UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

Two guests, two champs! An event as MASSIVE as UFC 306 at the Sphere calls for an episode of UFC Unfiltered that reflects as much. Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley & women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso join the show alongside guest co-host John Morgan filling in for Matt Serra.   Set to face Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event, Mexico’s own Alexa Grasso reflects on the magnitude of an event dedicated to the Mexican people as she discusses what it’s been like spending nearly two years preparing for the exact same opponent in three consecutive fights.   Between guests, Jim Norton and John Morgan examine the upper half of this Saturday’s card, getting in on a couple predictions before Sean O’Malley hops in to break down the stakes of his bantamweight title defense against number one ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili.

Could Din Thomas be the most reliable man in UFC Unfiltered history? Well, it turns out all he needs is a mic and a pair of headphones — because days removed from cornering welterweight Sean Brady to victory in this past Saturday's main event, Din moves heaven and earth to demonstrate his loyalty by calling in from the AIRPORT to save the day as today's guest co-host.   Calling in first is Urijah Faber — who discusses his numerous post-fighting career ventures and how they've all come from a place of wanting to help the sport grow. A pioneer of the lower weight classes, Faber reflects on his early MMA days before reveling in the fact that the sport has evolved to a point that bantamweights are headlining a fight card at a one-of-a-kind venue like the Sphere. With this Saturday's main event in mind, Urijah offers some intriguing insight on the stylistic matchup between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley.   Shortly after Urijah hops off, the guys invite Sean Brady on to the show to get the Philly fighter's reaction to having Din in his corner for his decisive victory in this past Saturday's main event against Gilbert Burns. Looking to get back atop the welterweight division, Brady doesn't hesitate to call out a few opponents that he'd be willing to fight in his next fight.

Jim and Matt return after the Labor Day break for a show that invites middleweight Andre Petroski and featherweight Kyle Nelson on for a chat ahead of their respective fights on this Saturday’s card.   Joining first is Petroski, who gets candid about the lessons he learned in his latest victory — a unanimous decision win that put an end to the first two-fight skid of his pro MMA career. Andre breaks down his matchup against Dylan Budka before ultimately explaining why he thinks a win puts him in a great place to finally get the Bo Nickal fight he’s been asking for.   Shortly after, Kyle Nelson calls in from a local store in Vegas to talk about his upcoming fight on Saturday’s main card. Originally set to fight Calvin Kattar before an injury forced him off the card, Nelson explains the shift in his mindset as he now prepares to take on Steve Garcia, who boasts an impressive four-fight knockout streak of his own.   Finally, Jim and Matt wrap up the show with four picks each from this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card at the APEX headlined by Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

Today’s episode features two separate 125-pounders of opposite genders in women’s flyweight Erin Blanchfield and men’s UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja.   Blanchfield walks through what went wrong in her recent loss to Manon Fiorot before sharing her views on jiu-jitsu tournaments. The New Jersey native wraps up her interview with thoughts on the type of fight we can expect in the high-stakes trilogy between current women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko in a few weeks at UFC 306.   Feeling re-energized by a small but much-needed break, Pantoja takes a look down from his throne atop the men’s flyweight division to assess the depth of the talent pool with the intent of figuring out if Kai Kara-France has the strongest case for the shot to compete for his belt.

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by a pair of winners from Saturday’s card in The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 featherweight winner Mairon Santos and women’s strawweight Tabatha Ricci.   Fresh off a scintillating knockout to earn his way into the UFC, Santos bonds with Matt over their shared experience in The Ultimate Fighter house before discussing the string of events that led Mairon to forego his soccer dreams back in his native Brazil to pursue a career in martial arts.   In between interviews, the guys share their takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho.   Shortly after, Jim and Matt catch up with Tabatha Ricci — who unpacks the keys to her decision win over a tricky veteran like Angela Hill. Ever so determined to reinforce her striking, Tabatha outlines her plans to bring her talented boxing boyfriend Callum Walsh with her to Thailand where she seeks to focus on her Muay Thai before a planned return to the cage in 2025.