On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim and Matt are joined by lightweight contender Beneil Dariush for a recap of Saturday’s UFC 291 fight card!

Matt and Beneil kick off the show with a quick chat about raising daughters before jumping straight into Beneil’s thoughts on who he’d like to fight next following his loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 289.

With Islam Makhachev set to rematch Oliveira this October in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294, the guys discuss whether the money involved in a big-money fight against Conor McGregor at 170 pounds would be enough for Justin Gaethje to risk his place in line for the lightweight title.

After Jim dishes his thoughts on the judging in Alex Pereira’s split decision victory over Jan Błachowicz in Saturday’s co-main event, the guys dig through the rest of the UFC 291 card for a recap of an action-packed night of fights.

UFC 291 recap, lightweight division picture w/ guest co-host Beneil Dariush

UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra is the must-listen podcast for fight fans. Edgy veteran comedian Jim Norton and former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra push the boundaries in the UFC's first audio series. “Unfiltered” delivers everything, including pre- and post-fight analysis, industry stories, observations, opinions and interviews with UFC sources, fighters and celebrity fans.

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Jim and Matt are joined by a pair of fighters on this Saturday’s card in St. Louis with lightweight Chase Hooper and light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg as guests on UFC Unfiltered.

First, Hooper opens up about the laser focus it’s taken from him to prepare for Viacheslav Borshchev knowing that Chase and his wife are set to become first-time parents in a month’s time.

While waiting for Carlos Ulberg to join the show, Jim and Matt take a look at the main and co-main events of this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento card before offering up predictions of their own.

When Ulberg hops on, Matt gets the New Zealander to explain how a career in combat sports superseded legitimate offers by reality TV executives to star in his country’s version of The Bachelor.

Carlos discusses the stakes of Saturday’s fight against 11th-ranked light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield and how a win on the main card can propel him into the top 15.

Having saved their predictions for after Ulberg’s interview, Jim and Matt ponder the outcome of one last fight to give fans their third fight pick of the show as a way to wrap up the episode.

Chase Hooper, Carlos Ulberg, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Nascimento picks

Today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered is headlined by none other than Saturday’s UFC 301 headliner himself as UFC men’s flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja calls in the show shortly after the guys chop it up with lightweight veteran Terrance McKinney.

Jim and Matt begin the show by unpacking the action from this past weekend’s card in Rio de Janeiro, expressing their appreciation for the masterful performance José Aldo put on in front of his Brazilian people in a victorious return to the Octagon.

Terrance McKinney hops on while en route to St. Louis for his fight on this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card against Esteban Ribovics. McKinney speaks candidly about his preference to remain active on the heels of his two-fight winning streak — especially with his last win in October requiring just 20 seconds of cage time before securing a highlight-reel 1st-round knockout.

While waiting for Alexandre Pantoja to call in, Jim and Matt work their way through the rest of the UFC 301 main card with a particular emphasis on Anthony “Lionheart” Smith’s crowd-silencing upset win vs. a previously unbeaten Vitor Petrino.

Finally, Pantoja hops on the call to break down his successfully-executed game plan against Steve Erceg in last Saturday’s main event before sharing how different things have become for him now that he has a target on his back as a champion with multiple title defenses.

Terrance McKinney, Alexandre Pantoja, UFC 301 recap

Jim and Matt are joined by a pair of fighters from this Saturday’s UFC 301 card in Brazil that have yet to lose since signing with the UFC in flyweight Steve Erceg and middleweight Caio Borralho.

Erceg begins his interview by recounting the funny story of where he was when he found out he’d be getting a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja. Fully aware of the fact that the fans in Rio won’t be on his side, the Australian flyweight explains why he’s embracing the hostility going into the first main event of his career.

After making some fight picks between interviews, Caio Borralho returns to the show to share his thoughts on how cool it is to follow up a fight in São Paulo with a fight on Saturday’s UFC 301 card in Rio de Janeiro underneath a legend like José Aldo.

Finally, Jim wraps up the show with a bold prediction in hopes of narrowing Matt’s wide lead in their head-to-head fight pick standings.

Steve Erceg, Caio Borralho, UFC 301 predictions

Jim and Matt are joined by two longtime friends of the show in UFC featherweight Aljamain Sterling and Beneil Dariush for today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered.

Calling in first is Aljamain Sterling, who expresses his honest thoughts on those downplaying the outcome of his dominant UFC featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. Understanding that he’s likely not next in line for the 145-pound title shot, Aljo explains why the next best fight to make is him against Brian Ortega for a top featherweight contender spot.

Shortly after Sterling’s call ends, the guys invite Beneil Dariush on the show to congratulate the lightweight veteran for being awarded the 2024 Forrest Griffin Community Award — an award that recognizes a UFC athlete for their exceptional volunteer/charity work and the meaningful impact their efforts have on the community.

Beneil wraps up his interview by filling the guys in on his state of mind coming off two losses and how he plans to bounce back into the win column.

Finally, Matt wraps up the show by “humbly” pointing out how much better he did than Jim picking winners from this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez card.

Aljamain Sterling, Beneil Dariush, UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez recap

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by a pair of fighters on this Saturday’s card in women’s flyweight Ariane Lipski and men’s lightweight Austin Hubbard.

Riding a three-fight winning streak going into Saturday’s fight against Karine Silva, Lipski outlines how she’s managed to stay even-keeled through the ups and downs of her career — and one tidbit from her favorite book comes as a hilarious shock to Matt!

In between interviews, Jim reacts to the breaking news of UFC 304’s return to Manchester, England before Matt eventually takes the conversation to his thoughts on Colby Covington’s stance on fighting Ian Machado Garry.

When Austin Hubbard joins the show, he and Matt bond over their respective stints in The Ultimate Fighter house. Hubbard then talks through how he battled adversity to return to the UFC for a second go-around.

Finally, the guys end the show with some predictions from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez card, with Jim looking to make up substantial ground in the head-to-head standings.

UFC 291 recap, lightweight division picture w/ guest co-host Beneil Dariush

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