Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to Uncrowned Saturday and a busy weekend in combat sports, starting with appreciation for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, discussions about who will challenge next for his belt, and whether he is greater all-time than Khabib Nurmagomedov (08:24).

Then, Ariel and the Boys in the Back break down the rest of UFC 325, including Benoit Saint Denis’ big win and what’s next, before touching on the Royal Rumble, the newly announced UFC London card, news of surgery for Shavkat Rakhmonov, and more (15:44).

Lerone Murphy joins next to talk about his meeting with Movsar Evloev, his thoughts on the UFC 325 main event, Volkanovski’s insistence on fighting the top contender, his game plan for Evloev, and more (1:06:34).

WBC featherweight champion Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington is back in-studio following his massive win at Madison Square Garden, discussing the emotion of the moment, how the event was promoted, believing in Top Rank Boxing as his promoter, Teofimo Lopez’s behavior, Jarrell Miller’s viral hair incident, and more (1:27:27).

WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán joins Ariel in-studio to talk about finding Miller’s hairpiece on Saturday, Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport and the their mixed messaging, challenges the sanctioning bodies face, and more (2:06:24).

Quillan Salkilld returns after another spectacular finish at UFC 325 to review the performance, talk about his rapid ascent at lightweight, staking his claim for a fight against the division’s top 15, and more (3:01:25).

Robert Whittaker is our final guest of the day, evaluating Volkanovski’s UFC 325 showing, his interest in the broadcasting realm, potentially moving up to light heavyweight when he returns to action, and more (3:17:13).

Finally, Ariel closes the show with your Super Chats (3:38:42).

Ep 278 - Michael Joseph | Self-Governance and the Inner Work of Freedom