Chris Gutierrez, Gerald McCoy, UFC 294’s short-notice changes

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by 15th-ranked UFC bantamweight Chris Gutierrez and former 6-time NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy!

Joining the show first is Chris, who himself is fresh off a unanimous victory over Alatengheili after an injury to Montel Jackson pushed back Gutierrez’s expected fight date exactly one week to this past weekend’s card headlined by Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. Gutierrez discusses the significance of getting back in the win column after his previous 8-fight unbeaten streak was snapped with a loss in April to Pedro Munhoz.

While waiting for Gerald McCoy to hop on the show, Jim and Matt dish out their takeaways from Saturday’s action at the APEX, ever impressed by Gutierrez and his Factory X teammate, Jonathan Martinez among others.

Once Gerald McCoy arrives, Jim and Matt waste no time — diving straight into a discussion about Israel Adesanya’s decision to temporarily step away from the sport after 5+ years of incredible activity marked by multiple title reigns in his 16 fights with the UFC thus far.

With 11 years of NFL experience to his name, McCoy uses the backdrop of his football playing career as a reference when the topic shifts to the intriguing short-notice changes atop this Saturday’s massive UFC 294 card in Abu Dhabi and the feasibility of Kamaru Usman and Alexander Volkanovski accepting monumental matchups with less than two weeks to prepare.