The Ariel Helwani Show

On the debut edition of On the Nose (8:47) of the Uncrowned era, Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back answer your questions about the transition to the new era, UFC's Contender Series, the job of MMA media, and more.Chris Eubank Jr. (21:26) discusses his IBO middleweight title win over Kamil Szremeta, his viral comments about why he signed with Boxxer, his various encounters with Conor Benn, the status of the Benn fight and targeted dates, his strained relationship with his father, betting on himself to eventually land Canelo Alvarez, and more.Flyweight GOAT Demetrious Johnson (01:07:50) walks us through his journey to retirement and discusses what led to the decision, his emotional announcement, favorite moments from his Hall of Fame career, his quest to reach perfection, regrets, whether UFC or ONE Championship won the trade, dream fights and MMA GOATS, plus more.Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (2:33:33) beams in from Riyadh to discuss Saturday's title rematch against Fabian Edwards at PFL: Battle of the Giants, the truth behind their alleged spitting incident, what it's like to spar Sean Strickland, a potential light heavyweight title bout against Corey Anderson, Sean O'Malley's comments on Monday's show, Derek Brunson's recent callout, and more.Brandon Royval  (3:00:42) discusses his UFC main event win over Tatsuro Taira, following through on his desire to train with Taira, the timing of the next flyweight title fight, why he hopes Kai Asakura shakes up the division at UFC 310, Dana White's recent comments, why he's delighting in causing the UFC matchmakers headaches, his willingness to spend every penny he owns building a youth center in his hometown of Denver, and more.On the Nose continues (3:18:57) with questions about the lineal BMF champion, phone addiction, the great Parlay Pals vs. Parlay Boys debate, and much more. Tom Aspinall also calls in from Wednesday's WWE event to share his unexpected in-ring encounter. 

UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (31:51) discusses his UFC 308 title defense against Max Holloway, why the BMF belt isn't on the line, his plan for Holloway in the first 10 seconds of the bout, why he bought his own BMF belt, his viral reaction to Holloway's knockout of Justin Gaethje, why Alexander Volkanovski was a much tougher challenge than Holloway, Conor McGregor's comments about him, challenging Islam Makhachev at lightweight, and more.Renato Moicano (01:03:22) reflects on his UFC Paris win over Benoit Saint Denis, his viral shoulder injury, Paddy Pimblett, Dan Hooker, his first trip to Europe, world history, taxes, why he wanted to finish Saint Denis with a guillotine, getting beaten up by Dustin Poirier, the UFC rankings, and more.Kayla Harrison (01:32:47) reacts to her UFC 307 win over Ketlen Vieira and dishes on her back-and-forth with UFC champ Julianna Peña, Peña's callout of Amanda Nunes, why PFL executives continue to take shots, going to the hospital during her latest cut down to 135 pounds, Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco, homeschooling her children, and more.Dustin Poirier (02:01:29) unveils his plans for the final chapter of his career and discusses why he's 95% certain he'll be able to get it done, not wanting to wait, what's keeping him around, his recent run-in with Conor McGregor, the possibility of a Justin Gaethje trilogy fight, rematching Dan Hooker, and more.Ade Oladipo (02:43:36) joins for a sneak peek of Uncrowned and DAZN's new boxing show "Ariel x Ade," plus riffs on Beterbiev vs. Bivol, Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, the possibility of a rematch for Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua, the saga of Conor Benn, Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake, and more.

The new era of The Ariel Helwani Show and Uncrowned kicks off with a loaded lineup.After a spirited intro (02:25) where he runs down all the new shows coming to our channel, Ariel is joined by NewYorkRic, Conner Burks and Petesy Carroll to look back at the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol and the controversial scorecards. The crew briefly touches on Brandon Royval's win over Tatsuro Taira and the two title fights announced for UFC 310.Francis Ngannou is the show's debut guest (49:29), opening up about dealing with the tragic death of his son and refocusing on MMA after boxing Anthony Joshua. Ngannou goes on to respond to Dana White's comment about his earnings, preview his fight against Renan Ferreira, and pick his winner in the upcoming Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight.Next, Michael Chandler joins the show to talk about the Conor McGregor fight being cancelled, his booking against Charles Oliveira being a No. 1 contender fight, and who he thinks will win between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan (01:29:05).Sean O'Malley returns and gives an update on his recovery from hip surgery and expresses his desire for a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili (02:00:05). O'Malley combats the narrative of being dominated by Dvalishvili and explains why he thinks the champion is scared of Umar Nurmagomedov.UFC women's bantamweight champion Julianna Peña reunites with the 'Parlay Boys' to explain why she believes the judges got it right at UFC 307 before taking aim at Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison (02:30:27).Finally, interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall returns to properly celebrate his UFC 304 win, go deep on overcoming pre-fight nerves, definitively announce he's the backup for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, and respond to Francis Ngannou claiming he's still the best heavyweight in the world (03:04:22).Before we say goodbye, the boys surprise Ariel with a message from his closest friends in the biz and family (03:46:29).

