The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani
undefined
Oct 31, 2025 • 1h 8min

What happens now at heavyweight? Ronda Rousey hates MMA, ‘Tank’ Davis' civil suit | The Craic

The Craic returns with its dynamic trio: Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes.Up first, a deep dive into the future of the UFC heavyweight division following the fallout from Ciryl Gane’s eye poke against Tom Aspinall (5:20).Two fighters looking to make their mark on the division are Jon Jones and Alex Pereira. The lads discuss the two MMA stars angling for a potential superfight (26:00).Pereira’s been putting in the work for that bout, but with an unexpected training partner. The crew breaks down the viral clip of him grappling with Mark Zuckerberg (34:00).Next, the trio reacts to Gervonta 'Tank' Davis’ latest legal troubles ahead of his upcoming Netflix boxing match with Jake Paul (36:09).Another controversial headline doing the rounds is Andrew Tate’s appointment as the new Misfits Boxing CEO. Petesy and the boys unpack what it means for the future of crossover fights (41:25).To close the show, the guys react to Ronda Rousey’s recent comments about MMA fans, a take that didn’t exactly land well with the community (55:08).
undefined
Oct 30, 2025 • 2h 9min

Scariest MMA fighters ever, Jon Jones trolls Tom Aspinall, Uncrowned Films BTS with E. Casey Leydon | The Boys in the Back

On this spooky edition of The Boys in the Back, the Boys reveal their costumes, before discussing Jon Jones' latest barb aimed at Tom Aspinall (07:36) and Joaquin Buckley's bizarre feud with Alex Pereira (11:20).After quickly previewing UFC Vegas 110 (14:06) and making picks (26:54), the Boys are joined by E. Casey Leydon (30:31), the newest addition to the team, about the launch of Uncrowned Films, his early days on the road with Ariel Helwani, and more.The Boys close the show with their P4P rankings of the scariest fighters in MMA history (56:30), your voicemails (1:18:33), and Super Chats (02:03:26).
undefined
Oct 29, 2025 • 3h 38min

Devin Haney in studio, Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva faceoff, Matt Brown, Ludovit Klein, news and notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with some news and notes, before reeling off some of MMA’s best post-fight speeches, inspired by the anniversary of Nick Diaz’s callout of Georges St-Pierre after UFC 137 (03:05).Devin Haney joins Ariel in-studio to preview his fight against Brian Norman Jr., address criticism of his ability to take a punch, discuss his rivalry with Ryan Garcia, other opponents he considered before landing on Norman, the current state of Top Rank, the Ali Reform Act, Jake Paul vs. ‘Tank’ Davis, and more (33:23).UFC veteran Matt Brown is back, speaking his mind about recent regulatory meetings related to the Ali Reform Act, the UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement, penalties for fouls in MMA, Dana White’s reaction to the UFC 321 main event, TKO Boxing’s potential impact on that sport, fighters needing additional protections, and more (1:33:20).Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman join the show for a virtual faceoff, talking about how their upcoming boxing match came about, their mutual respect, whether Silva feels he needs revenge after their MMA fights, Weidman dealing with Silva’s different styles, Silva’s admiration for the sport of boxing, reconnecting after Weidman’s leg break, and Weidman being an underdog one more time (2:15:26).L’udovit Klein makes his show debut, talking about his incredible UFC 321 win, requiring surgery for the broken ankle he suffered during the fight, considering Arman Tsarukyan a ‘dream fight,’ expecting to be sidelined for several months due to the injury, representing Slovakia on the global stage, and more (2:55:01).Ariel wraps up with your Super Chats (3:11:53).       
undefined
Oct 28, 2025 • 3h 16min

Tom Aspinall & Conor McGregor updates, Charles Jourdain, Fabio Wardley, Quillan Salkilld, Dr. Brian Sutterer, On The Nose

