The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani starts today’s show by answering your On The Nose questions, touching on the New York Knicks’ success, best all-time walkouts, running into Jake Shields, the scorecards for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven, and more blind rankings (04:52). Rising PFL prospect Patrick Habirora joins to recap his massive win over Benson Henderson and discuss criticism of the booking, his callout of Mi...

Solomonster is back with a full review of AEW Double or Nothing, by far the best wrestling show of 2026. Plus, FTR contract news with potential WWE interest, a Jim Ross health update, and thoughts on Darby Allin’s run as AEW World champion (1:56). Then, reaction to MJF singling out Malakai Black as one of the ex-AEW talents who thought the WWE grass was greener, and why Black may have been keen on...

Ariel Helwani begins the show by celebrating the continued fairy-tale run of his New York Knicks, then discussing an eclectic combat sports weekend that included the controversial ending to Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven (13:00). WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz joins the show following his knockout of Alem Begic, talking about what’s next, expressing his interest in fighting Cane...

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show discussing Oleksandr Usyk’s late-round stoppage of Rico Verhoeven, including the controversy, Verhoeven’s outstanding performance, and whether Usyk has finally lost a step. Will we see a rematch or will Usyk finally face Agit Kabayel (00:28)? Frank Sanchez scored an emphatic knockout over Richard Torrez that left the boxing world stunned. With the win,...

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes are back on The Craic. Following Scott Coker’s announced return to MMA, the crew discuss the future of emerging promotions and what it could mean for industry-leading UFC (05:18). One of those promotions is MVP. Attention turns to what the company’s record-breaking numbers actually mean given its Netflix collaboration (43:43). Colby Covington has h...

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri kick off the show breaking down the heavyweight title fight between champion Oleksandr Usyk and kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. Why is this fight happening? Does Verhoeven have any shot at all (01:03)? We introduce a new segment to the show and lay out the odds for the Usyk-Verhoeven fight as well as the co-main event which features Richard Torrez Jr. stepping up t...

The Boys in the Back kick off the show by reacting to Scott Coker re-entering the MMA world (06:19), Khabib Nurmagomedov pushing back against Dana White's claims about his retirement (10:12), the arrest of wrestler Ludwig Kaiser (20:20), and trash talk between Ilia Topuria and Ryan Garcia regarding a hypothetical boxing match (24:22). Then, they discuss Conor McGregor's return and speculate on his...

Ariel Helwani kicks off with a recap of last night’s spectacular win by his New York Knicks and Arsenal winning the Premier League title (23:47). Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian is back to address fan criticism of the promotion’s MMA debut on Netflix, then discuss the event’s viewership numbers, UFC announcing Conor McGregor’s return during Francis Ngannou’s walkout, how many events t...

Solomonster is back with thoughts on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano “fight” on Netflix, as well as a controversial finish during the preliminary fights, featuring a pro wrestler (0:37). Thoughts on John Cena being treated for a medical condition and more information about the John Cena Classic (4:27), plus Brock Lesnar’s surprise return on Raw to destroy Oba Femi, Tribal Combat added to the Clas...

Ariel Helwani starts the show with a media discussion, sparked by NBA insider Shams Charania’s recent reporting of NBA’s MVP award (10:21). Carlos Prates is back to reflect on his dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena, then talks about deserving the next title shot, facing Michael Morales in the future, Mauricio Ruffy’s relationship with The Fighting Nerds, a dream fight against Ilia T...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by recapping his time in Los Angeles, before the Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join to give their own perspective on Netflix’s first MMA offering, including the card, the crowd, UFC announcing Conor McGregor’s return during the event, and more (06:50). Mike Perry is back to break down his massive win against Nate Diaz, then pivot to future plans, including ta...

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show recapping Keyshawn Davis’ dominant win over Nahir Albright and what could be next for the talented fighter out of Norfolk, Virginia, including title shots at 140 pounds, a potential Devin Haney showdown, and more (06:40). Heavyweight Filip Hrgovic was successful in his return, stopping journeyman Dave Allen in three rounds, as rumors swirl he will be Mo...

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes are back with The Craic. This weekend’s highly anticipated matchup between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano is on everyone’s mind. The boys debate whether the Netflix card can compete with the UFC (02:31). They then break down the co-main event between Francis Ngannou and Phillipe Lins (40:52), followed by a preview of the guaranteed brawl between Nate...

