The Ariel Helwani Show

The Craic is back! As usual, Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall and Ben “Big Time” Fowlkes.This week’s biggest story is the escalating back-and-forth between Dana White and Francis Ngannou. The crew breaks down their interviews and what the exchange really means (5:05).Next up, the lads tackle whether Merab Dvalishvili still deserves Fighter Of The Year after his loss to Petr Yan, and who might take the spot instead (38:48).Another end-of-year competition comes to a close with the Uncrowned MMA picks, and Ben Fowlkes addresses his disappointing bottom-of-the-table finish (49:21).Finally, Petesy and the guys preview UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape (53:21) and answer your Super Chats (1:09:30).

The Boys in the Back submit their final show of the year, starting with some news and notes, including Kron Gracie being forced out of his VFL fight (02:49) and Islam Makhachev defending a potential Kamaru Usman title shot (04:04).After a conversation about the massive amount of turnover for UFC champions in 2025 (22:42), the Boys preview UFC Vegas 112 (41:18) and PFL Lyon (1:14:39), before touching on John Cena's retirement match (1:25:45) and making picks (1:35:53).The Boys deliver their P4P lists of finales (1:40:48), then answer your voicemails (2:05:22) and Super Chats (3:00:47).

Ariel Helwani begins the show by reviewing the latest war of words between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili after it first appeared they'd buried the hatchet (02:19).Francis Ngannou returns to talk about being approached to fight Jake Paul, his prediction for Paul’s fight against Anthony Joshua, his relationship and contract status with PFL, who he might fight next, Ciryl Gane’s eye-poke on Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira’s chances against Jon Jones, and address Dana White’s claim that Ngannou put hands on him (16:50).Ariel hits some news and notes and answers a few questions (1:02:28), before welcoming Chris Duncan back to the show to discuss his thrilling UFC 323 win, feeling that Terrance McKinney fights scared, sacrifices he’s making to become a champion, Donald Cerrone being his favorite fighter, and more (1:30:16).Jalin Turner joins on the heels of his first-round finish of Edson Barboza to talk about sharing the cage with a legend, overcoming mental hurdles and personal tragedy to make it back to the UFC, plans in motion for a massive 2026, and more (2:03:59).Ariel answers On The Nose questions about champions of years past facing modern stars, timing for UFC’s White House card, and more (2:25:22).Tatsuro Taira stops by to recap his big win over Brandon Moreno, witnessing the injury to Alexandre Pantoja from cageside, believing he will fight champion Joshua Van next, being willing to fight Van anywhere but hoping for Japan, and more (2:58:31).Ariel does another round of On The Nose questions, before answering Super Chats to end the show (3:29:23).

Ariel Helwani starts the show with On The Nose, touching on the heated back-and-forth between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jamahal Hill, why MMA retirements don’t stick, how Paramount will recoup its UFC investment and how that impacts fighter pay, and more (11:24).Maycee Barber is back to break down her UFC 323 win over Karine Silva, discussing her health heading into the fight, the illegal upkicks she received, chasing a title shot, wanting to rematch Alexa Grasso, not being impressed by Valentina Shevchenko’s performance against Zhang Weili, and more (1:03:51).Mansur Abdul-Malik brings his infectious energy to the show, talking about his first-round submission of Antonio Trocoli at UFC 323, how his MMA journey started, being inspired by Rory MacDonald, why he’s so intense while preparing for fights, honoring his father and realizing his dreams, and more (1:28:16).Kron Gracie joins Ariel in-studio to reflect on his UFC career, talk about his departure from the promotion, fan reaction to him pulling guard, training with Gilbert Melendez, growing up with Rickson as a father, his unique training techniques, his perspective on earning jiu-jitsu black belts, and more (2:04:45).WBC women’s lightweight champion Caroline Dubois is our final guest of the day, discussing her signing with Most Valuable Promotions, leaving Boxxer, fighting on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua card, wanting to fight Alycia Baumgardner, and more (3:10:40).Ariel answers more On The Nose questions and Super Chats to close the show (3:34:31).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with his reaction to UFC 323, including the excellence of Petr Yan in his upset win over Merab Dvalishvili, Joshua Van becoming the second-youngest champion in UFC history, Henry Cejudo’s retirement, and more (02:38).Dr. Brian Sutterer MD joins to discuss Alexandre Pantoja’s elbow injury, UFC initially suggesting it was a shoulder injury, the timetable for Pantoja’s return, MMA’s overall injury risks, Tom Aspinall’s eye injury and continued complications, and more (45:08).Ariel reacts to Dana White’s recent comments about Aspinall, and the latest updates about the White House card (59:35).Joshua Van joins on the heels of his UFC 323 victory over Pantoja to talk about becoming the second-youngest champion in promotional history, his view of Pantoja’s injury, wanting to rematch Pantoja, bringing the belt to his father’s grave, potentially fighting Tatsuro Taira, his response to those criticizing his celebration, and more (1:16:43).Coach John Wood returns to break down Merab’s performance at UFC 323, including Merab’s preparation, whether Merab relied too much on his striking, telling Merab he was ahead in the fight between rounds, plus, a check-in on Gina Carano as she returns to training, and more (1:34:57).Payton Tablott is back after the biggest win of his career to discuss Henry Cejudo’s game plan for UFC 323, their past training sessions and respect, who he wants to fight next, Merab’s performance, his wild interaction with Adin Ross, Winged C’s tattoo claims, and more (2:02:12).The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to cover some news and notes, including Dana White weighing in on Terence Crawford being stripped of his WBC belt and Arman Tsarukyan’s path back to the title, UFC announcing some new fights including Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira, Conor McGregor’s linkup with Mike Tyson, and more (2:31:42).Ariel answers your Super Chats to wrap up the show (3:50:27).

