UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

Latest Episodes:

Jim Miller, Maycee Barber, Ilia Topuria’s rapid ascension w/ guest co-host Phoenix Carnevale Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

With Matt Serra out for the day, friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale fills in as a guest co-host alongside Jim Norton for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered — which features two guest callers in lightweight veteran Jim Miller and women’s flyweight Maycee Barber.

Fresh off an exciting knockout victory that only took 23 seconds, Jim Miller assesses his place in the lightweight division as a 39-year-old veteran with the record for the most UFC fights and wins in promotional history before discussing why he enjoys hunting, fishing, and farming the majority of his own food.

While waiting for Maycee Barber to hop on the show, Jim Norton fills in Phoenix on his jiu-jitsu progress, which leads the two show hosts into a discussion about Mark Zuckerberg’s martial arts training regiment and reported mutual desire to get in the Octagon with Elon Musk.

Then, Maycee Barber hops on the show while in line to board her flight, saving enough time to talk about her scintillating 2nd-round TKO victory over Amanda Ribas in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria co-main event.

Finally, Phoenix and Jim wrap up the show with a recap of Saturday’s card and whether fast-rising featherweight Ilia Topuria’s victory over Josh Emmett was decisive enough to skip past a fight against Max Holloway and instead place him next in line for a shot at the featherweight title following Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez’s unification fight at UFC 290.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gillian Robertson, country star Michael Ray, Emmett vs. Topuria picks w/ guest co-host Din Thomas Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

With Jim Norton out for the day, the honorable Din Thomas swoops in to save Wednesday’s episode of UFC Unfiltered as a guest co-host alongside Matt Serra for chats with women’s strawweight Gillian Robertson and country music star Michael Ray!

Without Jim to steer the ship, Matt opens the show with his trademark Serra-style, beginning with a show-opening interview with Gillian Robertson that’s made even more interesting considering that Din Thomas has guided her MMA career since she was 16 years old.

Robertson wraps up the conversation by discussing her mindset as she inches closer to a showdown with 15th-ranked women’s strawweight Tabatha Ricci on the prelims of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Topuria.

Shortly thereafter, country music star and devoted MMA fan Michael Ray joins the show to dish his two cents on the exciting matchups the UFC has booked for this summer while promoting the release of his “Dive Bars & Broken Hearts” six-song EP set to hit stores and streaming services this Friday.

Finally, Din and Matt conclude the show with picks for Saturday’s featherweight main event between Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria, the women’s flyweight co-main event between Amanda Ribas and Maycee Barber, and a sleeper prelim scrap between welterweights Neil Magny and Phil Rowe.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest co-host Mike Malott recaps Vettori vs. Cannonier, assesses welterweight division Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Matt and Jim are joined by a special guest co-host in UFC welterweight Mike Malott on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered!

To begin the show, the guys review the fights that took place over the weekend by unpacking the results from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier card.

Canada’s Mike Malott then takes it back just one week prior by assessing his own performance on the main card of the UFC 289 pay-per-view in Vancouver with his 2nd-round submission win over Adam Fugitt.

The Canadian welterweight also takes a look at his own division while assessing which fighters around the top 15 could make sense on the list of potential next opponents.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Arman Tsarukyan previews next fight, combat movie trivia w/ Mark Ellis Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by 8th-ranked UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan and comedian and podcaster Mark Ellis.

As Tsarukyan looks ahead to his upcoming fight in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Cannonier card, the 26-year-old lightweight reflects on how much he’s changed since making his UFC debut against current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

While on the topic of Makhachev, Tsarukyan dishes his thoughts on whether Charles Oliveira’s knockout win over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 demonstrated anything that’d pose problems for Makhachev in a title fight rematch.

Shortly after, Jim and Matt are joined by comedian and Rotten Tomatoes movie critic and podcaster Mark Ellis. Mark’s presence on the show brings out Matt’s inner comic geek, as the host of the “Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong” podcast dishes his movie opinions to the guys as the period of summer blockbuster films approaches.

Finally, Jim wraps up the episode with his best impression of a game show host, as he puts Matt and Mark through a fun game of combat movie trivia that pits the UFC Hall of Famer against a true film buff.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dan Ige, UFC 289 recap, Amanda Nunes retires w/ guest co-host Aleks Paunovic Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Two days removed from UFC 289, Jim Norton and Matt Serra return for a today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered alongside actor Aleks Paunovic as guest co-host and UFC featherweight Dan Ige as a guest caller.

Matt Serra begins the show shirtless because that’s what Matt does sometimes and we love him for it. As the guys jump immediately into a recap of UFC 289, Aleks tells Jim and Matt all about the VIP treatment the UFC hooked him up with for this past Saturday’s much-anticipated PPV return to the Canadian actor’s home country.

The guys break down lightweight contender Charles Oliveira’s statement 1st-round knockout over Beneil Dariush in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s PPV before entering a discussion about the impact that UFC double women’s champion Amanda Nunes’ has made on the sport after retiring atop with a win in the main event over Mexican challenger Irene Aldana.

