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

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.

20 Apr 20231h 14min

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.

18 Apr 20231h 1min

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.

13 Apr 202346min

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.

11 Apr 202356min

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.

6 Apr 20231h 6min

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.

4 Apr 202354min

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.

30 Mars 202349min

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.

28 Mars 20231h 3min