The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back react to Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul (11:24) and UFC 309 (48:00), breaking down every angle of Netflix's entry into combat sports, Jon Jones' one-sided title defense over Stipe Miocic, whether a Tom Aspinall fight is going to actually happen, and more.Bo Nickal discusses his UFC 309 win over Paul Craig, the boos, criticism from Daniel Cormier, why the crowd's "overrated" chant was a compliment, his assessment of his performance, whether he's ready for the Khamzat Chimaevs of the division, what's next, and more (01:35:44).Oban Elliott discusses his UFC 309 knockout win over Bassil Hafez, making history as a Welshman at Madison Square Garden, his family's reaction to the weekend, Chael Sonnen's advice before Saturday's walkout, Derek Cleary's wild scorecard, and more (02:01:43).Tom Aspinall discusses his week at UFC 309, Jon Jones' win over Stipe Miocic, his assessment of Jones' performance, whether Miocic's loss is more because of his age or Jones' abilities, how he would've fared against Saturday's version of Jones, sitting next to Jones' family on fight night, and more (02:59:09).

On the UFC 309 Post-Fight Show, Ariel Helwani reacts to Jon Jones' dominant performance against Stipe Miocic and weighs in on whether Jones will face interim champ Tom Aspinall (01:03).Next, Helwani recaps the co-main event between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler and forecasts what could be next for each, including a potential rebooking of the Conor McGregor fight for Chandler (18:06).Finally, he touches on Bo Nickal's win over Paul Craig (21:44) and the rest of the card's notable performances (25:17) before bringing in The Boys in the Back, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks, to cap off the night from Madison Square Garden (30:37).

On the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul Post-show, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks react to Jake Paul's decision win over Mike Tyson and whether the fight lived up to expectations. Was it a success for Netflix and who will Jake Paul fight next (00:42)?Then, they recap another instant classic fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, including the controversial scoring and refereeing (25:10).Finally, they end by reacting to breaking news related to UFC 310 and the new co-main event between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garr (33:47).

Chuck Mindenhall returns to The Craic to discuss a bizarre UFC 309 media day from Jon Jones and to look forward to a blockbuster weekend of combat sports.Petesy and Chuck try to wrap their heads around Jones’s comments on Tom Aspinall, the size difference he cites while also calling for bouts with light-heavyweights Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill and him being complicit in the fight week focus not being on Stipe Miocic (2:27).The lads also give their thoughts on Tyson vs. Paul and how Paul’s promotion of Amanda Serrano has some Irish pundits sweating (48:56).

The Boys in the Back kick off the show with Ariel Helwani to discuss the drama surrounding UFC 309 and the mysterious return of the old UFC gloves (2:19).Next, they break down the rest of the card, including a look ahead at what could be next for Jon Jones or Stipe Miocic (38:01). Tom Aspinall? Alex Pereira?Then they debut Fight Feats from New York institution Katz's Deli (01:31:42), followed by a preview of the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul airing on Netflix (01:41:31).Finally, Mysterious Frank joins the Boys to give picks for the weekend and run down their P4P lists of celebrities who could've been fighters (02:16:16), before answering your questions (02:38:44). 

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back answer your On The Nose questions about Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, Jon Jones' latest comments, the crew's spirit fighters, the top five MMA regional promotions, Ariel's experience attending the infamous Montreal Screwjob, hot dog preferences, plumbers, and more (12:43).Oban Elliot joins in-studio to discuss his UFC 309 showdown against Bassil Hafez, linking up with Chael Sonnen, the story behind his mugshot, what his family would think of his success, why he still works on the railway from time to time, his experiences with WWE, and more (01:23:06).Carlos Prates discusses his UFC Vegas 100 win over Neil Magny, the origin of the Fighting Nerds team, his obsession for cigarettes, his journey through martial arts, his year-end goals for 2025, and much more (02:17:54).Aljamain Sterling joins in-studio to discuss his UFC 310 fight against Movsar Evloev, Merab Dvalishvili's win over Sean O'Malley, making his own walkout song, his motivation at featherweight, why he would've likely retired if he lost to Calvin Kattar, reaction to his meeting with UFC officials on the "Fight Inc." documentary, and more (02:35:39).