Finally, featherweight Dan Ige joins the show fresh off his win over Nate Landwehr. The 13th-ranked featherweight speaks candidly about how seeing a sports psychologist helped him climb out of the funk of a previous three-fight losing skid to his current position as a guy riding back-to-back wins.

After Ige’s interview ends, the guys wrap up the show with their thoughts on the rest of the card.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charles Oliveira previews fight vs. Dariush, TUF 31 Episode 2 recap, UFC 289 picks Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira ahead of his co-main event fight on Saturday’s UFC 289 pay-per-view card in Canada.

The guys begin the show with some thoughts on what to expect from women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes as she headlines the UFC’s Canadian return with a matchup against fifth-ranked women’s bantamweight contender Irene Aldana, who is seeking to become the UFC’s fourth active Mexican champion.

Then, Charles Oliveira and his translator join the show to preview the Brazilian’s co-main event fight against Beneil Dariush. Oliveira delves into the intricacies of his upcoming bout, analyzing the unique dynamics that arise when two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts collide inside the Octagon.

As the episode unfolds, Matt and Jim lend their expertise and provide insightful predictions for Saturday’s UFC 289 card. Their knowledge and passion for the sport shine through as they offer their thoughts on various matchups, highlighting key fighters to watch out for and sharing their predictions on the night's outcomes.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Don’Tale Mayes, Diego Ferreira, UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi recap Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by UFC heavyweight Don’Tale Mayes and lightweight Diego Ferreira off the heels of their respective knockout wins.

Mayes hops on the show to discuss what’s next for the heavyweight up-and-comer after knocking out former champion Andrei Arlovski during the prelims of last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi card.

While waiting for Diego Ferreira to call in, Jim and Matt recap the rest of the fights from Saturday’s card. Thoroughly impressed by veteran Jim Miller’s 23-second KO win, the guys discuss what could be next for the 39-year-old UFC veteran as he keeps his eyes set on keeping his UFC career going long enough to have fought on the PPV cards of UFC 100, UFC 200 and UFC 300.

As Jim explains why he felt the judges got it wrong during Kai Kara-France’s split decision loss to Amir Albazi in Saturday’s main event, Matt offers a different perspective of rounds he thought were closer than others saw.

The guys are then joined by lightweight Diego Ferreira, who discusses how ending his three-fight losing skid and 17-month hiatus from fighting with a scintillating KO of Michael Johnson has re-energized the 38-year-old veteran.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kai Kara-France, actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar, TUF 31 Episode 1 recap Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by actor Benjamin Levy Aguilar and third-ranked UFC flyweight Kai Kara-France ahead of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi card.

Jim and Matt kick off the show with Benjamin Levy Aguilar as the first guest, and the Chicago P.D. star talks to the guys about how his upbringing in Guatemala led him to becoming a Krav Maga black belt with an appreciation for the highest level of martial arts.

While waiting for Kai Kara-France to join the show, Matt and Jim recap the first episode of Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter and discuss what they’re looking forward to seeing from fan-favorites Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor as coaches.

Finally, Kara-France hops on the show to discuss his mindset coming off an interim flyweight title loss against Brandon Moreno and how the City Kickboxing fighter plans on bouncing back in Saturday’s main event against 7th-ranked flyweight Amir Albazi.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Chandler discusses TUF Season 31, Mario Lopez on his combat sports background May 25, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra, are joined by two incredible guests in lightweight Michael Chandler and multi-talented actor and host Mario Lopez.

First up is Lopez, who hosts NBC’s Access Hollywood, Access Daily, and nationally syndicated radio show ON with Mario Lopez; in addition to his role as a producer on “The Golden Boy” documentary premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. The 49-year-old actor steps into the virtual studio to discuss how his unyielding passion for combat sports began as a high school wrestler and blossomed in the boxing gym, where he has sparred with Canelo Alvarez.

Mario then explains how he stumbled into the world of jiu-jitsu, where he now proudly holds a purple belt and occasionally throws down in tournaments alongside his son.

With Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter just around the corner, lightweight contender and all-around force of nature Michael Chandler joins the show to talk about what lies ahead. As he prepares for an eventual showdown with Conor McGregor, Chandler spills the beans on what he's looking forward to most in the upcoming season.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joaquin Buckley, Adam Carolla, UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill recap May 23, 2023

Show notes

Jim and Matt get a dose of fight talk and comedy with entertaining welterweight knockout artist Joaquin Buckley and comedian and podcasting pioneer Adam Carolla on today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered.

Adam Carolla and Jim compare their experiences on stage as comics as the guys break into an intriguing conversation about comedy. A former boxing trainer himself, Carolla gives his perspective on the world of MMA and the athletes that make the sport happen.

While looking at the results of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill card, Matt and Jim then assess the winning performance of Mackenzie Dern in Saturday’s main event as they wait for Joaquin Buckley to join the show.

After competing as a middleweight for the bulk of his career, Buckley talks about how Saturday’s head-kick KO win against Andre Fialho shows the type of athleticism that can make him a problem moving forward in the welterweight division.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected