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 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.

26 Jan 202350min

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.

24 Jan 20231h 4min

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.

20 Jan 202331min

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.

19 Jan 202352min

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.

17 Jan 202358min

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.

12 Jan 202356min

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.

10 Jan 202351min

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.

5 Jan 20231h 1min