where Chiesa shares his expectations for Conor McGregor's long-awaited return against Max Holloway and shares his thoughts on whether Max can hold is own in his very first fight at 170 pounds.

After a second successful event in Baku in as many years, Jim and Matt are joined by Brandon Royval and Shane Collins. The boys talk about wins, losses, and life outside the Octagon.

After three years away from the show, perennial flyweight contender Brandon Royval, stops by to discuss his IFW bout against Lone’er Kavanagh. Nearing the end of his longest fight camp, Royval thinks a win could catapult him into title contention once more. Moving away from business talk, the trio play around with assigning fight songs and movie comparisons.

Heading into the Fight Night in Baku, Din Thomas makes a special appearance and the boys meet up with Ode Osbourne and GiGi Canuto to talk the many eras of MMA, UFC, and TUF.

First up, Ode Osbourne returns to the show with his patented humor and optimism to talk about righting ships, the excitement of new fights, niceties throughout the UFC roster, and much more. Ode may not be competing on the IFW card as he intended, but that hasn’t deterred his drive and confidence.

Right after Ode, TUF standout GiGi Canuto makes he...

Coming off an electric Fight Night in Vegas, Jim & Matt are joined by a pair of Saturday night’s winners: Christian Rodriguez and Levan Chokheli.

First in the hot seat, Christian Rodriguez hops on to discuss his round one guillotine finish over Hyder Amil. Coming into Saturday’s fight, the featherweight felt the need to win after coming off two straight losses. Christian credits some major changes in his life like moving to Vegas and a focus on mental health. With this new direction, he feels he’s on the right path to reaching the top.

Then...