The Ariel Helwani Show

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 Asp...

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 sh...

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...

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)...

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...

After a week away, The Boys in the Back return to preview UFC 323, but first, they discuss the TKO-backed Ali Revival Act (02:43) and some of the wild announcements and rumored bookings across the combat sports landscape (13:53). They quickly touch on UFC's new meal plan (33:20), before previewing UFC 323 from top to bottom (39:20) and making picks (1:27:36). Finally, they deliver their P4P Vans (...

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...

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, co...

Ariel Helwani begins the show by recapping the massive UFC 324 and UFC 325 announcements, including reaction from fighters involved in the fights or fighters passed up for title opportunities (05:25). Joshua Van stops by during UFC 323 fight week to preview his matchup with Alexandre Pantoja, talk about his calmness before the storm and his longer-than-average layoff, react to Kyoji Horiguchi’s re...

Ariel Helwani give his immediate reaction to Dana White's major announcement during halftime of Chiefs-Cowboys on CBS (01:05). Ariel addresses a statement by UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria about his future (02:38), before running down all the UFC 324 matchups announced by White (04:03) and the new main card start time (06:10). Then, he tackles the UFC 325 announcements (07:46), before givin...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the final show before Thanksgiving by acknowledging the Uncrowned team, before answering your On The Nose questions, with topics including Khabib Nurmagomedov’s NFT launch, Conor McGregor and Khabib’s war of words over the NFTs, Ilia Topuria’s inactivity, Ian Machado Garry’s brash personality, and more (33:39). Wrestling legend Vince Russo stops by to promote his upcoming e...

Ariel Helwani begins the show by speaking to UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who discusses the difficulty of returning from a knee injury that required surgery, going into the Ian Machado Garry bout injured, being cleared to return early next year, being willing to fight again to prove he’s the No. 1 contender, believing he’s the hardest matchup for Islam Makhachev, and more (06:24)....

Ariel Helwani begins the show with a recap of UFC Qatar, including a debate with The Boys in the Back about whether Arman Tsarukyan and Ian Machado Garry should be next for the respective champions of their divisions (04:30). Garry then joins the show to break down his win over Belal Muhammad, discussing his takedown defense, the controversial eye-poke, whether he’s done enough to earn a title sho...

Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll, and Chuck Mindenhall give their immediate reactions to UFC Qatar, kicking things off with Arman Tsarukyan’s second-round submission of Dan Hooker (5:00). Next, the guys debate whether Ian Machado Garry’s decision win over Belal Muhammad in the co-main event is enough to earn him a title shot against pound-for-pound number one Islam Makhachev, and map out the rest of...

The Craic returns with its usual trifecta: Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes are back to get you ready for the weekend in combat sports.  To kick off the show, the guys break down UFC Qatar’s main event: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker (1:21). They also dig into the co-main event: Ian Machado Garry vs. Belal Muhammad, and discuss the stakes for the welterweight division, including w...

The Boys in the Back kick off the show with news and notes, including a UFC Qatar shakeup (01:22), Ryan Garcia's next fight (02:55), and a wild media day comment by Belal Muhammad (05:18). Then, they breakdown the welterweight title picture and the recent momentum behind Kamaru Usman (13:41), before previewing UFC Qatar top to bottom (23:00). Finally, The Boys make picks (1:14:07), deliver their P...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by celebrating the anniversaries of Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua and Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez, two epic fights that took place on the same night in 2011 (02:30). UFC strawweight contender Fatima Kline makes her show debut on the heels of her victory over Angela Hill at UFC 322, breaking down the win, reflecting on being able to fight at Madison Square Gar...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with a look at the first faceoff between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker and reaction to Joaquin Buckley’s message to Islam Makhachev (03:19). UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko joins Ariel in-studio to break down her big win against Zhang Weili at UFC 322, reflect on the early days of her career, discuss how she controls her emotions, respond to cr...

Ariel Helwani begins the show with a recap of UFC 322, including Islam Makhachev’s domination of Jack Della Maddalena, the legacy comparisons between Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who could be next for Makhachev, Dillon Danis’ brawl with the Dagestani fighters, and more (05:33). Benoit Saint-Denis joins fresh off his 16-second knockout of Beneil Dariush, breaking down the quick finish, weighi...

Ariel Helwani, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall give their immediate reactions to UFC 322, starting with Islam Makhachev's dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena, to capture UFC gold in a second weight class (01:24). After weighing in on whether the main and co-main events were "boring" (16:38), the crew discusses incredible knockouts by Michael Morales (30:39) and Carlos Prates (35:...

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunite for your weekly dose of The Craic. After reacting to the UFC 322 weigh-in results (4:14), the lads preview the stacked MSG card top to bottom (8:11). Shifting gears to boxing, the crew break down this weekend’s Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn rematch and question if the hype is lacking (47:05). Up next, Jake Paul is back in the headlines, t...

The Boys in the Back kick off the show with some news and notes, including Alex Pereira challenging Khamzat Chimaev to a grappling match and TKO's new partnership with Polymarket (07:04). Then, the conversation turns to UFC 322, starting with Islam Makhachev potentially tying Anderson Silva's record for the longest winning streak in UFC history and the potential for Jack Della Maddalena to pull of...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by recognizing the anniversaries of UFC 1, UFC on FOX 1, UFC 205, and UFC 281, which all took place on Nov. 12 (03:38). The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to answer On The Nose questions, with topics including criticism of Dana White, the relevance of 'UFC Embedded,' what happens after the studio cameras stop rolling, Thanksgiving dinner guests, and...

Ariel Helwani is joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll to discuss some news and notes, including the first faceoff between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena, Adin Ross spending time with Makhachev, Khabib, and their team, and more (06:06). Muhammad Mokaev joins on the heels of his head-kick knockout at BRAVE CF 101, talking about the foot injury he suffered in the fight, his des...

Ariel Helwani begins the show with a recap of UFC Vegas 111, including Gabriel Bonfim’s stoppage of Randy Brown in the main event and Chris ‘Taco’ Padilla’s plea for a performance bonus (07:49), before quickly touching on this weekend’s boxing, including Vergil Ortiz’s big win and action from Misfits (24:27). Leon Edwards joins to preview his UFC 322 fight against Carlos Prates, speaking about Pra...