Podcast appearances and mentions of Matt Serra

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.

Brendan interviews the legends Ray Longo and Matt Serra and the guys discuss success outside of fighting, what winning in life is, funny Aljamain Sterling stories, Ariel Helwani stories, Matt's beef with Henry Cejudo's coach, thoughts on Francis Ngannou's deal with the PFL, why Suga Sean O'Malley is a dangerous opponent for Aljo and much more.

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. Mario 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. The 49-year-old actor and host 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.

Room Service Diaries is Back as Ray Longo sits down on the couch with the boys to break down his legendary career. Ray discusses the potential of an Aljamain Sterling vs. Merab Dvalishvili fight, How he got into coaching and shares some INSANE stories.  (2:00) - Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo (5:35) - Aljamain Sterling   (8:50) - Henry Cejudo (12:11) - Merab Dvalishvili   (20:00) - Aljamain Sterling vs. Merab Dvalishvili  (24:10) - Who is Ray Longo?  (26:00) - Coaching in Combat Sports  (31:00) - Whitey Ford Story  (32:00) - Back to 1980  (34:50) - Matt Serra  (42:15) - Insane Matt Serra Story  (46:30) - Matt Serra vs. GSP  (53:20) - Chris Weidman  (57:11) - Bigger Celebratory win   (61:40) - Key Factors for Coaching (64:00) - Matt Frevola   (66:30) - Long Island  (71:00) - Coaching Hall of Fame   (73:50) - Power Slap League  (75:20) - TRT Vitor vs. Chris Weidman (76:40) - Douglas Crosby   Morning Kombat is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts.     For more Combat Sports coverage subscribe here: youtube.com/MorningKombat   Follow our hosts on Twitter: @BCampbellCBS, @lthomasnews, @MorningKombat    For Morning Kombat gear visit:morning kombat.store   Follow our hosts on Instagram: @BrianCampbell, @lukethomasnews, @MorningKombat To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan and women's strawweight Loopy Godinez ahead of their fights on the main card of Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Edmen discusses how moving out of his hometown in California to Las Vegas and now training at the Xtreme Couture super gym has enhanced the 25-year-old middleweight's career ahead of his co-main event fight against Anthony Hernandez. As Jim shifts the conversation towards Saturday's card, Matt issues a convincing argument for why Mackenzie Dern will beat Angela Hill before Loopy Godinez hops on the show. Finally, Loopy Godinez opens up about her father's decision to move their family from Mexico to Canada and shares how working small jobs helped her save money to embark on a professional MMA career. The guys wrap up the show with predictions for Godinez's fight against Emily Ducote on Saturday's main card.

Jim and Matt are joined by former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and longtime comedian and actor Gary Owen on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! Seeking his second win of 2023, Garbrandt returns to Unfiltered for the first time since almost exactly two years ago in May of 2021. After announcing a fight scheduled in August for UFC 292 in Boston against Mario Bautista, Garbrandt connects with Matt Serra as the former welterweight champion gives Cody advice on how to climb back towards the top of the ladder. Then, the guys are joined by comedian and actor Gary Owen who plugs his two upcoming movies while explaining how he stumbled into diehard UFC fandom while on set with the Wayans brothers for the filming of the comedy “Little Man.” Finally, Jim and Matt dive into a recap of the action from last Saturday afternoon's fight card as the guys explain who and what impressed them the most from UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by Johnny Walker and Anthony “Lionheart” Smith in separate interviews as the two light heavyweights approach their co-main event on Saturday afternoon's UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Almeida card in Charlotte. Johnny Walker joins the show almost instantly as the 7th-ranked light heavyweight shares how two near-death experiences early in his life have given him a glass half-full outlook on life and his MMA career. The Brazilian then reflects on how meeting his wife led him to Ireland, where he and coach John Kavanagh have been crafting a game plan for the experienced Anthony Smith in Saturday's co-main event. Jim and Matt then dive deep into the card for some predictions from the prelims on up to the main event, but make sure to save their prediction for the co-main event until after Anthony Smith hops on to explain the importance of flying back home to his family in Omaha for weekends despite training in Colorado on Monday through Friday. Showing off the analytical skills that have made him a rotating member of the UFC's broadcast team, Smith then provides an in-depth assessment on Johnny Walker ahead of their fight on Saturday afternoon. As soon as Smith's interview ends, Jim and Matt stay true to their promise by delivering their predictions for the co-main event.

