Thiago Moisés, Erin Blanchfield, looking ahead to 2023 UFC calendar

UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra

On today’s episode of UFC Unfiltered, Matt and Jim are joined by lightweight Thiago Moisés and fast-rising women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield.

Fresh off a second-round submission victory over late-replacement opponent Melquizael Costa, Thiago talks about what it felt like going from five consecutive fights in the crowdless UFC Apex to fighting in front of a passionate crowd of friends and family in his native Brazil on last Saturday’s UFC 283 card.

Thiago then explains how his kickboxing father helped instill a passion for martial arts that led Moisés to American Top Team in Florida, where he currently lives and trains in an attempt to re-enter the lightweight rankings.

As Erin Blanchfield hops on the show, Matt can hardly contain his excitement to talk about the ins and outs of jiu-jitsu with the 23-year-old New Jersey native. After discussing her most recent win over Molly McCann, Erin explains her reaction to the UFC matchmakers’ decision to match her up against No. 2 women’s flyweight Taila Santos and how it could fast-track her to a title shot against the winner of the upcoming match between women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and 5th-ranked challenger Alexa Grasso.

Jim and Matt then wrap up the show by looking ahead to some of the intriguing matchups recently announced as part of a 2023 UFC calendar that’s quickly taking shape.