The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani and the Boys in the Back are back and start by reacting to Daniel Dubois' controversial fight-day gathering (08:46).Robert Whittaker joins before his headliner in Abu Dhabi against the streaking Reinier de Ridder to discuss his dream retirement fight, having his sixth kid, Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev, Australia’s UFC takeover, sparring Tim Tszyu and Jai Opetaia, and more (16:20).Bruce "Shu Shu" Carrington stops by in-studio to preview his match against Mateus Heita for the vacant WBC interim featherweight title. He tells Ariel about his start in boxing, being mentored by Mike Tyson, Top Rank’s next move, his desire to fight Inoue, Jake Paul, and more (45:04).Ateba Gautier, UFC middleweight contender coming off of a bonus-winning knockout at UFC 318, joins to discuss his unreal punching power, comparisons to fellow Cameroonian Francis Ngannou, looking up to Lerone Murphy, street fights before MMA, and more (1:33:47).AJ McKee returns following his win at PFL Africa and shares his thoughts on fighting at featherweight, rebounding after a loss, his Zulu-inspired outfit, PFL’s lacking American product, retiring at 35, changing his mindset, and more (1:58:00).Ariel closes the show with a tribute to the late, great Ozzy Osbourne and his reaction to the back-and-forth between Renato Moicano and Brendan Schaub over Moicano rejecting the UFC's settlement money (2:31:23).

Ariel Helwani starts the show by paying homage to Dustin Poirier’s career after his Max Holloway retirement fight at UFC 318. The crew joins to offer their thoughts and recap the rest of the packed weekend, including Oleksandr Usyk’s big win over Daniel Dubois and Manny Pacquiao’s shocking draw. (05:26).Newly crowned PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis calls in after his fifth-round rear-naked choke finish of Johnny Eblen. He discusses the win, transitioning from Bellator to PFL, training with Mousasi, his brother’s MMA journey, and more (1:22:30).Paulo Costa is back after beating Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 to talk about coming back after back-to-back losses, shaking during the press conference, his hatred for Khamzat Chimaev, his ideal return, and more (1:50:08).Daniel Rodriguez is next after his back-and-forth victory against Kevin Holland. He speaks on the story behind his tattoos, not getting a bonus, his three-fight win streak, and more (2:14:08).TNA superstar AJ Francis is the first in-studio guest and joins after Slammiversary to share his thoughts on leaving the WWE, meeting The Rock, his NFL career, what went wrong with Hit Row, and much more (2:32:28).Eric Bischoff, chief media officer of Real American Freestyle Wrestling, joins in-studio to get into signing with Fox Nation, the stress of launching a promotion, signing Bo Nickal, Hulk Hogan’s involvement, and stories from his time with WWE and WCW (3:19:31).The legendary Dustin Poirier closes the day after his retirement war with Max Holloway at UFC 318. He discusses ending his career in Louisiana, jumping the gilly, Lil Wayne’s walkout, filming "Fightville 2," and more (4:04:29).Ariel and the crew tie a bow on the show by answering your Superchats (4:39:07).

Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall react to the aftermath of UFC 318, starting with Max Holloway’s impressive victory against Dustin Poirier (01:26).After paying tribute to Poirier (10:17), who called it a career, they move on to Paulo Costa’s return to form in his victory against Roman Kopylov (14:50), Daniel Rodriguez’s back-and-forth war with Kevin Holland (20:54), Patricio Pitbull’s much-needed victory over Dan Ige (23:58), and Michael Johnson’s huge upset victory over Daniel Zellhuber to open the main card (28:00), before looking back at the prelims (29:31).Then, they switch gears and recap action from around the combat sports world, starting with 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao earning a majority draw against Mario Barrios (33:16), and a pair of rematches, with Sebastian Fundora overwhelming Tim Tszyu (34:19) and Oleksandr Usyk leaving no doubt this time against Daniel Dubois (35:54).Finally, they move to PFL Africa, with Dakota Ditcheva’s dominant win over Sumiko Inaba (44:37) and Costello van Steenis’ comeback against Johnny Eblen (49:15), before offering their closing thoughts. (52:52) 

With a stacked combat sports weekend ahead, Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes kick things off by debating which bout carries the highest stakes (6:22).One of those matchups is Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier. The crew dives into their favorite storylines surrounding this trilogy clash (14:03).Arguably the biggest fight of the weekend is Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2. Can Dubois upset the applecart? The trio break down how the undisputed heavyweight title bout might unfold (34:25).The PFL is also making waves with its event in Cape Town, South Africa. Petesy and the boys discuss the promotion beating the UFC to the punch in hosting an African card (47:41).To close out the show, the trifecta tackle Manny Pacquiao’s polarizing return (1:03:40), before wrapping up with Petesy’s Guinness-fueled New York vlog alongside The Boys In The Back (01:15:02).  

The Boys in the Back kick off a stacked show with their reaction to Jon Jones' appearance at the ESPYS, stating he's 'back' and ready to fight at the White House (01:30).Then, they head down to the Big Easy, paying homage to the legendary career of Dustin Poirier ahead of his last dance against Max Holloway (10:53), before breaking down the UFC 318 main event in detail (24:22). They preview co-main event, Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov, and the rest of the card, including the prelims (47:18).Next, they debut a brand new Fight Feasts (1:12:56), showcasing Cajun food, before turning attention to PFL Africa (1:29:09), Usyk-Dubois 2, and Manny Pacquiao's return from retirement against Mario Barrios (1:35:01).After making picks (1:40:39), they give their P4P hot sauce rankings (1:49:19), listen to your voicemails (2:06:35), and answer Super Chats (2:38:59).