Jim Norton takes part in the Serra-Longo Fight Team's victory Monday as today's episode of UFC Unfiltered calls upon bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling for nearly 20 minutes alongside Matt Serra and guest co-host Ray Longo. As the guys dive straight into Sterling's UFC 288 win over former bantamweight king Henry Cejudo, Aljo discusses the mid-fight adjustments that were necessary to stave off the former Olympic gold medalist's valiant effort during last Saturday night's PPV headliner in New Jersey. Sterling then dishes his thoughts on Sean O'Malley hopping into the cage immediately after his win as Ray Longo cracks up thinking about how Aljo's good friend and sparring partner Merab Dvalishvili stole the show by climbing up the cage wearing O'Malley's bright red jacket. Speaking of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Matt and Ray sing lightweight Matt Frevola's praises after the “Steamrolla” successfully detonated his third straight 1st-round KO with a beautifully-placed punch that earned him a $50,000 post-fight bonus and a callout acceptance from Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett. The guys wrap up the show with the rest of their thoughts on the UFC 288 card and some analysis on how Henry Cejudo stacks up in a potential fight with Merab Dvalishvili.

With UFC 288 right around the corner, Matt Serra and Jim Norton are joined by two fighters on Saturday's card in featherweight Charles Jourdain and Serra-Longo trained lightweight Matt Frevola. After Matt begins the show with a recap of his trip to England that saw him reunite with former rival Georges St-Pierre, Quebec's own Charles Jourdain hops on the show and promptly explains how GSP's success inspired the Canadian featherweight as a pre-teen. Ahead of his matchup against Kron Gracie of the legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu family, Jourdain explains why as a BJJ black belt himself he is prepared to defeat the youngest son of Rickson Gracie. Then, the guys are joined by Matt Frevola, who explains how the fan-friendly matchup between him and Drew Dober on the final fight of the prelims will entice fans to buy Saturday's pay-per-view headlined by his Serra-Longo teammate Aljamain Sterling's bantamweight title fight vs. Henry Cejudo. Finally, the guys wrap up the show with predictions for some of the fights from the main card of Saturday's electric card in New Jersey.

With Matt Serra flying back from London during the taping of today's UFC Unfiltered episode, welterweight Michael Chiesa steps in alongside Jim Norton as today's co-host. After beginning the show with an update on his physical health after a lengthy layoff, Chiesa follows up with his desired plans for what's next in the cage following the cancellation of his return fight against Li Jingliang due to his opponent's injury. After a brief chat about Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon card, Jim shifts the topic towards Saturday's UFC 288 card, Chiesa provides his detailed opinion on what's in store for former two-division champion Henry Cejudo as he makes his return to a stacked bantamweight division against champion Aljamain Sterling. As Chiesa wraps up his thoughts on the main event with a prediction for the fight, the guys wrap up the show by unpacking the circumstances surrounding the short-notice co-main event between welterweight contenders Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns.

Matt and Jim are joined by UFC middleweight Cody Brundage and actor and comedian Tom Arnold on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered! Just days away from his fight against Rodolfo Vieira on the main card of Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon card, Cody Brundage opens up his interview by talking about his journey from wrestling to mixed martial arts. Reliving the day he met his former UFC fighter wife, Cody explains how it began with her being the female boxer at his gym who showed him how to properly throw combinations on a punching bag. The guys are then joined by actor and comedian Tom Arnold, who shares how growing up in a small town in Iowa led him to a career in Hollywood. After sharing what it's like to be guest starring in the TV remake of the 1994 film True Lies he co-starred in alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom wraps up his interview by explaining how watching UFC fights with his son is one of his many favorite parts about fatherhood.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt Serra and Jim Norton are joined by ESPN MMA journalist Brett Okamoto for a detailed recap of last Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes event. With heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich steamrolling Curtis Blaydes for a sixth-straight 1st-round knockout win, the guys discuss where Pavlovich stands in the heavyweight division and what it might take for the 30-year-old to secure a fight against legends like Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic. Then, Jim takes the guys through the rest of Saturday's fight results as Matt explains what he liked from fighters across the main card and prelims. As the topic shifts to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and their decision to use instant replay and change Bobby Green's stoppage win over Jared Gordon into a no contest, the guys engage in an insightful conversation about other problems with state athletic commissions in which Brett takes a hard stance against the idea that open scoring can fix the recent problem of poor scorecards from cage side judges.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by a combat sports legend in women's bantamweight Holly Holm and a burgeoning social media star in Chase DeMoor. Fresh off signing a brand new six-fight deal with the UFC, the 41-year-old Holm shares why she believes that her constant evolution as a martial artist has her feeling more confident than ever that a co-main event win against Yana Santos on Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Sandhagen card keeps her in a great position to recapture a UFC title. The guys are then joined by reality TV star Chase DeMoor, who talks about how playing defensive end at the college and professional ranks led him to his current place in life starring in reality shows and fighting fellow influencers with large social media followings. Jim and Matt wrap up the show by plugging Saturday's card set to take place in San Antonio.

Friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale fills in for Matt Serra as a guest co-host alongside Jim Norton for today's UFC 286 heavy episode of UFC Unfiltered! Jim and Phoenix begin the show debating whether Jon Jones' three-year hiatus should've been more thoroughly considered when making the decision to place him atop the male pound-for-pound list over more active fighters in lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Canadian flyweight Malcolm Gordon then joins the show to talk about how his days of playing goaltender on the ice rink as a youth hockey player created transferrable skills that allowed him to develop nicely into a mixed martial artist. Gordon makes a strong case for why he prefers to let his coaches watch film of all of his opponents as he discusses the stakes of his upcoming matchup against Jake Hadley on Saturday's UFC 286 early prelims. Jim and Phoenix then discuss whether they think there is more pressure on Leon Edwards or Kamaru Usman going into their highly-anticipated trilogy fight for the welterweight title in London. As Rafael Fiziev joins the show, the Azerbaijani lightweight contender reflects on how his upbringing led him to Thailand to develop a strong Muay Thai skillset that ultimately became the base for his foray into his career as a mixed martial artist. Fiziev discusses how riding a six-fight winning streak shapes his mindset going into a high-stakes co-main event against Justin Gaethje. Finally, Jim and Phoenix go up and down the UFC 286 card for fight predictions before Jim wraps up the show with special news about a recurring segment set to return to UFC Unfiltered episodes starting next week!

He's known as one of the most skillful and innovate grapplers in the world, with wins over many world-class opponents. On this week's episode the New York native and Black Belt under UFC legend Matt Serra shared some interesting stories of training in NYC during it's time as the Mecca for grappling innovation. He also discussed some of his thoughts on skill acquisition and intelligent preparation for competition, as well as much more.   Guest Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonraubjj89/  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Jasonraubjj  Support and Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomhalpinbjj/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insideposition/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TomHalpinJiuJitsu Podcast Website: https://www.insidepositionpodcast.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47tXUZQ6EQfGRNZ9Ztm21V

Ep. 395 – Anik and Florian are joined by weekly staple Ray Longo after his guy Merab Dvalishvili's star-making performance in Las Vegas. What's next for THE MACHINE? Let us know in the comments! ON TODAY'S SHOW (00:00:00) - OPENING - #AnikFlorianPodcast  (00:02:00) - HEADLINES with @Jon_Anik & @Kenny Florian (#UFC285) (00:16:03) - RAY LONGO MINUTE: @RAYLONGOMMA (00:21:21) - SPECIAL GUEST MATT SERRA with RAY LONGO (@MATTSERRAUFC) (00:42:53) - Ray Longo Solo (Continued UFC Vegas 71 Recap and Thoughts on Aljo vs Merab) (00:53:16) - OUTRO (Closing Thoughts) OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Promo Code ‘KING' for 15% off merchandise  https://www.anikflorianpodcast.com/ 

Jim and Matt begin the show by reciprocating the love Dana White showed for the UFC Unfiltered podcast on his personal Instagram through reposting Matt's hilarious, highly-specific and accurate prediction of Jon Jones' first-round submission. They are then joined by Steve Howey, who not only shares what it was like spending 11 seasons as a cast member of Showtime's hit show Shameless, but also discusses his Muay Thai training, watching UFC fights back in the day and his role as the lead actor in the new CBS show ‘True Lies'. Then, 14th-ranked heavyweight Alexandr Romanov joins the guys ahead of his co-main event fight on Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili card. While assessing his matchup against 8th-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov, Romanov explains how his confidence going into the match stems from years of wrestling experience dating back to his time as a 7-year-old learning from his father in his native Moldova. Jim and Matt wrap up the show by sharing their excitement for the fights on Saturday's card leading up to the highly-anticipated bantamweight main event between Serra-Longo trained fighter Merab Dvalishvili and former champion Petr Yan.