Ariel Helwani is joined by Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall to react to UFC 323, starting with Petr Yan's stunning upset of Merab Dvalishvili (01:48).Next, they discuss the co-main event, which saw Joshua Van become the second-youngest champion in UFC history due to Alexandre Pantoja suffering an arm injury early in the fight (26:20).After touching on the performances of Tatsuro Taira (43:50), Payton Talbott (47:12) and Jan Blachowicz (56:13), 3PAC recaps the night's prelims (58:48).The show concludes with a review of some newly announced fights for UFC 325 (1:04:22) and Chuck's final thoughts (1:11:28).

The Craic is back to kick off the festive season.With Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunited, they open the show by giving their take on the recent UFC on Paramount fight card announcements (4:21).Then, the lads get into this weekend’s fights at UFC 323 and debate whether a win over Petr Yan would cement Merab Dvalishvili as fighter of the year (17:03).The flyweight division is also host to some big matchups. The trio break down former champ Henry Cejudo taking on rising prospect Payton Talbott (42:30), and the co-main event barnburner between champ Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van (47:25).The guys give updates on TKO’s attempt to push the Ali Revival Act through Congress (49:08).To close out the show, the crew provide updates on Conor McGregor’s legal cases (1:02:09), make their picks for this weekend’s fights (1:04:26), and answer your Super Chats (1:10:15).

The hosts dive into the TKO-backed Ali Revival Act, discussing its implications for boxing governance. They react to outrageous fight announcements, including Joshua versus Jake Paul and Usman versus Islam rumors. UFC 323 takes center stage with in-depth previews of key matchups, like Merab vs. Piotr Jan and the co-main featuring Josh Van against Alexandre Pantoja. The chatter gets lively with a fun segment ranking absurd fights and engaging with listener voicemails, exploring everything from meal plans to rehydration clauses!

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to Terence Crawford being stripped of the WBC super middleweight title, Mike Tyson’s support for the Ali Revival Act, Oleksandr Usyk’s feelings on Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, and more (03:07).TNA President Carlos Silva joins to talk about the promotion’s new broadcast deal with AMC, how the deal came to be, plans for 2026, TNA’s relationship with WWE, Joe Hendry joining WWE, and more (17:44).Bill Haney is back to discuss his son, including his review of Devin’s last performance, their relationship with Eddie Hearn, potential next fights against the likes of Ryan Garcia, Conor Benn, and Rolly Romero, his stance on the Ali Revival Act, and more (47:38).Chris Bungard joins Ariel in-studio to talk about his run with Cage Warriors, being a free agent with several offers on the table, the origin of his ‘Bad Guy’ nickname, some of his thrilling walkouts, including a Bray Wyatt tribute, his love of Bret Hart and pro wrestling, wanting to fight Dillon Danis, hanging out with comedians Shane Gillis and Theo Von, and more (1:18:06).Malcolm Wellmaker returns on the heels of his UFC 322 defeat to talk about accepting the fight on short-notice, what he knew about Ethyn Ewing heading into the fight, being devastated by the loss, technical mistakes he made, when he plans to get back in the cage, and more (2:15:28).Abdullah Mason, the youngest active male champion in boxing, makes his show debut to discuss his win over Sam Noakes, his feelings on Keyshawn Davis and lessons learned, having the support of Cleveland behind him, how he got his start in boxing, and more (2:45:44).Ariel is joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll to cover some news and notes, including Colby Covington vs. Luke Rockhold being announced for Real American Freestyle, Henry Cejudo saying UFC 323 will be his retirement, the future of UFC on Paramount, Terence Crawford’s strong response to the WBC stripping him, before wrapping up with your Super Chats (3:08:04).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with On The Nose, answering your questions about the UFC 324 main event, Ronda Rousey’s comeback, how to convert casual fans, and more (05:14).Tom Aspinall returns for his first interview since UFC 321, responding to critics who believe was looking for a way out, discussing what he learned from the experience, his behind-the-scenes exchange with Daniel Cormier, comments about switching to boxing made by his father Andy, Ciryl Gane being a tough matchup, Dana White’s reaction after the fight, Jon Jones’ barbs, his potential timeline for return, and more (1:01:28).Sean O’Malley joins next to preview his fight against Song Yadong at UFC 324, talk about how he landed on Song as an opponent, the card order for UFC 324, Ilia Topuria being out to start the year, the footage of his sparring with Alexandre Pantoja, and more (1:59:32).Arnold Allen returns to discuss the shoulder injury that kept him out of action since 2024, his upcoming fight against Jean Silva, being offered the short-notice Aaron Pico fight, Diego Lopes getting the title shot over Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev, the fan reaction to Tom Aspinall’s recent videos, his viral joke about being jumped in Montreal for not speaking French, and more (2:31:10).Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (3:06:47).