The Ariel Helwani Show

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes come together a fresh edition of The Craic.They kick off the show by breaking down the verbal jousting taking place between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira ahead of their clash at UFC 320 (6:12).From there, attention shifts to Din Thomas, who floated the idea of a UFC–PFL trade: Magomed Ankalaev for Dakota Ditcheva. The crew breaks down his comments (15:48).It’s Oleksandr Usyk vs. Jake Paul next. In a surprising callout, Usyk took to X to challenge Paul to an MMA fight. The guys make sense of the bizarre matchup (28:27).Then, the boys turn to UFC Perth’s underwhelming ticket sales and what they reveal about the state of UFC event pricing (40:23).One fighter at UFC Perth with momentum is Dominick Reyes. Chuck draws from his recent piece to marvel at Reyes’s resurgence after a brutal four-fight losing streak (48:32).Finally, Petesy previews his first NFL game in Dublin, with Chuck and Ben giving him their top tips for the experience (56:04).

The Boys in the Back double up this week and the show begins with a recap of all the stuff they missed since Monday, including Charles Oliveira getting Mateusz Gamrot (01:37), Jake Paul and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis facing off (07:53), PFL simplifying their title structure (19:37), Conor McGregor calling for $100 million to fight at the White House (48:38), and more.Plus, a UFC Perth preview (57:40), picks (1:23:26), P4P Three-Namers (1:27:11), voicemails (1:47:19), and Super Chats (2:22:46).

Ariel Helwani reacts to some of his classic interviews, providing additional insights and behind-the-scenes stories for each.This volume includes one of Ariel's first conversations with Chael Sonnen, prior to him becoming 'The Bad Guy' (02:50), Andrei Arlovski and the infamous 'How's Taste' moment (13:23), pop superstar Justin Bieber getting grilled (24:02), Bob Arum blasting the UFC and its fanbase during the early days (34:52), Ariel's first meeting with Jorge Masvidal (52:56), and an instant-classic Nate Diaz interview (1:04:49).

The MMA Beat is back! Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes discuss journalistic topics including the controversy around platforming Andrew Tate (04:35), Dana White's media strategy and approach to recent press conferences (18:31), the current state of MMA media (25:31), building relationships with subjects, in this case fighters (44:47), on and off the record conversations (59:11), and more.

The Boys in the Back are joined all show by Long Island own's 'Raging' Al Iaquinta, as they react to hot topics, including the hunt for Charles Oliveira's opponent (03:13), the latest news on the UFC's White House card (10:17), Raja Jackson's arrest (17:52) and Ronda Rousey teasing an MMA comeback (19:39).After talking a bit about Iaquinta's teammate Merab Dvalishvili (26:14), the trio discuss WWE's debut on ESPN (36:25), the UFC antitrust settlement (43:07), the failed GFL launch (48:34), and Frankie Edgar making his return for BKFC (49:19).Iaqtuina talks about life after retirement as a real estate agent (57:04), then transitions to the topic of TKO's proposed changes to the Ali Act (1:09:21) and what might be next for Dvalishvili (1:17:26) and another teammate, Aljamain Sterling (1:20:41).The Boys review some of Iaquinta's funniest tweets (1:22:33), before listening to your voicemails (1:37:50), and Iaquinta's recollection from the infamous Conor McGregor bus attack (1:57:37). Finally, they answer your Super Chats (2:44:21).

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes begin this week’s episode by discussing the doomsday thinking surrounding The Fighting Nerds after they hit a poor run of form in UFC main events (05:57).The conversation then moves onto Raja Jackson’s arrest and the realization that he will likely be a huge commodity for fight sports promoters on the back of his streamed assault of independent wrestler Syko Stu last month (26:05).After that, the lads take a look at the viral moments that were created at Thursday’s Chris Eubank vs. Conor Benn 2 press conference, with Eubank stopping promoter Eddie Hearn as he tried to pay tribute to the late Ricky Hatton (44:13).Finally, the lads pay tribute to Tom Gerbasi, a legendary scribe who had a profound impact on combat sports and particularly, combat sports writers (55:54). 