Fresh off the heels of Saturday night's massive UFC 285 pay-per-view, Matt and Jim return for today's episode of UFC Unfiltered with plenty to talk about alongside guest co-host John Hackleman. The show begins with ‘Mattstradamus' taking a Monday-morning victory lap after having accurately predicted everything about Jon Jones' first-round submission win over Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. Guest co-host John Hackleman then hops on the show to provide a coach's perspective on Saturday night's fights. The Hawaiian Kempo founder finds particular interest in the strategy successfully adopted by newly-crowned women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso in her upset win over long-reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko. The guys are then joined by lightweight Nazim Sadykhov roughly two weeks removed from his Fight of the Night performance in his UFC debut against Evan Elder. The Serra-Longo trained fighter talks about his journey as a mixed martial artist which began in his native Azerbaijan before eventually moving to Brooklyn as a kid with his family.

Jim and Matt peel back the curtain of Saturday's stacked UFC 285 card on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered with three special guests — middleweight Bo Nickal, welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov, and gambling expert Gianni “The Greek” Karalis. After Bo shares his mindset going into his highly-anticipated UFC debut against Jamie Pickett, the 27-year-old wrestling prodigy explains how being raised by a mom with an amateur boxing background and a dad with decades of wrestling experience fostered his desire to venture into the world of mixed martial arts. Matt and Jim then run through some of their picks from the main card of UFC 285 before their chat with unbeaten Shavkat Rakhmonov and his translator. While Shavkat admits that a fight against Khamzat Chimaev would be an entertaining matchup between two undefeated beasts, the UFC's first-ever Kazakhstani fighter insists that he remains keenly focused on Saturday's fight against 7th-ranked welterweight Geoff Neal and taking fights that will inch him closer towards a title shot. Riding an impressive winning streak of accurately-placed bets in the UFC's first two months of 2023, Gianni “the Greek” caps off today's show with the rationale for his red-hot takes from the prelims on up to Saturday's highly-anticipated main event featuring heavyweights Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by a special guest co-host in Tristar Gym owner and head coach Firas Zahabi. With UFC 285 right around the corner, Firas explains why he thinks the main event between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title is as mouthwatering of a matchup as the recent Fight of the Year candidate put on by pound-for-pound kings Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. With Tatiana Suarez successfully bouncing back in the win column on Saturday for the first time in her 1,358-day layoff, Firas explains why the 32-year-old's 2nd-round submission win over women's flyweight Montana De La Rosa proved she can return to the top of women's MMA and have a Khabib Nurmagomedov-like reign in the women's strawweight division. Finally, Jim takes Matt and Firas on a stroll down memory lane of the years the two spent on opposite ends of the iconic welterweight rivalry between Matt and Zahabi-trained fighter Georges St-Pierre.

With three days until the UFC Fight Night: Krylov vs. Spann card kicks off, Matt and Jim are joined by two fighters from Saturday's fight card in women's flyweight Tatiana Suarez and light heavyweight headliner Nikita Krylov.Tatiana talks about how maintaining an optimistic mindset throughout her string of serious injuries over the past four years has kept her in great spirits as she seeks to end her 1,358-day layoff with a victory over Montana De La Rosa in a fight contested at a 125-pound weight limit instead of her usual 115-pound strawweight limit.With some help here and there from his translator, Nikita Krylov assesses the state of the light heavyweight division he competes in and previews his upcoming fight against Ryan Spann in the Ukrainian light heavyweight's first-ever main event as a UFC fighter.Finally, Jim and Matt weigh in on the matchups on Saturday's fight card with some predictions for the main event and a few other bouts.

