Jim Norton and Matt Serra catch up with two fighters preparing for upcoming bouts before turning their attention to International Fight Week, where they make a few picks from Saturday’s UFC 329 card.First, featherweight Austin Bashi returns for his second appearance on the show ahead of his July 18 matchup against Jose Miguel Delgado. Eager to return after an 11-month layoff, the 24-year-old explains why he’s so confident he’ll get another early finish and shares the story behind his Rocky Balboa-esque appetite for raw eggs and beef liver.Between interviews, Jim and Matt lock in their first two picks for Saturday’s UFC 329 card, promising more predictions to come on Wednesday while debating what Conor McGregor’s return could look like against a naturally smaller (but far more active) Max Holloway in the Hawaiian’s welterweight debut.Then, Mateusz Gamrot checks in ahead of his Aug. 8 main event against surging Australian Quillan Salkilld. Gamrot discusses why he welcomed the matchup with one of the lightweight division’s hottest prospects, reflects on the lessons he’s taken from recent wins and losses, and explains which part of Salkilld’s game he believes fans are overlooking. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guest co-host Michael Chiesa fills in for Matt in an episode of Unfiltered that invites reigning strawweight champion into the show after discussions about UFC Baku and next weekend’s UFC 329 card.First, Jim and Chiesa unpack the biggest storylines from UFC Baku, including Rafael Fiziev's much-needed knockout win in front of his home crowd. The conversation then shifts to UFC 329, where Chiesa shares his expectations for Conor McGregor's long-awaited return against Max Holloway and shares his thoughts on whether Max can hold is own in his very first fight at 170 pounds.Then, Mackenzie Dern joins ahead of her first UFC title defense against fellow jiu-jitsu ace Gillian Robertson at UFC 330. Dern reflects on the turnaround that led to her three-fight winning streak and championship victory, explains why the stylistic challenge against Robertson excites her, and reflects on what it meant to help out the next wave of UFC hopefuls on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After a second successful event in Baku in as many years, Jim and Matt are joined by Brandon Royval and Shane Collins. The boys talk about wins, losses, and life outside the Octagon.After three years away from the show, perennial flyweight contender Brandon Royval, stops by to discuss his IFW bout against Lone’er Kavanagh. Nearing the end of his longest fight camp, Royval thinks a win could catapult him into title contention once more. Moving away from business talk, the trio play around with assigning fight songs and movie comparisons.Then, Shane Collins makes his Unfiltered debut just a week after his inaugural UFC bout. Although Shane just made his first walk to the Octagon, he’s no stranger to the UFC atmosphere after revealing he’s cornered multiple fighters. That experience provided a natural boost in the dominant decision win. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heading into the Fight Night in Baku, Din Thomas makes a special appearance and the boys meet up with Ode Osbourne and GiGi Canuto to talk the many eras of MMA, UFC, and TUF.First up, Ode Osbourne returns to the show with his patented humor and optimism to talk about righting ships, the excitement of new fights, niceties throughout the UFC roster, and much more. Ode may not be competing on the IFW card as he intended, but that hasn’t deterred his drive and confidence.Right after Ode, TUF standout GiGi Canuto makes her first Unfiltered appearance. With her exciting performance on episode 3 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ Din and Matt compare their respective memories of their time on the show now that season 34 is underway. Plus, GiGi dives into her journey from Brazil to Las Vegas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming off an electric Fight Night in Vegas, Jim & Matt are joined by a pair of Saturday night’s winners: Christian Rodriguez and Levan Chokheli.First in the hot seat, Christian Rodriguez hops on to discuss his round one guillotine finish over Hyder Amil. Coming into Saturday’s fight, the featherweight felt the need to win after coming off two straight losses. Christian credits some major changes in his life like moving to Vegas and a focus on mental health. With this new direction, he feels he’s on the right path to reaching the top.Then, for the first time, Levan Chokheli hops on still radiating excitement from his 23-second KO over Leon Shahbazyan (in his UFC debut no less). The Georgian delves into his origins, hobbies, and living in Vegas compared to Georgia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Still in the throes of UFC Freedom 250, Jim & Matt are joined by Bia Mesquita and Manel Kape to talk their respective matchups on this Saturday’s Fight Night.Joining the guys for her inaugural appearance, Bia Mesquita talks about her entrance to the UFC, transitioning from BJJ to MMA, and life in Florida compared to Brazil.Then, coming back on the show is Manel Kape who brings his signature confidence. While flyweight gold is the ultimate goal, Kape’s immediate test is a long-awaited rematch with Kyoji Horiguchi. Even though he was bested in their first meeting, Starboy knows he has what it takes to get this one back. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hot off the heels of UFC’s most historic event since the promotion’s inception, Jim, Matt, Michael Aswell Jr., and Stephen Thompson dive into what made UFC Freedom 250 so special.First, the always-fun featherweight Michael Aswell Jr. joins the show ahead of this Saturday’s matchup against Gaston Bolaños at the Meta APEX. The guys discuss Michael’s game plan, the greatness of Joshua Van, and rehash old stories of training with friends.Then, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson hops in to give his first-hand account on the South Lawn bouts along with veteran move-sets and his future plans as he nears the final fight of his UFC contract. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two fighters gearing up for bouts on Sunday’s historic UFC Freedom 250 card join today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered as Ciryl Gane and Mauricio Ruffy call in on an episode featuring Din Thomas as a guest co-host in place of Matt Serra.First, former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane joins ahead of his high-stakes showdown against Alex Pereira. Gane discusses the unique challenge of facing one of the UFC’s most feared strikers, reflects on competing for championship gold yet again, and explains his current state of zen going into Sunday’s co-main event.Between interviews, Jim and Din break down some of the biggest storylines and matchup dynamics surrounding UFC Freedom 250, including Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje and what’s at stake for several of the sport’s biggest names on perhaps the most anticipated card of all-time.Then, Mauricio Ruffy stops by ahead of the biggest fight of his career against Michael Chandler. The 29-year-old Brazilian explains what a victory over a former title challenger would mean for his future, what he’s expecting from Chandler in their upcoming fight, and why he believes he's ready for the spotlight on one of the UFC's grandest stages. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fresh off Saturday’s card at the Meta APEX, Jim Norton and Matt Serra welcome a victorious bantamweight and one of the UFC’s funniest celebrity fans to today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered.First, Marcus McGhee joins after returning from an 11-month layoff with a unanimous decision win over John Yannis. The MMA LAB standout reflects on bouncing back from the first UFC loss of his career, explains why he believes he belongs in the bantamweight Top 15, and shares what it meant to have all four of his kids watch him fight live for the first time.Between interviews, Jim and Matt break down the biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim, including Gabriel Bonfim’s dominant performance against former champion Belal Muhammad and what the result means for both guys moving forward.Then, comedian Brad Williams returns to the show to talk about his latest stand-up special, Live on Short Street, before diving into all things UFC. Brad helps Jim and Matt unpack the UFC’s upcoming White House event as the guys each lock in predictions for the stacked Sunday card on the White House lawn. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The streaking Edmen Shahbazyan joins the boys as he preps for his co-main event matchup against 4th ranked Brendan Allen.Riding a three-fight win streak, the middleweight looks to cause waves in the rankings with a win over Allen, who is riding a win streak of his own. Showing no signs of hesitation, Edmen believes he can jump the pack with a big win on Saturday and spoil Bredan’s return to the Octagon.After the interview, Matt and Jim make some picks throughout the UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim card. They also dig further into UFC Macau, Matt’s birthday events, gi vs no-gi jiu jitsu, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.