

The Ariel Helwani Show
Ariel Helwani
“The Ariel Helwani Show” is the flagship program for Uncrowned. Every episode will feature interviews with the biggest names in combat sports, and analysis from Helwani and The Boys in the Back.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 3, 2026 • 3h 48min
UFC 325 reaction, Robert Whittaker, Lerone Murphy, Quillan Salkilld, Shu Shu Carrington & WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán in studio, and more
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).

Feb 1, 2026 • 1h 9min
UFC 325 Post-Fight Show: Alex Volkanovski DOMINATES Diego Lopes AGAIN! Who's next?
Ariel Helwani reunites with Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall to break down UFC 325, starting with Alexander Volkanovski's dominant performance against Diego Lopes in their championship rematch (03:04).After a discussion about who Volkanovski should fight next, they touch on Benoit Saint-Denis' big win over Dan Hooker (26:47), Mauricio Ruffy finishing Rafael Fiziev (34:50), Tai Tuivasa coming up short against Tallison Teixeira (40:57), and another highlight reel win by Quillan Salkilld (46:11).The show closes with a look at the night's prelims (49:15) and Chuck's final thoughts (1:01:44).

Jan 30, 2026 • 1h 19min
Stacked Combat Weekend: UFC 325, WWE Royal Rumble, Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez, more | The Craic
The Craic returns with its regular trio of Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes to see you into a stacked combat sports weekend.To get things underway, the lads react to the UFC 325 weigh-ins, including the announcement of the new weigh-in protocols (6:24).Then it’s on to the main event: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes. The trio discuss Volkanovski‘s retirement rumors and what a win would mean for the Australian (16:39).Attention then shifts to the co-main event, where Petesy and the crew break down what promises to be a thrilling clash between Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint-Denis (29:02).They also preview the rest of the main card (35:34) and deliver their official Uncrowned picks for each fight (39:11).In a surprise development, Patchy Mix has been released from the UFC and signed with RIZIN, drawing an immediate reaction from the chaps (48:49).Switching to boxing, the guys discuss Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez ahead of their highly anticipated clash this weekend (54:49).To close the show, the lads preview The Royal Rumble (59:32) and respond to your Super Chats (01:16:00).

Jan 29, 2026 • 2h 38min
UFC 325 preview, 'Tank' Davis arrested, Patchy Mix to RIZIN, Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez | The Boys in the Back
The Boys in the Back begin the show with news and notes, including the arrest of Gervonta 'Tank' Davis (02:06), Patchy Mix debuting for RIZIN (03:26), and more (14:05).Next, they preview UFC 325 from top to bottom (19:45), before diving into Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez (1:23:59).Finally, they make picks (1:29:41), deliver their P4P cooks (1:32:18), listen to your voicemails (1:55:00), and answer your Super Chats (2:23:29).

Jan 28, 2026 • 4h 4min
Conor Benn in studio, Jean Silva, Michael Chiesa, Royal Rumble draft, On The Nose, news & notes
Ariel Helwani starts the show by reacting to breaking news of Tyson Fury’s return to the ring and the implications of it landing on Netflix (06:06).Next, Ariel answers On The Nose questions, with topics including ads running during UFC 324, Justin Gaethje’s thrilling style and Paddy Pimblett’s chin, Alex Honnold’s terrifying climb, Josh Hokit's gimmick, veteran fighters being the last of a dying breed, and more (18:51).The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel for the annual Royal Rumble lottery (1:09:19).Michael Chiesa returns, discussing his Seattle Seahawks making it to the Super Bowl, his continued broadcasting work, fans’ complaints about broadcast ads, his breakdown of the UFC 324 main event, wanting to fight Colby Covington, being booked for the UFC Seattle card, talks of retirement, surviving childhood abuse, and more (1:31:45).Conor Benn is back, joining Ariel in-studio to talk about the idea of being a role model, wanting to fight Shakur Stevenson, potential options for his next fight, believing Ryan Garcia is a liability as an opponent, Tyson Fury’s return, Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport, still not liking Chris Eubank Jr., and more (2:11:51).Jean Silva is our final guest of the day, breaking down his big win over Arnold Allen at UFC 324, discussing the moment when he stepped on Allen’s back, the viral video of him getting emotional while seeing the UFC belt, his prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2, and more (3:07:45).Ariel covers more news and notes, before wrapping up with your Super Chats (3:36:15).

Jan 27, 2026 • 3h 43min
Arman Tsarukyan, Eddie Hearn in studio, Josh Hokit, news & notes
Ariel Helwani begins the show with discussions about Rose Namajunas needing eye surgery, PFL debuting rankings and their longterm viability, and UFC 325 fight week (07:05).Josh Hokit joins following his UFC 324 win over Denzel Freeman to talk about the performance, his viral promo after the fight, his current contract status, wanting to fight Tai Tuivasa, and more (31:51).Eddie Hearn is back in-studio to break down stories from the boxing world, including the Zuffa Boxing debut and signing Jai Opetaia, his rivalry with Dana White, how the governing bodies will handle UBOs, UFC fighter pay compared to revenue, Bam Rodriguez’s contract status, whether he believes iVB is viable, Anthony Joshua’s tragic accident, what’s next for Katie Taylor, and more (57:11).Ariel gives an update on the fight between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez being pulled from UFC 324 due to suspicious betting activity and Rose Namajunas undergoing successful surgery (2:14:05).Arman Tsarukyan returns to discuss his recent media tour, his hatred for Paddy Pimblett, Pimblett’s lack of skills, a proposed grappling match against Colby Covington, going down to featherweight if he doesn’t get a lightweight title shot, Dana White’s comments about him, and more (2:27:26).Ariel wraps up the show with more news and notes, before answering your Super Chats (3:10:21).