 Matt opens the show by congratulating Jens on his recent induction into the UFC Hall of Fame's Class of 2023, and together the two take a stroll down memory lane to the early days of the UFC's compelling history. As the guys reflect on their unique experiences coaching and fighting on The Ultimate Fighter, they dish their thoughts on what to expect from Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler's upcoming stint as coaches on the 31st season of the show. The guys are then joined by featherweight Jamall Emmers, who talks about how the strong two-way relationship between he and his coaches helped guide him from an 18-month absence from the cage to a victory on Saturday night over a previously unbeaten Khusein Askhabov on the UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield undercard. Jamall rounds out the interview by fondly looking back at how his younger days of watching rented VHS tapes from Blockbuster of old MMA fights with his father and brother led him to transition into fighting. As Matt and Jens wrap up the show with their key takeaways from Saturday's fight card, Matt offers his take on whether women's flyweight Erin Blanchfield's dominant main event win over Jéssica Andrade is reason enough to believe the 23-year-old has the skills to dethrone champion Valentina Shevchenko.

In this episode, we have Matt Serra black belt who also trained extensively under John Danaher, Jason Rau. Jason is the grappler's grappler, for whatever reason he seems to go under the radar of the general BJJ mainstream. Jason is well known in the professional community for his uber-technical and hazardous leg game. Although being sidelined by injury as of late Jason is looking to make his comeback at the ADCC trials and I would definitely consider him a very live contender who could take gold. In the episode, we talk about his days at both Matt Serra's and his time with Danaher at Renzo's in Long Island and in the blue basement in NYC. Jason would quickly climb the ranks of the Danaher Death Squad (John's elite group of students). We talk about his new academy Vanguard, his injury, rehab, mindset, ADCC lessons learned, and a whole lot more. Links: https://vanguardjj.com/about-us/jason-rau/ https://linktr.ee/Jrau89 Give us a 5 star review on Apple Music and Spotify Share this podcast with a friend it really helps us out. Become a VIP member for only .99 a month, get ad free, uncensored, early episodes https://anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt/subscribe. Instagram @foreverwhitebeltshow. Go buy your Forever White Belt swag at teespring.com/forever-white-belt. Linktree https://linktr.ee/foreverwhitebelt Sign up for Riverside.fm here. Finally, if you ever get to beautiful Northern California please come roll with us at North Bay Jiu Jitsu in Marin County just north of San Francisco, there are amazing instructors, and everyone there is great people. Mention the podcast and get two weeks Free. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/foreverwhitebelt/message

Bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen and comedian Jesus Trejo join Matt and Jim on today's episode of UFC Unfiltered.First, Jim and Matt begin the show with their thoughts on Jéssica Andrade's decision to replace Taila Santos on a week's notice in this Saturday night's main event of UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield from the UFC Apex against 10th-ranked flyweight Erin Blanchfield.The guys then weigh in on the UFC's latest rankings update, with Jim issuing his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski holding onto the top spot on the men's pound-for-pound list despite losing to the man just below him at number two, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.Next, comedian Jesus Trejo joins the show and recounts his humble beginnings into the world of stand-up comedy as a door guy and valet worker at the famous Comedy Store in West Hollywood. Trejo then explains to Jim and Matt how he and his father fell in love with MMA way back in the day.Cory Sandhagen then joins the show and discusses how he plans to get back to contending for a title in the stacked bantamweight division beginning with his upcoming fight on March 25th against 4th-ranked bantamweight Marlon “Chito” Vera.Finally, Jim and Matt wrap up the show by predicting the outcome of Saturday night's main event between Jéssica Andrade and fast-rising contender Erin Blanchfield.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by two friends of the show in bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili and guest co-host Sayif Saud to talk all things UFC 284. Merab tells the guys about where he stands in training camp with a little less than a month until his upcoming fight against Petr Yan. Having already seen what Yan looked like against fellow Serra-Longo fighter Aljamain Sterling in a pair of bantamweight championship fights, Matt explains why he thinks Merab is an even tougher stylistic matchup for Yan than Sterling was. The topic then shifts to the all-time classic battle in the UFC 284 main event featuring featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. As Jim sings the praises of City Kickboxing's risk-taking champions, Sayif explains why the UFC's pound-for-pound number 1 and 2 fighters can confidently feel like they raised their stock on Saturday night. Sayif mixes in some talk about Ciryl Gane's matchup against Jon Jones at UFC 285 before wrapping up the show with why he thinks his fighter Brandon Moreno's dreams of defending his flyweight championship in Mexico City against rival Alexandre Pantoja would make for an electric co-main event to Alexander Volkanovski vs. Mexico's Yair Rodríguez following Yair's interim featherweight title win on Saturday night against Josh Emmett.