Ariel Helwani begins the show with a brief celebration of GC’s birthday and by answering your On the Nose questions (08:47).Thad Jean is the first guest of the day, and he joins in-studio on his birthday before his PFL welterweight tournament final against Logan Storley. He discusses transitioning from football to MMA, his Haitian roots, becoming the face of PFL, and more (41:55).TNA superstar Mike Santana is next up in-studio ahead of his ‘Slammiversary’ main event match and shares incredible stories of his father and tough upbringing, going to rehab, leaving AEW, TNA’s growth, and more (1:22:19).Ariel turns back to your On the Nose questions and breaks some news about Darren Till and Tony Ferguson's next fights (1:55:57).Joseph Parker is next up and calls for the winner of Usyk-Dubois 2. He vents about not getting the undisputed shot, working with Frank Warren, and we hear from his fired-up coach, George Lockhart (2:16:08).Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao makes his debut on the show before his in-ring return against WBC champion Mario Barrios to discuss his four-year layoff, fighting at 46, boxing’s changes since his retirement, and more (2:38:15).Tim Tszyu closes the lineup out with a preview of his highly-anticipated rematch against Sebastian Fundora. He delves into his relationship with Australian UFC fighters, his motivations after losing his belt, and the changes to his strategy, among other topics (2:55:14).Ariel and the crew end the day by answering more On The Nose questions and your Super Chats (3:14:48).

Ariel Helwani and Ade Oladipo kick things off with the weekend recap, starting with Hamzah Sheeraz’s huge knockout of Edgar Berlanga (04:49) and Shakur Stevenson’s back-and-forth victory against William Zepeda (07:43), and Ade makes a bold claim for Hamzah’s next fight. Nakisa Bidarian is the first guest up and breaks down MVP’s record-breaking Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3 event, highlighting its significance for women’s sports and what could be next for the biggest stars in the sport, including Jake Paul and Claressa Shields (14:43).After a quick debate about Ariel’s in-ring interview with Ramla Ali following her controversial victory (41:12), the duo is joined by Queensberry’s Frank Warren to discuss the possibility of Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Canelo Alvarez and this weekend’s undisputed heavyweight blockbuster: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2 (47:01).BKFC founder David Feldman closes the show, confronting Ade over his criticism of bare-knuckle fighting while breaking down their upcoming tournament, developing young fighters, and drops some news about Conor McGregor’s return (1:01:18).Next up, they buy or sell on Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios (1:18:21), Shakur Stevenson vs. Conor Benn (1:20:11) and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis' future (1:23:01), before looking ahead to thiz weekend's action (1:25:46) and delivering the Parting Shots (1:27:11).

Ariel Helwani begins the show with some news and notes, before Chris Curtis calls in — on his birthday — to talk about his hard-fought win over Max Griffin, his return to welterweight, his altercation at Tuff-N-Uff, his struggles at middleweight, and more (06:39).Steve Garcia is next up after his big win over Calvin Kattar to discuss wanting a headliner next, fighting up the rankings, putting together a six-fight win streak, and more (28:10).Legendary wrestler Bill Goldberg joins to reflect on his final WWE bout and reveals his feelings on fighting for the heavyweight title, his disappointments in the delivery, competing on three-weeks notice, working with Gunther, his relationship with Triple H, and more (48:05).Mario Barrios joins the show before his WBC welterweight title defense against the returning Manny Pacquiao. He expresses his initial doubts about the fight, details his preparations, hopes to fight Conor Benn, breaks down Canelo-Crawford, and more (1:32:09).Ariel is joined by the crew to debate which fight is the biggest over the packed weekend (1:48:30).Patricio Pitbull joins alongside his translator and coach Eric Albarracin to preview his second UFC fight against Dan Ige and discuss what went wrong in his debut against Yair Rodriguez, opening a gym, looking toward the BMF belt, and more (2:05:05).Stephen Thompson closes out the show after his controversial split decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim in Nashville to break down fighting through his 40s, breaking Randy Couture's record, connecting with Rory MacDonald, running karate camps, and more (2:21:06).

Ariel Helwani opens the show with a recap of combat sports’ massive weekend, before Petesy and the Boys in the Back join to break down Katie Taylor’s big win over Amanda Serrano on Netflix (02:32).Shakur Stevenson returns to the studio after his statement win over William Zepeda to talk about the fight, his friendship with Terence Crawford, his promotional future, his callout of ‘Tank’ Davis, Floyd Mayweather’s mentorship, and more (45:21).Retired former champion and current analyst Chris Algieri calls in next to discuss the next month of boxing, including Manny Pacquiao's return. He also match-makes for the sport's biggest stars such as Shakur Stevenson and ‘Tank’ Davis (1:32:08).Conor Benn is next up in-studio alongside Shakur Stevenson, and the two trade verbal blows while setting the terms for a future matchup. After Stevenson leaves, Benn discusses issues with rebooking the fight against Chris Eubank Jr. and more (1:58:08).Paulo Costa joins before his UFC 318 return against Roman Kopylov to give insight into his long layoff, wanting to fight Khamzat Chimaev, his loss against Sean Strickland, defending Ariel online, and more (2:58:28).Morgan Charriere is the final guest of the show and joins after his back-and-forth win over Nate Landwehr. He gets into pausing social media, his girlfriend’s fighting career, who he wants next, and more (3:42:48).Ariel and the crew finish off with a reaction to Ben Askren’s update videos, news and notes, and by answering your Super Chats (4:01:52).

Live from Madison Square Garden, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall give their immediate reactions to Katie Taylor claiming victory in her trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano. Soaking up the energy from the live arena, The Craic transports you cage side with live sound from the fighter announcements and results (00:13), followed by the duo breaking down the biggest storylines from the bout (04:28).