Jan 26, 2026 • 4h 35min
Massive UFC 324/Zuffa Boxing reaction, Sean O’Malley, Dan Hooker, Travis Barker, Alex Perez, weekend news
Ariel Helwani begins the show with a recap of UFC 324. Joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll, they cover the night’s main event, how it could tie into Conor McGregor’s return, UFC bonuses increasing, Paramount’s first UFC broadcast, the suspicious betting activity around Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez, and Cameron Smotherman fainting at weigh-ins, before touching on Zuffa Boxing’s debut (03:03).Alex Perez stops by following his big win over Charles Johnson at UFC 324, talks about the performance, missing weight and not being eligible for bonuses, overcoming difficulties in training camp, being confident about re-signing with the UFC, and more (1:31:17).Sean O’Malley returns, discussing his UFC 324 win over Song Yadong, the feeling of being back in the win column, his daughter being at the fight, landing significant shots to Song’s body, UFC’s increased bonuses, wanting a rematch against Petr Yan next, and more (2:02:03).Dan Hooker is back, breaking down his loss to Arman Tsarukyan, including his nose being broken by the weigh-in head-butt, explaining why he accepted a short turnaround against Benoit Saint Denis, his beef with Paddy Pimblett and their war of words, signing a new contract, the next edition of 1 Minute Scraps, and more (2:33:21).Legendary musician Travis Barker describes his love of combat sports, explains how the UFC promo he recorded came together, then gives his thoughts on UFC 324 and some upcoming fights, and more (3:06:35).Ariel wraps up the show with UFC 324 viewership numbers released by Paramount and some other news and notes, including Dana White’s latest comments about Tom Aspinall, and your Super Chats (3:41:50).

Jan 25, 2026 • 1h 8min
UFC 324 Post-Fight Show: Justin Gaethje wins interim title in WAR with Paddy Pimblett
Ariel Helwani and Petesy Carroll react to UFC 324, the promotion's Paramount debut.They kick things off with the thrilling main event between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, which saw Gaethje become interim UFC lightweight champion (03:22).Next, they discuss this week's chatter about fighter pay and the increased bonuses announced by Dana White (20:31).After matchmaking for the UFC's lightweight division (23:52), they dive into the co-main event win by Sean O'Malley (29:30) and the rest of the card (34:23).Finally, they touch on news from the night, including referee Mark Smith tearing his ACL and the fight between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez being pulled due to suspicious betting activity (49:02), before giving final thoughts on the Paramount debut (56:14).

Jan 23, 2026 • 1h 22min
Dana White battles Justin Gaethje on fighter pay, can Paddy Pimblett be a UFC star? | The Craic
The Craic is back! This week, the lads go all in on UFC 324.To open the show, Petesy Carroll is joined by Craic regular Ben Fowlkes and UK MMA journalist Chisanga Malata to break down this weekend’s main event: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett (2:30).One half of that main event, Gaethje, recently voiced his disappointment over not getting more money after the Paramount deal. Petesy and Ben react to his comments, the fallout that followed, and the state of fighter pay in 2026 (31:02).UFC 324 brings plenty of other key storylines. The boys debate whether Arman Tsarukyan should be next for the winner of the main event (46:38).Next, they dig into the fireworks bantamweight matchup between Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong (48:42), and discuss whether Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ciryl Gane could be next up for the heavyweight title (51:01).On the back end of the show, Chuck Mindenhall joins from Las Vegas. Boots on the ground for the Zuffa Boxing debut, Chuck sheds light on how the event is shaping up (53:45).To close up shop, the boys give their UFC 324 picks (1:12:31), and respond to your Super Chats (1:16:45).

Jan 22, 2026 • 3h 25min
UFC 324 preview, Ariel Helwani joins to talk McGregor vs. Chandler, fighter pay | The Boys in the Back
The Boys in the Back kick off the show with a discussion about UFC fighter pay in the Paramount Era, sparked by Justin Gaethje's recent comments (02:35).After touching on Dana White saying he wanted a specific fighter to lose (19:53), they preview the UFC 324 main card (26:59).The Boys react in real time to White's response to Gaethje (54:14), before bringing in Ariel Helwani to talk more about fighter pay and UFC seemingly moving on from Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler (1:26:58).They break down the rest of UFC 324 (1:52:14), make picks (1:59:50), and debut a brand new Fight Feasts, featuring cuisine from the Dominican Republic (2:04:02).Finally, the Boys deliver their P4P convenience store foods and drinks (2:16:11), listen to your voicemails (2:36:14), and answer your Super Chats (3:19:53).