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with first-timer Quillan Salkilld, fresh off his devastating knockout of Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 321, to talk about the aftermath of the knockout; being concerned for his opponent; planning to train with Jack Della Maddalena, who’s also from Perth; learning about MMA from playing the UFC video game; wanting to fight Renato Moicano, and more (05:26).Dr. Brian Sutterer is back to dive deeper into the conversation around Tom Aspinall’s eye, following the accidental poke he suffered at UFC 321, including the trauma itself, how it was handled by the doctors in the cage and at the hospital, and the timeline for recovery. He also touches on how bare-knuckle boxing compares to MMA in terms of injuries, the possibility of Ben Askren coming back to compete, and more (26:06).Charles Jourdain joins following his big win over Davey Grant at UFC Vancouver, talking about the Jean Silva loss motivating him to move to bantamweight, the impact of becoming a father, his younger brother Louis’ success on Contender Series, wanting to fight Marcus McGhee, his friendship with Aiemann Zahabi, how fouls should be handled in the cage, and more (59:35).WBO interim heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley stops by after his massive TKO against Joseph Parker, addressing the controversial stoppage, dealing with newfound fame, being confident about fighting Oleksandr Usyk next, whether the fight could headline Wembley Stadium, his respect for Parker, and more (1:32:22).Ariel brings in NewYorkRic and Petesy Carroll to answer your On The Nose questions, including more about the Aspinall eye poke, potential rule changes, the crew’s worst sport experiences, before closing the show with Super Chats (2:58:00).
undefined
Oct 27, 2025 • 4h 10min

UFC 321 reaction, Ariel goes off on Aspinall critics, Chael Sonnen, Mackenzie Dern, Jim Miller, Joseph Parker

Ariel Helwani opens the show with a recap of UFC 321, including his reaction to Ciryl Gane’s controversial eye poke against Tom Aspinall, how the foul was handled by officials, Dana White’s comments in the immediate aftermath, before talking about what can be done to prevent fouls moving forward, the rest of UFC 321, and more (02:39).Chael Sonnen joins to give his thoughts about the UFC 321 main event, explaining his comments on the ESPN post-show, discussing the rematch and Aspinall’s potential game plan, whether anything can be done to reduce eye pokes, and talks of Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones (1:16:40).Ariel answers Super Chats (2:20:46), before being joined by Joseph Parker, who breaks down his fight against Fabio Wardley, including his preparation, the referee’s stoppage, having no ill will toward Wardley, and who he wants to fight next (2:32:17).Jim Miller, who has been vocal about fouls and MMA gloves in the past, joins to talk about the UFC 321 main event, giving his perspective on how to penalize fighters who break the rules, responding to comments by Demetrious Johnson on the topic, outlining the potential long-term impact of eye pokes, and more (2:55:17).New UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern is back to recap the big win, talk about the emotions after capturing UFC gold, how her daughter reacts to her fights, Din Thomas’ comments about the fight being “insignificant,” whether she wants to fight the division’s previous champion Zhang Weili, and more (3:24:26).Ariel wraps the show with more of your Super Chats (3:49:55).       
undefined
Oct 25, 2025 • 1h 13min

UFC 321 Post-Fight Show: Controversial eye poke ends Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane, Mackenzie Dern is UFC champion

3PAC — Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall — are back to dissect UFC 321.Reaction begins with the night's controversial ending, as Ciryl Gane accidentally pokes Tom Aspinall in the eye, leading to a stoppage and No Contest in the main event (01:07).After giving kudos to the evening's referees (30:03), the crew discuss Alex Pereira's reaction to the main event on social media (35:09) and what they expect to see from Jon Jones (36:53).Next, they break down Mackenzie Dern's win over Virna Jandiroba to capture the UFC strawweight title (39:08) and Umar Nurmagomedov surviving second-round danger to defeat Mario Bautista (44:34).They recap the rest of the card (52:13), before Chuck provides his final thoughts (1:09:12).
undefined
Oct 24, 2025 • 1h 20min

UFC 321 preview, Conor McGregor 'saved,' Tom Aspinall to boxing? | The Craic

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes get together to unpack the biggest stories in MMA.To get things underway, they preview UFC 321’s title fight headliner: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane (5:30).With another championship on the line, the crew discuss the stakes in the co-main event between Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern (31:30).Plus, Dana White teased new UFC scheduling in a recent interview. Could this mean better start times for European fans? The trio break down what the changes might mean (48:40).And of course, Conor McGregor’s back in the headlines. Petesy and the boys dissect his recent “spiritual journey” comments (54:30).To close the show, the guys answer your Super Chats (1:06:15).
undefined
Oct 23, 2025 • 1h 29min

UFC 321 Preview: The Tom Aspinall Era Begins, Fight Feasts: Best Fish & Chips in NYC | The Boys in the Back