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back break down a big combat sports weekend that saw Carlos Prates, Jaron "Boots" Ennis, and Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez pick up wins, plus more (04:28).Eddie Hearn discusses Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, his distaste for the fight, Jaron "Boots" Ennis' lackluster win over Karen Chukhadzhian, whether a Terence Crawford fight will actually happen, the potential impact of Netflix's move into boxing, and more (27:21).Stipe Miocic discusses his UFC 309 fight against Jon Jones, the lack of respect he's being given, why he called Jones a "b*tch" and Jones' viral reaction, whether he fights again after UFC 309, the Tom Aspinall dilemma, and more (01:01:45).Bo Nickal discusses his UFC 309 fight against Paul Craig, his relationship with Donald Trump, Khamzat Chimaev's win over Robert Whittaker, recent wins by Shara Bullet and Reinier de Ridder, Darren Till's criticism, the massive betting odds for the Craig bout, and more (01:32:20).Michael Chandler joins in-studio to discuss his UFC 309 fight against Charles Oliveira, why his loss to Oliveira is one of his most painful memories, the latest in the Conor McGregor saga, why he blames himself for how the McGregor situation played out, and more (02:01:46).Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back break down the latest in the Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall saga (03:09:11).

Petesy Carroll is joined by Shaheen Al Shatti and Chuck Mindenhall to discuss Jon Jones’ comments on Tom Aspinall not proving enough to be granted a title shot (0:00),  the future of the UFC Apex on the eve of it’s (alleged) 100th event (40:22), and the fear they have for Mike Tyson next week (57:06).

The Boys in the Back, Eric Jackman (NewYorkRic) and Conner Burks (GC), are on the road to UFC Apex 100, so they're reminiscing about some of the best moments at the illustrious venue (01:54).Then, Mysterious Frank joins The Boys make parlay picks  (52:16) give their P4P rankings of apex predators (01:00:53), and answer your questions (01:26:56).

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back break down the UFC's future with Dana White's close ties to incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, the latest in Conor McGregor's sexual assault case, UFC Vegas 100, and more (04:24).Katie Taylor discusses rematching Amanda Serrano on the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul card, criticism of the Tyson vs. Paul fight, concern for Tyson, landing on a U.S. stadium show before competing at Croke Park, fighting at a catchweight, potential retirement plans, and more (44:21).Brandon Moreno discusses his vintage UFC return against Amir Albazi, braving the Edmonton cold, his hiatus from MMA, having negative thoughts during his losing streak, his new coffee hobby, his focus on regaining the UFC flyweight title, and more (01:04:30).Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez discusses his WBC super flyweight title defense against Pedro Guevara, where he ranks on the pound-for-pound list, his first interaction with Eddie Hearn, Japanese McDonald's, Naoya Inoue, criticism of Saturday's matchup, why Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul isn't a real fight, and more (01:28:34).Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back answer your On The Nose questions about Conor McGregor's ongoing civil trial, controversy with Mysterious Frank's in-show drops, Sage Northcutt's bizarre career, WWE Crown Jewel, the difference between McDonald's in Ireland, the UFC's current lack of spectacular champions, and more (01:53:31).        

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back discuss how they're feeling about Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul as the big fight looms (15:21). Andy Foster, executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, discusses his concerns for Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, the new changes to the Unified Rules of MMA, the impetuous for the changes, whether Jon Jones' only career loss should now be overturned, further changes MMA needs, and more 39:35). Frank Warren, headman at Queensberry Promotions, discusses his blockbuster broadcast deal with DAZN, whether the deal gets done if he hadn't mended fences with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom, Daniel Dubois' next fight, news for 2025, thoughts on Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul, and more (01:15:20). Youssef Zalal discusses his big win at UFC Edmonton over Jack Shore, his roller-coaster road back to the UFC, how brother's untimely passing affected his career, being inspired by past opponent Ilia Topuria, considering early retirement, the night he picked up boxing, kickboxing, and MMA wins in the same evening, and more (01:39:51). Todd DuBoef, president of Top Rank, discusses Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2, what it's like to work for Bob Arum, the state of the business, the effect of Saudi Arabia money in boxing, Naoya Inoue's future, Keyshawn Davis, Top Rank's upcoming broadcast deal, Dana White's criticism, and more (02:10:41).

Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back break down the state of the UFC welterweight division following Belal Muhammad's injury withdrawal from his UFC 310 title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov (09:36).Shavkat Rakhmonov discusses Belal Muhammad dropping out of their scheduled UFC 310 title fight, how he found out about the news, what happens next, the option of fighting for an interim title, Ian Machado Garry, Muhammad's title victory over Leon Edwards, and more (31:07).Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back recap the highs and lows of UFC Edmonton (01:08:22).Jasmine Jasudavicius discusses her big UFC 310 win over Ariane da Silva at UFC Edmonton, why she walked out to "La Bamba," her mindset, running into Tracy Cortez, her fight night routines, getting a post-fight bonus, kicking trees, and more (01:27:47).Aiemann Zahabi discusses his UFC 310 over Pedro Munhoz, his five-fight UFC win streak, the running joke about how much he looks like Ariel, how working with a mindset coach has changed his career, Georges St-Pierre's role in the gym these days, and morev (02:01:29).Sayif Saud discusses Brandon Moreno's vintage win over Amir Albazi at UFC Edmonton, Moreno's path back to the belt depending on what happens at UFC 310, how difficult life is in the UFC flyweight rankings, Pantoja vs. Asakura, Geoff Neal's recent win over Rafael dos Anjos, and more (02:30:40).Valentina Shevchenko discusses recapturing the UFC flyweight title with a win over Alexa Grasso, her world travels since winning back the belt, her determination to make a statement in that trilogy fight, people's narratives leading into the bout, a potential Zhang Weili superfight, and more (03:05:29).

On the latest episode of The Craic, Petesy is joined by Uncrowned’s Chuck Mindenhall to discuss the cultural resonance of The Rumble in the Jungle on its 50th anniversary (05:42). Legendary father and son duo Richard and Jack Shore join the show from Edmonton ahead of Jack’s bout with Youssef Zalal (40:45). 

The Boys in the Back are live for a special Halloween edition, but first Ariel Helwani joins the show to give an update on the breaking news that Belal Muhammad is out of UFC 310 and what that means for the main event (04:27).Then, Eric Jackman (NewYorkRic) and Conner Burks (GC) preview UFC Edmonton (35:22) before bringing in The Craic's Petesy Carroll to dive deeper on the card (51:57).Finally, Mysterious Frank joins The Boys to make parlay picks (01:13:15), give P4P Halloween candy rankings (01:21:15), and answer your questions (01:49:27).

Kade Ruotolo discusses his upcoming ONE Championship fight against Ahmed Mujtaba, the experience of winning CJI, whether he'll do CJI again, his injury woes, advice for Michael Page ahead of his first big-time grappling match, the Olympics, and more (07:50).Ariel Helwani and The Boys In The Back answer all your On The Nose questions about the road for Max Holloway after UFC 308, whether Khamzat Chimaev should jump Sean Strickland in the middleweight queue, the backlash from the Dana White vs. Francis Ngannou coverage, the team's worst injuries, Ireland's history with Halloween, Petesy's addition to the show, the first UFC events we've ever attended, the crew's bagel controversy, and much more (39:50).Michael Page discusses his Polaris 30 grappling main event against Carlos Condit on Saturday, how the match materialized, why this is something he wanted to explore at age 37, advice from Kade Ruotolo, originally being booked against Donald Cerrone for Polaris, Belal Muhammad's ascent up the UFC welterweight division, his loss to Ian Machado Garry, wanting to fight Shara Bullet at 185 pounds, and more (01:32:28).Mike Malott discusses his UFC Edmonton return against Trevin Giles, what went wrong against Neil Magny, his grueling road to building himself back up from that loss, why he wants to be an example for the next generation, the adjustments he's made for Giles, and more (02:00:06).Jaron "Boots" Ennis discusses his upcoming IBF welterweight title rematch against Karen Chukhadzhian, his experience since signing with Matchroom, his reaction to having to fight Chukhadzhian as his mandatory, recent baffling decisions made by the IBF, his quest to unify the title, what he did wrong in the first Chukhadzhian fight, partnering up with Bam Rodriguez, whether the Terence Crawford fight will ever happen, and more (02:32:17).Before the show ended, Ariel calls his old friend Daniel Cormier to get his response after what Derrick Lewis said about him at the UFC Edmonton media day (03:22:47).