UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

The NEW UFC Strawweight Champion, Rose Namajunas, joins Jim and Matt on today's episode! First, Giga Chikadze joins the show ahead of his co-main event bout against Cub Swanson this Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs Prochazka. He discusses how he was able to win four fights in 2020, his father's prediction of Giga one day becoming a champion when he was born, and his upbringing in the country of Georgia. Then, Rose Namajunas joins the show just days after her stunning first-round knockout of Zhang Weili to once again become the UFC Strawweight Champion. She shares what she saw when researching Weili that lead to the head kick knockout, how her mentality towards being a champion has changed since the first time she held the belt, and who she sees as top contenders for her first title defense. Back by popular demand: Jim and Matt make their picks for the main and co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs Prochazka, Star NFL running back for the Los Angeles Chargers Austin Ekeler calls in. He shares what he does when training at the UFC Gym and how he watches UFC pay-per-views, discusses the core tenants of his charity, and takes Jim and Matt through his journey to get drafted in the NFL. Austin and the guys also discuss the mindset of athletes competing in team sports vs individual sports, and Austin’s four tenants of success: mental health, physical health, social life and motivation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

29 Apr 20211h 9min

Friend of the show Din Thomas joins Jim and Matt to discuss everything that happened at UFC 261 this past Saturday! First, Matt addresses the leg injury Chris Weidman sustained in his match against Uriah Hall, and gives props to Anthony Smith for his victory over Jimmy Crute to open the card. Then, Din Thomas joins the program. He discusses what could be next for Valentina Shevchenko after her dominant victory against Jessica Andrade to retain the UFC Women's Flyweight belt, why Din was caught off-guard by Rose Namajunas' first-round knockout victory against Weili Zhang to become the UFC Strawweight champion, and how Kamaru Usman's emphatic knockout of Jorge Masvidal impacts his legacy. Din also recounts what happened from his perspective when Daniel Cormier and Jake Paul traded barbs after Paul entered the arena, shares why he believes he got the cage-side analyst gig at UFC 261, and tells his side of the story when Matt accuses Din of messing up their shot at getting on Joe Rogan's podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27 Apr 20211h 1min

We have P4P greats in both fighting and comedy on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! First, Jim and Matt are joined by Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman ahead of his title defense against Jorge Masvidal in the main event this Saturday at UFC 261. After they trade head shaving tips, Usman discusses why he wanted to fight Masvidal again after already defeating him last July, tries to control his surprise when he hears Jim and Matt picked Ben Askren to win over Jake Paul in their boxing match, and gives Francis Ngannou the credit he deserves for his impressive showing against Stipe Miocic after Usman appeared in his corner for the fight. Then, Colin Quinn joins UFC Unfiltered for the first time. He reveals to Jim and Matt that he went to the first Gracie Jiu Jitsu school in California back in the early 1990's, rags on Jim for not training with Matt, and looks back at his earliest gigs on television (that Matt remembers). Anthony Smith closes the show ahead of his fight against Jimmy Crute this Saturday at UFC 261. He talks about how therapy has helped shape his way of thinking about fighting, reveals why it bothers him when people call him a 'legend', and shares what it was like training with Chris Weidman ahead of their fights this weekend at UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22 Apr 20211h 22min

Find out Jim and Matt's takes on Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum and Ben Askren vs Jake Paul on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! First, manager and Renzo Gracie blackbelt Ali Abdelaziz calls in ahead of Kamaru Usman's main event fight to defend his Welterweight belt against Jorge Masvidal this Saturday at UFC 261. He shares his take on the differences between a good fighter and a great one, offers insight into Dana White's thought process on booking a Lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler after Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, and gets sick of talking about Conor McGregor and his upcoming trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier. Then, comedian Jo Koy joins Jim and Matt for the first time. He discusses how bad he thought Jake Paul vs Ben Askren was, why writing his new autobiography was such an emotional experience, and reminisces about going to old-school UFC fights with his dad in Las Vegas. Jim and Matt close out the show with their favorite moments from Saturday's card, UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