Matt is a former UFC welterweight champion and also the very first American to receive his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the hands of Renzo Gracie. He is well known for his historic upset in MMA, when he won his UFC welterweight title by TKO'ing heavy favorite, George Saint Pierre.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by three guests — actor Wes Chatham, heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes, and gambling analyst Gianni “The Greek” Karalis. Chatham begins the interview by discussing how his passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu led him to earning a purple belt. As the topic shifts to all things science fiction, Wes opens up about the six seasons he spent acting on Amazon Prime's The Expanse — one of Matt's favorite Sci-Fi shows. The guys are then quickly joined by Curtis Blaydes, who assesses his status as a contender in a rapidly-changing heavyweight division now that Francis Ngannou is no longer with the UFC. With Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane locked in for a vacant heavyweight title fight at UFC 285 this March and Stipe Miocic rumored to fight the winner,  Blaydes dishes his thoughts on how he matches up in hypothetical eliminator fights against both Serghei Spivac and Sergei Pavlovich following both of their impressive wins. Jim and Matt wrap up the show by inviting Gianni the Greek on for an inside look at how the gambling analyst separates emotion from his fight predictions ahead of Saturday's UFC 284 card. As the guys reveal their picks for Saturday's main and co-main event, Gianni reveals if lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's status as a sizable betting favorite makes betting on him to beat featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski worth betting on at all.

It's pay-per-view fight week! With merely five days remaining until UFC 284, official Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer hops in as a guest co-host for the duration of today's episode of UFC Unfiltered and also recently-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill joins. Bruce dishes his thoughts on Dana White's bombshell announcement that not only is former UFC double champion Conor McGregor set to return as a coach on this upcoming 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter, but that the coach on the opposite side of the Irish superstar will be none other than exciting lightweight contender Michael Chandler. While the guys wait until Jamahal Hill hops on the show, Bruce opens up about how his upbringing in Philadelphia helped foster his early affinity for mixed martial arts as both a practitioner and a consumer. Buffer then talks about his friendship with coach Ray Longo — and as luck would have it, Ray calls Matt during the show, who jokingly accosts Ray for spending too much time with Buffer and not enough time with him. Finally, Jamahal Hill joins the show live from the UFC Performance Institute with an idea of what's in store for his first light heavyweight title defense. And as Jamahal's call ends, the guys briefly recap last Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card and look ahead to Saturday's UFC 284 event in Australia.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, longtime friend of the show Phoenix Carnevale returns alongside Matt and Jim as a guest co-host to offer up her takes on some of the latest fight announcements and discuss Saturday night's UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card. Joining first as a guest caller is 15th-ranked UFC heavyweight Blagoy Ivanov, who reflects on how his near-death experience from a stabbing that hospitalized him for three months has shaped him into the mentally tough fighter he is today. Ivanov wraps up his interview by previewing his matchup with 10th-ranked heavyweight Marcin Tybura. The crew are then joined by their second heavyweight caller of the day, 12th-ranked Serghei Spivac, who alongside his translator discusses what a win against popular heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis can do for his career. Finally, Matt and Jim cap off the show by bouncing off some upcoming fights with Phoenix, who shares her thoughts on how former featherweight champion Max Holloway would stack up in a rumored matchup against Arnold Allen.

On today's episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by The Schmo as a special guest co-host.The group chats about their favorite fights coming up on the UFC's 2023 calendar, and then the Schmo plays matchmaker for the UFC's biggest stars.As the topic shifts to the UFC's heavyweight division, Matt explains why he feels very strongly about Jon Jones' ability to dominate Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut at UFC 285.The guys talk through the welterweight title picture and discuss how so much hinges on whether Khamzat Chimaev decides to go up to middleweight or stay at 170 pounds.Finally, they wrap up the show by looking ahead to Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac card.

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.