The Ariel Helwani Show

On the the UFC 308 Post-Show, Ariel Helwani gives his immediate reaction to Ilia Topuria star-making performance against Max Holloway, including the knockout itself, Topuria's next fight and Conor McGregor's social media responses (53:22).Then, he covers Khamzat Chimaev's return to his dominant ways, finishing Robert Whittaker and setting up a potential title opportunity (21:21). Finally, Helwani recaps the rest of the night's action (29:48).

Denis Geiko from Russian-focused MMA publication, Red Corner, returns to The Craic to talk Khamzat Chimaev opening up on depression, Islam Makhachev possibly facing the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway and the Russian contingent at UFC 308 (06:45).Lerone Murphy also joins the show to preview the biggest test of his career against Dan Ige and dive deeper on his nickname 'The Miracle' (40:08). 

On the second episode of The Boys in the Back, Eric Jackman (NewYorkRic) and Conner Burks (GC) react to recent comments by PFL's Donn Davis and then deep dive on the UFC 308 main event between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway (02:12).Executive Producer Ariel Helwani crashes the show (again) to give a scorching hot take/prediction (43:32).Next, the Boys break down the UFC 308 co-main event and Khamzat Chimaev's potential (01:12:38).Plus, the relaunch of Fight Feasts, a new segment debuts, and your questions answered with the help of Mysterious Frank (01:35:53).

Ariel Helwani and The Boys in the Back kick things off by answering your On the Nose questions about UFC 308, Khamzat Chimaev's bizarre UFC journey, Donn Davis' most outlandish claims, what it's like to cover fighters you intimately know, Uncrowned's next live show, go-to karaoke songs, and much more (15:58).Uncrowned's Chuck Mindenhall and Shaheen Al-Shatti join Ariel to preview all things UFC 308 (01:03:08).Arnold Allen discusses Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, wanting a fight against Yair Rodriguez, his dreams of growing a mullet, touring Buckingham Palace, his bathroom adventures, his YouTube channel, and more (01:32:28).Rico Verhoeven discusses a potential Francis Ngannou showdown, his past training sessions with Ngannou, why the two clicked, his next GLORY heavyweight kickboxing title defense, whether the Ngannou fight could actually happen, Alex Pereira's remarkable UFC success, and more (02:06:28).Regis Prograis previews the Jack Catterall fight against and discusses his Devin Haney loss, why he plans to do bare-knuckle boxing before his career is over, whether Conor McGregor is potential future opponent, his love-hate relationship with Matchroom, and more (02:33:21).Tom Lawlor discusses the intricacies of the $375M settlement in the UFC antitrust lawsuit, why the UFC veteran and pro wrestling star is happy with the result, changes that may result from these lawsuits, the possibility of a fighters' union forming in the future, his wrestling career, and more (03:01:31).

Ariel and the Boys in the Back kick off the show by diving into the craziness kicked up by Craig Jones in the great Brendan Schaub vs. Nate Diaz debate (10:42).Aleksandar Rakic discusses his UFC 308 fight against Magomed Ankalaev, what went wrong with his past two bouts, Khalil Rountree's recent title challenge against Alex Pereira, whether a title shot is on the line against Ankalaev, and more (42:19).Eric Nicksick discusses Francis Ngannou's knockout win over Renan Ferreira, the emotional dump of the experience, enlisting Tom Aspinall to help with strategy, what he wants next for Ngannou, their conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo, how Ferreira motivated Ngannou, whether a Rico Verhoeven superfight is a viable option, Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, and more (01:01:02).Dan Hardy discusses the fallout from Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, whether it was a late stoppage, how many peak years Ngannu could have left, Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, whether Holloway is better at lightweight rather than featherweight, Johnny Eblen's place in the middleweight landscape, and more (01:29:20).Dan Hooker discusses his recent travels, the fallout from his victory over Mateusz Gamrot, his recent interactions with Conor McGregor, whether a bare-knuckle fight is somewhere in his future, if a McGregor fight is actually a possibility next, where Justin Gaethje fits in the lightweight mix, and more (02:00:51). 

Ariel Helwani and The Boys in the Back kick off the show by looking back at the busy weekend in combat, headlined by Francis Ngannou's big win (09:26).Francis Ngannou discusses his thunderous PFL debut against Renan Ferreira, his emotional reaction to the experience, fears and nerves beforehand, his locker room conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo, the decision to wrestle Ferreira, whether it was a late stoppage, Jon Jones' reaction, if he's going to continue fighting, potential boxing matches, whether he's the GOAT heavyweight, PFL Africa plans, and more (34:53).Paul Hughes discusses his massive PFL win over AJ McKee, problems with his training camp, knowing he'd catch McKee with a knee, the madness of one judge scoring the fight for McKee, his fired-up post-fight interview, why he gassed after the first round, his callout of Usman Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor's involvement, and more (01:06:03).Craig Jones discusses his adventures since CJI, having lunch with Pablo Escobar's sister, the success of CJI, the struggles of ADCC, Mo Jassim stepping down as ADCC head organizer, fighting Jassim in Karate Combat, how CJI performed compared to ADCC, his match with Gabi Garcia, when CJI 2 will happen, a Nate Diaz vs. Brendan Schaub grappling match, Gordon Ryan, and more (01:31:22).UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili discusses his life since beating Sean O'Malley, the incredible scenes in Georgia following his win, his conversation with Turki Alalshikh, O'Malley's calls for a rematch, why he went easy on O'Malley in their fight, reports of Umar Nurmagomedov potentially fighting again before a title shot, and more (02:03:36).Anthony Hernandez discusses his UFC Vegas 99 main event win over Michel Pereira, how Pereira woke him up early in the fight, why he expects to be UFC champ in a year, honoring his father's legacy, and more (02:35:01).

It's a 3PAC reunion on the Helwanivision Post Show. Ariel Helwani is joined by Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall to give their immediate reactions to the PFL Battle of the Giants PPV. The boys talk Francis Ngannou's emotional win (08:31), whether he's truly the Baddest Man on the Planet, what's next for the lineal heavyweight champion, snd whether the UFC would co-promote with PFL to book Ngannou x Jones. Plus, Paul Hughes' arrival as a major player (42:07), Cris Cyborg's continued success, and notes from the rest of the night's fights (50:07).

U.K. MMA legend and head of talent operations for PFL, Dan Hardy (04:19), joins the video debut of The Craic to give insight on Francis Ngannou and all things PFL: Battle of the Giants. Paul Hughes (33:39) also joins the show ahead of the biggest test of his life when he meets A.J. McKee in the opening fight of the main card. 

Alex Pereira stops by The Ariel Helwani Show for a special Thursday bonus episode (04:21)!The UFC star and savior of 2024 joins Ariel Helwani to talk the status of a heavyweight move, Jamahal Hill's trash talk, Jake Paul's challenge, a targeted date for his UFC return, Steven Seagal's advice, Israel Adesanya's recent comments, Magomed Ankalaev, his near pull-out from UFC 307, plus much more.Then, Ariel gives an update on the bantamweight division (43:19), and finishes things up by answering questions from the SuperChatters (45:56).

On the debut episode of The Boy in the Back, Eric Jackman (NewYorkRic) and Conner Burks (GC) speak to The Mac Life's Oscar Willis (12:04) on the heels of his impressive BKFC win, preview PFL's Battle of the Giants PPV and answer your questions live (01:36:46) from the chat with the help of Mysterious Frank. Plus, Ariel Helwani crashes the show (02:01:47).