20 Apr 202154min

Jim and Matt are joined by the former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker and comedian Josh Wolf on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! First, Jim, Matt, and Josh discuss the differences between casual and hardcore MMA fans and make their predictions for the boxing match between Jake Paul and retired UFC fighter Ben Askren. Then, former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker joins the show ahead of his main event bout against Kelvin Gastelum this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs Gastelum. He tries to explain what Magic: The Gathering is while not sounding like a dork, reveals the origin of his "Bobby Knuckles" nickname, and goes in-depth on his routines leading up to fight night. (29:39) The group also jokes about what type of pre-fight or pre-show person they are: a puker, a peeer, a pooper or a pacer! Josh sticks around to tell an amazing story about bombing as the opener for legendary comedian Sam Kinison, to learn about the benefits of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Matt, to discuss who he and Jim consider the most underrated comedians and to conversate on the similarities between fighters and comedians.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15 Apr 20211h 10min

What was Georges St-Pierre favorite fight? What was Matt Serra’s favorite fight? These questions are answered on this episode of UFC Unfiltered and the reasons may surprise you. Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre reunite on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered alongside O2 CEO and Co-founder Rich Szasz. First, Rich tells Jim and Matt all about their newest line of masks made to be worn during full combat MMA training that Georges St-Pierre helped design. Then, after Jim and Matt ask about Georges' recent appearance as Georges Batroc in the Marvel series Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Georges and Matt discover they are both massive Star Wars fans and geek out about their favorite (and least favorite) moments and characters. They also discuss the current influence social media has in determining matchups within the UFC and how different martial arts should be utilized in the Octagon. Matt and Georges close the show by looking back at both of their fights. They relive the experience from Georges carrying a brick with Matt's name on it and throwing it in a river after advice from a mental coach, to Matt offending the entirety of French Canada by calling Georges a 'Frenchie'. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

13 Apr 20211h 8min

Jim and Matt have a lot on their hands in today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! First, Jim and Matt celebrate the fourteenth anniversary of Matt's victory over Georges St. Pierre to win the UFC Welterweight belt. And as always, Matt is extremely humble about it. Then, Nina Nunes joins Jim and Matt ahead of her fight against Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs Holland on Saturday. She shares how she was able to accept her first fight just six months after giving birth to her and Amanda Nunes' baby, pulls zero punches when describing how arduous the birthing process was, and lets Dern know she is not scared to go to the ground with the BJJ specialist. Jim and Matt are then joined by NFL Hall-of-Famer and 3-time Super Bowl champion, Michael Irvin. He professes his love for his 'second wife', the UFC, gives some advice for Conor McGregor ahead of his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier, and shares some lessons he's learned while in the NFL that can also apply to fighters in the UFC. Irvin also sticks around to meet Kevin Holland ahead of his main event bout against Marvin Vettori this Saturday, and heaps praise his way for his spectacular knockout victory over Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza. Holland then closes the show by discussing the criticism he faced for talking as much as he did during his loss to Derek Brunson last month, explains why he's able to feel so comfortable in quick turnaround fights, and responds to Vettori's theory from Monday's episode of UFC Unfiltered on why Holland talks so much during fights. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8 Apr 20211h 17min

A comedian, an Italian, and a Brit walk into a Zoom call... and join Jim and Matt on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! First, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze joins the show. He shares stories about growing up with a magician as a dad, explains how and why the UFC has become his favorite sport, relives the one day he took an MMA class (it didn’t go well), and discusses his new Netflix special, The Greatest Average American. Then, Marvin Vettori calls in ahead of his main event bout against Kevin Holland this Saturday. He shares why he respects Kevin Holland for taking a short notice fight (even though he doesn't want to) after Darren Till dropped out, tries to explain the book he's reading by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to Jim and Matt, and reveals he is determined to get a rematch with Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after his match with Holland. Arnold Allen, co-main event fighter this Saturday against Sodiq Yussuf, calls in afterwards. He tells stories of having a professional strongman as a father, goes into why he was so intent on training with Firas Zahabi and Georges St. Pierre at Tristar Gym, and freaks Jim and Matt out with his story of nearly falling off a cliff while off-roading. Matt closes out the show with a new song about the rumored bout announcement of Demian Maia vs Belal Muhammad. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6 Apr 20211h 13min