The Boys in the Back are locked in for UFC 321, so join them as they preview the card, starting with the main event that pits UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall against foe Ciryl Gane (01:51).After breaking down the the vacant UFC strawweight title fight between Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern (23:24), the Boys hit the rest of the stacked main card (31:40) and prelims (49:21).Finally, they make picks (1:03:14) and debut a brand new Fight Feasts, in which GC searches for NYC's best fish and chips (1:15:18).
undefined
Oct 22, 2025 • 2h 42min

Kurt Angle, Payton Talbott, Aiemann Zahabi, Frank Warren, UFC 321 preview, more

Vibes are high today on The Ariel Helwani Show, as Ariel gives his thoughts on the premiere of Uncrowned Films’ first entry, “What is BKFC?” (10:15).Wrestling legend Kurt Angle joins the show on a special date, the anniversary of his first WWE title win — against The Rock — and the anniversary of his first interview with Ariel. They discuss his upcoming commentary gig for Real American Freestyle, Hulk Hogan recruiting him for the role, Vince McMahon’s influence in shaping his WWE heel persona and promo work, Colby Covington using his entrance music, and more (16:32).Payton Talbott is back to break down his upcoming fight against Henry Cejudo, talking about the difficulty of finding opponents, his respect for Cejudo and their past training sessions together, not seeking favorable matchups and wanting to test himself, and his recent rock-climbing expedition, and more (45:02).Aiemann Zahabi returns to the show following his big win over Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC Vancouver, revealing he broke his forearm in the fight, responding to Vera’s claims he was robbed by the judges, doubling down on his Sean O’Malley callout, admitting his respect for bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, and more (1:13:05).Promoter Frank Warren is the final guest of the day, previewing the heavyweight clash between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley, then touching on Moses Itauma’s potential next opponent, Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the space, Queensbury’s 2026 plans, whether Tyson Fury will return, and shares memories of Ricky Hatton (1:51:10).Ariel answers your Super Chats to wrap up the show (2:20:23).
undefined
Oct 21, 2025 • 4h 27min

Boots Ennis and Jazmyn Nyx in studio, Bo Nickal, Anthony Pettis, Andy Foster, On the Nose, more

Ariel Helwani starts the show by celebrating the Blue Jays’ ALCS win, before pivoting to some Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane talk (03:52).Next, The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to answer On The Nose questions, including thoughts on the likelihood of Conor McGregor fighting at the White House, Frankie Edgar’s false start with BKFC, the mysterious phone image at UFC Vancouver, and even the debut trailer for Uncrowned’s first film (12:43)Anthony Pettis honors coach Duke Roufus, who tragically died last week, opening up about their special relationship, dealing with the emotions, and reliving memories from their championship-winning partnership (42:56).Jade Gentile, formerly known as Jazmyn Nyx during her NXT tenure, joins Ariel in-studio to discuss her early soccer career, her WWE tryout, why she decided to turn down WWE’s offer after not getting a raise, receiving reality TV opportunities, controversial comments by her boyfriend that drew backlash from the wrestling community, being open to remaining in wrestling, and more (59:10).Bo Nickal is back to preview his UFC 322 matchup with Rodolfo Vieira, speaking about not having a game plan for Reinier de Ridder and being humbled by his first career loss, his analysis of de Ridder’s loss to Brendan Allen, and the potential of fighting Khamzat Chimaev at the White House (1:57:58).Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is in-studio following an impressive victory in his 154-pound debut, touching on the difficulty of the cut to 147 pounds, his love of Philadelphia and the city’s sports teams, eyeing the Vergil Ortiz Jr. fight next, believing he’s the best in the world, the proposed Ali Revival Act, wanting to fight in the UK, training and sparring with Canelo, and makes a prediction for Jake Paul vs. ‘Tank’ Davis (2:26:08).California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster joins to discuss the Ali Revival Act, defending the bill from ‘negativity’ and explaining why it would help boxing, acknowledging the potential for creation of a league format in boxing, the loss of top end boxing broadcasters and its impact on the sport’s economics, addressing the lack of boxers and boxing promoters at the CSAC public hearing, before closing with a back-and-forth about recent officiating blunders (3:11:15).The show ends with Ariel answering your Super Chats (4:04:56).

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app