The Boys in the Back kick off the show with the latest flurry of updates about the UFC's planned White House event (01:50), including Conor McGregor and Dana White hinting at McGregor headlining the card.Next, they touch on Arman Tsarukyan's comments about Ilia Topuria's wealth (35:27), before delivering their P4P crossovers (48:58), inspired by Topuria's continued war of words with boxer Terence Crawford.Finally, the Boys listen to your voicemails (1:29:23) and answer your Super Chats (2:16:50).

Ariel Helwani opens the show with a tribute to combat sports writer and friend Thomas Gerbasi, who passed away (00:22).The Boys in the Back join Ariel to answer On The Nose questions, touching on Dana White’s recent comments about Ariel on "Impaulsive," Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier, Sean O’Malley’s next fight, and more (20:10).WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson reflects on her career, including getting her start after being recognized by Kevin Nash, being intimidated in the early days, the development of her character, what it’s like to be backstage now, her dedication to fitness, and more (1:01:11).Julianna Peña is back to talk about her recovery from back surgery, joining the Real American Freestyle broadcast team, focusing on her MMA comeback, wanting to attend the White House card, and more (1:58:45).AEW superstar Timeless Toni Storm makes her debut on the show, discussing her wrestling journey starting at 13 years old, AEW going up against WWE, having the most fun at this point of her career, some of her notable rivalries, and more (2:31:52).Ariel and The Boys come back to react to the heated Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn 2 press conference, Jake Paul vs. Gervonta "Tank" Davis fight moving to Miami, and answer more On The Nose questions (2:59:03).

Ariel Helwani opens today’s show by reacting to Anthony Hernandez withdrawing from his Oct. 18 fight against Reinier de Ridder and Brendan Allen stepping in (05:18).British broadcaster Adam Smith is back on the show to reminisce about Ricky Hatton and celebrate his life (12:13).Shakur Stevenson returns to break down Terence Crawford’s dominance against Canelo Alvarez and discuss his own future, including potential fights against Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia (37:48).Alexander Hernandez recaps his win over Diego Ferreira at Noche UFC, working with a farmer on the mental side of the game, UFC’s promotional efforts, his appreciation of spliffs, and more (1:01:25).Yoel Romero talks about his BKFC debut, wanting to fight Jake Paul and Darren Till, expecting to fight until he’s 52 years old, his incredible physique, his love of boxing, and more (1:27:59).The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to cover the continued war of words between Ilia Topuria and Terence Crawford, matchmaking for the UFC’s middleweight and featherweight divisions, Sean Strickland’s run-in with the controversial Derek Moneyberg, and more (1:50:03).AEW star Ricochet is our final guest of the day, discussing his place in the promotion, collaboration talking place in the AEW locker room, his WWE departure, drawing the line between himself and his character, his love of anime, and more (2:59:50).Ariel wraps up with your Super Chats (3:50:43).

Ariel Helwani begins the show by touching on the death of Ricky Hatton (3:34), before recapping a loaded combat sports weekend, starting with Terence Crawford's win over Canelo Alvarez (09:25), Eddie Hearn's brewing rivalry with Dana White (16:25), White's fingerprints — or lack thereof — on the card itself (29:47), Turki Alalshikh's growing influence (39:09), Noche UFC (1:01:27), and Ilia Topuria's continued callouts of Crawford (1:06:19).Crawford himself joins next to break down the win, talking about fighting up two weight classes, reacting to Canelo's frustrations during the fight and his comparison of Crawford to Floyd Mayweather, and responding to Topuria (1:22:50).Journalist Tris Dixon, the ghostwriter of Ricky Hatton's autography, is next, speaking on his emotions following Hatton's untimely death and reminiscing with stories from his incredible life (1:44:20).Gable Stevenson returns following his successful MMA debut to recap the victory, talk about his next steps, reveal details about his withdrawal from CJI 2, and more (2:06:15).Ariel dives back in on Noche UFC (2:42:32), Dana White saying Jon Jones called him to apologize (2:43:12), and Conor MCGregor pulling out of Ireland's presidential race (2:48:48).Eddie Hearn is the final guest of the day, reacting to Crawford vs. Canelo, Ricky Hatton's death, Molly McCann's boxing debut, and the decision in the rematch between Lewis Crocker beat Paddy Donovan. Plus, he discusses his rivalry with Dana White and the next moves for both Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor (3:02:16).Finally, Petesy Carroll joins to wrap up any other news and notes from the weekend, before the crew answers your Super Chats (3:53:56).