This week’s episode takes a look at English Premier League giants Arsenal revising its post-match protocol after Conor McGregor found his way onto the pitch for an impromptu kick about with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. The great Philip O’Connor returns to discuss why the English football club are taking this so seriously, if the club really thought McGregor could injure Saka and how the former double champion missed an open goal by not challenging Rice on changing his international affiliation from Ireland to England (03:33). John Nash, the north star on all things related to the UFC antitrust lawsuit, gives us the low down on the latest motion in the case that saw former fighters give morbid insights into their post-fighting lives as they urge the judge to settle the suit for $375 million (33:37). 

Ariel and the boys are back to recap UFC 307 (3:46) and then look ahead. Who does Alex Pereira fight next and will it be at light heavyweight or heavyweight? (20:42) Plus, they discuss whether Pereira locked up Fight and Fighter of the Year on Saturday night.Julianna Peña reclaimed the UFC women's bantamweight title, so will it be Amanda Nunes or Kayla Harrison who she faces in her first defense? (49:33)Then, they circle back to the rest of UFC 307 (59:53), including Mario Bautista's victory against Jose Aldo and whether it was the right booking , Roman Dolidze vs. Kevin Holland ending via injury, and Joaquin Buckley with another big win at welterweight.Finally, they wrap up with a look at the weekend in combat sports (1:16:51), headlined by Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol from Saudi Arabia.

Ariel reacts to UFC 307, including the thrilling main event between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr. (01:26)Then he weighs in on Julianna Peña recapturing gold in a controversial decision (18:28), Kayla Harrison remaining undefeated in the UFC, and what could be next for the women’s bantamweight division.

The Craic is back and this week Petesy previews UFC 307.Fresh off cornering Merab Dvalishvili to UFC gold, John Wood looks to upset the apple cart again when he leads Khalil Rountree Jr. into battle with promotional golden goose, Alex Pereira. Wood joins the show to discuss Rountree Jr. embracing his underdog status, being bolstered by Dvalishvilli’s win and much more (04:41)The Man in The Hat, Chuck Mindenhall, is reunited with his 3PAC brother to discuss whether the 'untouchable theory' applies to Alex Pereira (34:02). According to the theory, when a champion is perceived to be at their most powerful state, against an unassuming challenger, all kinds of crazy can occur. But is Chuck picking against his fellow Danbury native?Petesy talks about difficult selfies, growing a beard and gives his pick for 'Underdog of the Week' (01:02:26).

First up, Ariel and the boys react to UFC Paris on Saturday (05:45). They discuss what has gone wrong with Benoît Saint Denis and how amazing Renato Moicano has looked as of late. In addition, they talk about Moicano’s incredible post-fight promo and a potential fight against Paddy Pimblett. The boys also discuss the rest of the card, including Bryan Battle’s heel promo on the French crowd.Later, they talk about the bizarre circumstances surrounding boxer Sandy Ryan getting paint thrown on her as she headed to MSG fight Mikaela Mayer on Friday (28:04).Then, the discussion shifts to the upcoming PFL PPV main card and whether the card is worth the price tag (35:27).Finally, the boys preview UFC 307 and all the storylines heading into Saturday’s event (42:27) and finish up with a review of the Mr. McMahon documentary on Netflix (56:22), as well as a recap of the recent UFC class action lawsuit settlement news (1:04:34).

One of the foremost French voices in the sport, Guillaume Duseaux of La Sueur, joins the show to set the table for UFC's big Paris card and explains the explosion in popularity MMA has witnessed in the country since the sport’s legalization in 2020. Following up his pick of Merab Dvalishvili — which brought home the first parlay of The Ariel Helwani Show's new era — Petesy speaks to his “Underdog of the Week” Kevin Jousset, who takes on Bryan Battle in Paris. The 2-0 UFC welterweight explains why he went to Scotland to learn to speak English, training with Alex Volkanovski in Australia, moving to City Kickboxing and his pursuit of Ian Machado Garry. Petesy details his experience covering an MMA event in Paris and explains why he thinks the popularity of the sport in the country is difficult for the English-speaking community to comprehend.

In this discussion, heavyweight boxer Daniel Dubois shares his shocking KO victory over Anthony Joshua, leaving listeners buzzing about the implications for Joshua’s future. Conor McGregor hints at his possible return in 2025, teasing fans with what’s next for the charismatic fighter. UFC president Dana White weighs in on boxing’s evolving landscape and his own ambitions. The hosts also reflect on the electric atmosphere of Wembley Stadium and the cultural significance of combat sports in the UK.