Eric Nicksick looks ahead to UFC 312, catching up w/ Chael Sonnen

With Jim Norton out for the day, friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale steps on up as a guest co-host for Monday’s episode of UFC Unfiltered alongside Matt Serra for chats with coach Plinio Cruz and rising UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer. Matt and Phoenix waste no time by bringing coach Plinio Cruz on to the show to listen on as the former Brazilian heavyweight fighter discusses the brotherly dynamic he and former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira both have as coaches for former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira. Seeking to help Pereira become a two-division champion in a second sport, Cruz walks through the elements that make Alex’s upcoming light heavyweight title fight against Jiří Procházka a special matchup to sit atop the UFC 295 card at Madison Square Garden — the very same building where Pereira won both his UFC debut and middleweight title. Then, Pennsylvania’s own Joe Pyfer joins the show to talk about how his rough upbringing shaped him into the fighter and man he is today before dropping a couple of names of top-15 middleweights he’d be interested in fighting to crack into the division’s rankings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

31 Okt 202356min

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra react to the monumental news about UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ injury with guest caller and former UFC welterweight Ben Askren. Jim and Matt begin the show by immediately diving into the ripple effect of Jon Jones’ torn pectoral tendon injury. With Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall agreeing to fight each other in an interim heavyweight title co-main event at UFC 295, Jim and Matt look into what another delay could mean for former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic as he looks to return to the cage for the first time since March of 2021. Ben Askren joins the show shortly after, filling the guys in on how he balances his post-retirement life as a father and wrestling coach with interest in writing books and investing. While listing all of the things keeping him busy without fighting, Askren names the one and only veteran fighter he’d willingly end his retirement for.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

25 Okt 202353min

On this episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra recap all things UFC 294 with longtime MMA writer and journalist John Morgan, who joins for the duration of the show as today’s guest co-host. The guys open the show with initial thoughts on how Kamaru Usman looked on short notice in his majority decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in Saturday’s middleweight co-main event. As a collective group of three, the guys then shift the conversation to Saturday’s cageside doctor, sparking a spirited debate about whether or not Johnny Walker was in a position to keep fighting after Magomed Ankalaev struck him with a knee. After singing the praises of Alexander Volkanovski for his courage to accept a difficult lightweight title fight rematch against Islam Makhachev on short notice, Matt unpacks what went wrong for Volkanovski before the guys chime in with their thoughts on whether Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje has a better chance at becoming the UFC’s new 155-pound king.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

23 Okt 202347min

With this Saturday’s UFC 294 pay-per-view just a matter of days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra use today’s episode to preview and predict winners for the massive fights atop the card — with 8th-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan providing some additional perspective on as a guest caller. Jim and Matt waste no time by diving straight into the main card, unpacking the elements that make both of Saturday’s short-notice fights intriguing. When discussing Alexander Volkanovski’s readiness for a 5-round title fight, the guys assess whether or not the UFC’s 145-pound king has to find a way to finish Islam Makhachev in order to dethrone the lightweight champion. Midway through the show, Arman Tsarukyan hops on the call to look back at his own experience taking a short-notice fight against Makhachev before weighing in on whether Volkanovski has a chance at pulling off the upset. Finally, the guys wrap up the show by making their picks for three fights in particular — the main event, Kamaru Usman’s middleweight co-main event against Khamzat Chimaev, and the light heavyweight featured bout between second-ranked Magomed Ankalaev and seventh-ranked Johnny Walker.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Okt 202345min