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri kick off the show discussing Ring Magazine’s report of Vasiliy Lomachenko coming out of retirement for “massive fights. Could it be a Shakur Stevenson showdown or perhaps a fight with Gervonta Davis? Why is Lomachenko returning; money grab or does he legitimately want to achieve more (09:53)? Keyshawn Davis returns to the ring against Nahir Albright in a fight that D...

The Boys in the Back are live from Los Angeles, kicking off the show by reading more five-star podcast reviews (04:55). After quickly touching on some news and notes (10:39), they preview the upcoming MVP MMA card, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, on Netflix (14:26). Next, they debut a brand new Fight Feasts, featuring the iconic Dodger Dog (42:32), break down UFC Vegas 117 (53:32), and...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with movie star O’Shea Jackson Jr., who joins him in-studio to talk LA sports, his latest film projects, pro-wrestling, fatherhood, going on tour with his father Ice Cube, and more (03:34). Junior dos Santos is back on the show, previewing his fight against Robelis Despaigne on Netflix, then talking about fellow Brazilians Philipe Lins and Adriano Moraes also compe...

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by previewing the show, then addressing his recent back-and-forth with Sean Strickland, touching on other news and notes, and answering Super Chats he missed from yesterday’s show (07:48). Next, video of the crew’s visit to the Santa Monica Pier, including a roller coaster, some basketball, and more (30:38). Chris Avila joins Ariel in-studio to preview his fight ag...

Solomonster is back with thoughts on the passing of media mogul Ted Turner and why wrestling would look very different today without him (1:30). Then, he dives into WWE Backlash from Tampa and John Cena’s historic (was it though?) announcement of The John Cena Classic, pitting WWE stars against NXT stars, why the idea could work, but is not without its issues (7:54). AEW sues its former streaming...

Ariel Helwani starts the show, live from Los Angeles, by previewing the upcoming week. Then the Boys in the Back join Ariel in-studio to discuss UFC 328, starting with Sean Strickland’s shocking upset of Khamzat Chimaev and whether he should have apologized after the fight, then moving on to the rest of the card (12:46). Sean Brady is back after a big win over Joaquin Buckley, talking about Buckle...

We open the show recapping Daniel Dubois' late stoppage of Fabio Wardley to capture the WBO heavyweight title in an all-time thriller of a fight. Is a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk, a rematch with Wardley, or perhaps a Moses Itauma showdown next for Dubois? Also on the card, David Morrell was upset by massive underdog Zak Chelli (02:55). To end the show, Chris Algieri details IBF featherweight champ...

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunite for the UFC 328 post-fight show, reacting first to Sean Strickland shocking the world again by dethroning Khamzat Chimaev (00:37). After discussing Nassourdine Imavov calling next (21:50), they address Strickland's apologetic post-fight speech (26:33). Next, they revel in the show-stealing co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira...

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes return as usual. First up, the lads react to the fireworks between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland at the UFC 328 press conference (05:10). After predicting what kind of shenanigans could unfold at the pair’s final faceoff (36:19), the boys preview the flyweight title co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira (41:40)...

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri kick off the show discussing David Benavidez’s recent comments about potentially fighting Dmitry Bivol at a catchweight of 190 pounds. Is Benavidez already looking for a way out of making the 175-pound light heavyweight limit? Ring Magazine also reported a strong desire from Turki Alalshikh for Benavidez to fight heavyweight king, Oleksandr Usyk, in 2027 (03:36). Fab...

The Boys in the Back read your five-star podcast reviews (02:51), before discussing Raja Jackson's plea deal (22:32), Freedom 250 fighters visiting President Donald Trump at the White House (25:23), and another investor call from TKO's Mark Shapiro (32:14). After previewing UFC 328 (55:40) and making picks (1:55:49), they debut a brand new Fight Feasts focused on Burmese food (1:58:59). The show e...

Ariel Helwani begins the show by honoring media mogul and WCW owner Ted Turner, who passed away Wednesday (10:02). Eric Bischoff joins to celebrate Turner, talking about his impact on the wrestling industry, stories from their time running WCW together, fallout from the Time Warner merger, and more (17:59). Ariel and The Boys in the Back discuss UFC 328, including Khamzat Chimaev releasing sparrin...