UFC Abu Dhabi recap, Ezra Elliott talks successful short-notice UFC debut

Valter Walker, Sam Patterson, UFC Belgrade picks

Jim Norton and Matt Serra look ahead to Saturday’s UFC Belgrade card while catching up with two fighters coming off statement finishes in Abu Dhabi. First, 10th-ranked heavyweight Valter Walker joins the show after tying Demian Maia’s UFC record with his fifth straight submission victory. Fresh off a first-round calf slicer win over Thomas Petersen, Walker discusses his historic leg-lock streak, the heavyweight names hovering around the title picture, and what could be next as “The Clean Monster” continues climbing the rankings. Then, Sam Patterson makes his UFC Unfiltered debut fresh off his knockout win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. Successful in his mission to deliver a fan-friendly fights on the heels of his frustrating setback against Michael “Venom” Page, Patterson reflects on his MMA beginnings and how it’s set him on a path for success in the UFC’s welterweight division. Finally, Jim and Matt wrap up the show by previewing and predicting a few fights from Saturday’s UFC Belgrade card in Serbia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

UFC Abu Dhabi recap, Ezra Elliott talks successful short-notice UFC debut

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode with a full-fledged recap of Saturday’s UFC Abu Dhabi card, breaking things down from Magomed Ankalaev’s main event win over late-replacement opponent Bogdan Guskov all the way down to the opening fights of the night. After assessing Ankalaev’s bounce-back performance and Ramazan Temirov’s statement knockout of Steve Erceg in the co-main event, the guys dish out takeaways from the rest of the card — including what to make of heel-hook specialist Valter Walker adding a calf slicer submission to his growing highlight reel. Then, undefeated featherweight Ezra Elliott joins the show following a successful UFC debut on just five days’ notice last week at UFC Oklahoma City. Elliott reflects on setting a featherweight record with 12 takedowns, explains why going the distance may have been valuable after seven straight first-round finishes to begin his career, and discusses his wrestling background, jiu-jitsu development and life at Red Hawk Academy alongside Sean O’Malley, Tommy McMillen, Jose Miguel Delgado and Marcus McGhee. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

GSP, Dominick Cruz join UFC Unfiltered’s 1,000th episode

Jim Norton and Matt Serra celebrate the 1,000th episode of UFC Unfiltered with a pair of Hall-of-Fame guests and a look ahead to Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi. First, Georges St-Pierre joins the show to discuss the upcoming biopic about his life, the art of knowing when to walk away from competition, and what advice he would give fighters like Kamaru Usman and Justin Gaethje as they continue navigating the later stages of their careers. Shortly after, newly inducted Hall-of-Famer Dominick Cruz makes his long overdue return to the pod to reflect on what the honor means after a career defined by championship greatness and injury comebacks. A true martial artist through and through, Cruz shares what he loves most about trading in the gloves for an analyst headset. Finally, the guys close out the milestone episode with a montage of friends of the show congratulating Jim and Matt on 1,000 episodes of UFC Unfiltered. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Chase Hooper & Alden Coria take UFC Oklahoma City victory laps

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off today’s episode by unpacking the biggest takeaways from UFC Oklahoma City, including Dricus Du Plessis’ bounce-back win over Kamaru Usman, what that result means for Sean Strickland’s next title defense, and where Usman goes from here. Then, Chase Hooper joins the show fresh off his first-round submission win over Mitch Ramirez. Hooper walks the guys through his rear-naked choke, opens up about the pressure of entering a fight on back-to-back stoppage losses, and discusses how baby No. 2 being set to arrive at any given moment affects his timeline for his next fight. After more UFC Oklahoma City reaction — including Christian Leroy Duncan’s rise, Fatima Kline’s impressive win, and Tommy McMillen’s splashy arrival — Alden Coria stops by following his win over Stewart Nicoll. Now 3-0 in the UFC, Coria explains to a curious Matt Serra how the rush of fighting in the Octagon compares to Coria’s exhilarating experience of climbing hundreds of feet into the sky as a cell phone tower technician. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Dricus Du Plessis, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani, UFC Oklahoma City picks

With UFC Oklahoma City just days away, Jim Norton and Matt Serra preview Saturday’s card and lock in their picks before catching up with two fighters competing at the event. First, former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis joins ahead of his main event clash with Kamaru Usman. Du Plessis discusses his first fight since losing the title to Khamzat Chimaev, what makes Usman dangerous, and why a statement win should put him right back in the thick of the middleweight title picture against Sean Strickland — a champion he has already beaten twice. Then, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani stops by ahead of his welterweight prelim matchup with Seokhyeon Ko. Looking to continue his upward trajectory after a successful UFC debut against Phil Rowe, the Hermosa Beach native reflects on how life has changed since moving to Las Vegas — from sharing an apartment with teammates to living in a house — all while explaining how teaching jiu-jitsu classes at 10 years old helped shape the student-of-the-game mentality he now brings to “The Q” fight team. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].