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by 15th-ranked UFC bantamweight Chris Gutierrez and former 6-time NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy! Joining the show first is Chris, who himself is fresh off a unanimous victory over Alatengheili after an injury to Montel Jackson pushed back Gutierrez’s expected fight date exactly one week to this past weekend’s card headlined by Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. Gutierrez discusses the significance of getting back in the win column after his previous 8-fight unbeaten streak was snapped with a loss in April to Pedro Munhoz. While waiting for Gerald McCoy to hop on the show, Jim and Matt dish out their takeaways from Saturday’s action at the APEX, ever impressed by Gutierrez and his Factory X teammate, Jonathan Martinez among others. Once Gerald McCoy arrives, Jim and Matt waste no time — diving straight into a discussion about Israel Adesanya’s decision to temporarily step away from the sport after 5+ years of incredible activity marked by multiple title reigns in his 16 fights with the UFC thus far. With 11 years of NFL experience to his name, McCoy uses the backdrop of his football playing career as a reference when the topic shifts to the intriguing short-notice changes atop this Saturday’s massive UFC 294 card in Abu Dhabi and the feasibility of Kamaru Usman and Alexander Volkanovski accepting monumental matchups with less than two weeks to prepare.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

17 Okt 20231h 2min

Joining Jim Norton and Matt Serra on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered is bantamweight Adrian Yanez and comedian Robert Kelly. Looking to bounce back from his first loss inside the UFC, 14th-ranked bantamweight Adrian Yanez gives a sober assessment of what went wrong as he abandoned his game plan in the midst of his one-round firefight against Rob Font. Yanez further explains how the great deal of mutual respect between himself and 13th-ranked bantamweight Jonathan Martinez will have to be put aside briefly as the two prepare to clash on Saturday night in a significant fight for the UFC’s 135-pound division. Shortly thereafter, Jim and Matt are joined by a long-time friend of the show in stand-up comedian Robert Kelly, who himself is no fighter but shows an incredible ability to take Matt Serra’s friendly jabs in stride while throwing some back himself in a hilarious appearance on the show. The guys wrap up the show by taking a look at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Okt 202359min

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt Serra and Jim Norton are joined by coach Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture and UFC lightweight Drew Dober following his knockout win vs. Ricky Glenn over the weekend. Jim and Matt open the show with a brief intro before shortly thereafter bringing coach Nicksick on to talk about the recent success coming from the Xtreme Couture stable. With Jim and Matt incredibly impressed by newly crowned middleweight champion Sean Strickland, coach Nicksick goes on to explain how Matt Serra’s upset win over Georges St-Pierre was periodically brought up during Strickland’s training camp as a way of instilling a sense of belief in the idea that upsetting Israel Adesanya was more than just a possibility. After coach Nicksick leaves the show, Jim and Matt shift their attention to the action that took place over the weekend at the UFC APEX during UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green — just in time for Drew Dober to call in and recap his own fight from that card. Now 4-1 in his last five fights, Dober explains how getting knocked out by Matt Frevola helped him recenter his focus and get back in touch with the skills that helped him become a fan-favorite. With Bobby Green using his one-of-a-kind style to pull off an upset win in Saturday’s main event over 10th-ranked lightweight Grant Dawson in Saturday’s main event, Dober reflects on his own fight with Green — ending the interview with a hilarious story about the back-and-forth trash talk between himself and Green from they fought.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

10 Okt 202350min

With UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green being a matter of days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by one half of Saturday's main event as UFC lightweight Grant Dawson joins an episode of UFC Unfiltered that also features NFL-player turned MMA super fan Ryan Clark. At the very beginning of the show, Matt is pleased to find out that Grant Dawson is as big of a Star Wars fan as him — leading to a passionate conversation about the characters and storylines that live inside of the all-time classic franchise's multimedia universe. Before wrapping up his interview, the UFC's 10th-ranked lightweight Dawson shares some of his thoughts on what it means to be headlining his first UFC main event against a tough veteran like Bobby Green who fights with a unique, one-of-a-kind style inside the cage. Shortly after, the guys are joined by retired 13-year NFL veteran Ryan Clark, who begins his conversation with Jim and Matt by explaining how a lifelong football player from Louisiana discovered a passion for consuming martial arts during Chuck Liddell's reign as UFC light heavyweight champion. Clark then goes on to share how he got involved in co-hosting the DC & RC podcast with former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier, a Louisiana native himself. The guys go on to chat about big time fights they’re looking forward to before closing off the show by plugging this Saturday's intriguing UFC Fight Night card 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.

4 Okt 20231h 3min