The Ariel Helwani Show

Latest Episodes:

Dakota Ditcheva, Mauricio Ruffy, Charles Johnson, Ade Oladipo, news and notes, more Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to yesterday’s Arman Tsarukyan pizza party, Dana White’s upcoming announcement, PFL revealing the main event for its Pittsburgh show, Moses Itauma’s next fight being postponed, and more (04:47).

Dakota Ditcheva is back on the show, detailing the hand injury that forced her to withdraw from PFL’s February event, breaking down the fight between former ATT teammates Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison, weighing in on Valentina Shevchenko’s continued success, and responding to Cris Cyborg’s callout (34:50).

Charles Johnson returns to preview his upcoming fight against Alex Perez, talk about his win over Joshua Van and his feelings on Van as UFC flyweight champion, seeing himself as more than just a prospect killer, what impact the Paramount partnership could have on promotional efforts, his track and field history, and more (1:05:11).

Ariel reunites with old friend and co-host Ade Oladipo to react to the buzz surrounding big wins by Agit Kabayel and Dalton Smith, the announcement of Moses Itauma’s fight being delayed, Mario Barrios vs. Ryan Garcia being made official, David Benavidez going up to challenge Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, Zuffa Boxing’s debut show, KSI’s retirement from boxing, and more (1:30:15).

Mauricio Ruffy is our final guest of the day, discussing his recent team-up with Alexander Volkanovski, suffering defeat to Benoit Saint-Denis and how he plans to bounce back, his highlight-reel knockout of King Green, preparing to face Rafael Fiziev, and more (2:04:55).

Ariel closes the show with more news and notes, before answering your Super Chats (2:25:33).

Arman Tsarukyan in studio, Alexander Volkanovski, Bo Nickal, Ed Soares, massive weekend recap Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with reaction to Real American Freestyle’s fifth event, headlined by Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold, and Dana White’s recent media tour (06:08).

Bo Nickal, who was scheduled to compete against Yoel Romero at RAF05, joins next to discuss the event, Romero missing weight, trash talk from Covington and Rockhold, wanting to fight Covington in MMA and end his career, potentially competing on the White House card, and more (58:41).

LFA CEO Ed Soares is back to detail the promotion’s new broadcast deal with VICE TV, explain why they didn’t come to an agreement with UFC Fight Pass, the promotion’s plans for 2026 and beyond, considering LFA the No. 2 promotion in the world, and more (1:20:01).

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski returns to talk about Diego Lopes getting the title shot over Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev, where the conversation about his retirement came from, whether he’d ever want to challenge for the lightweight belt again, being able to really showcase his personality in recent years, and more (1:45:30).

Top UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan joins Ariel in-studio to discuss his potential next fight, hoping Paddy Pimblett loses against Justin Gaethje, his rise as a content creator, before being surprised with a massive assortment of pizza (2:07:41).

Ariel ends the show by covering some news and notes, including Khamzat Chimaev calling for a light heavyweight title shot, Alex Pereira’s split from Tracy Cortez, Paramount’s new pricing, Kamaru Usman’s captured conversation with Anthony Joshua, and more (3:32:19).

Plus, the answers to your Super Chats (3:55:16).

Ilia Topuria's fighting future, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier renew rivalry, more | The Craic Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll kicks off the new year alongside Uncrowned’s finest, Chuck Mindenhall and Shaheen Al-Shatti.

First up, they discuss how concerned we should be about Ilia Topuria’s fighting future following the UFC lightweight champ’s recent court proceedings (5:20).

Another UFC lightweight with no title-fight news is Arman Tsarukyan. The trio react to Dana White’s interview with Robbie Fox, where he shed light on why (17:30).

The 155-pound division continues to make headlines, this time with title contenders Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker clashing in a social media war of words. The lads break it down (28:31).

From one feud to another, Petesy and the boys dissect the latest developments in the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier rivalry (48:45).

Finally, the guys highlight their biggest stories to watch in 2026 (55:54), and answer your Super Chats (1:16:18).

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier's budding friendship? First Annual Backie Awards, more | The Boys in the Back Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

The Boys in the Back return to react to recent news, including PFL's former CEO departing, UFC Houston fight announcements, and LFA's new broadcast home (03:21).

Next, they cover the unexpected talk of friendship between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, before discussing some of the other biggest rivalries in MMA history (13:06).

Plus, the Boys debut the first annual Backie Awards (44:36), listen to your voicemails (1:19:14), and answer your Super Chats (1:56:23).

2026 MMA Prediction Show: Will Ilia Topuria fight? Do Jon Jones and Conor McGregor return? Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani is joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll to review their predictions from last year, then forecast the MMA landscape for 2026.
After giving their Must-See Fights (10:53), Breakout Fighters (45:39), Stories To Watch (58:58), and Male and Female Fighters (1:21:27), the crew predicts how many new UFC champions will be crowned (1:33:50), play a round of True or False (1:41:16), and each make one bold prediction (1:58:49).
The show closes with a debate about the Michael Morales record controversy (2:16:21), Super Chats (2:53:43), and some other news and notes (3:05:02).

The 2nd Annual Ariel x Ade Boxing Awards, plus a supersized On The Nose segment Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and Ade Oladipo reunite to roll out our second annual boxing awards spectacular, but first, they honor Anthony Joshua's close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele (07:32).
The duo hands out hardware in 20 categories, including Fight of the Year (18:26), Knockout of the Year (23:12), Trainer of the Year (1:09:08), Promoter of the Year (1:16:24) Moment of the Year (1:41:49), Female Fighter of the Year (1:53:52), Male Fighter of the Year (1:59:21), and many more.
After saying goodbye to Ade, Ariel is joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll for a supersized edition of On The Nose, with topics including Rico Verhoeven's next move (2:22:15), Adam Sandler vs. Will Ferrell (2:37:39), speculation about Justin Gaethje's status for UFC 324 (2:44:52), sportswashing and the state of modern journalism (3:03:21), Conor McGregor calling for a fight against Floyd Mayweather (3:17:50), Sean O'Malley setting a timeline for retirement (3:49:27), and more.

Finally, Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (4:02:36).

The 13th Annual Helwani Nose Awards: 2025 Edition Jan 05, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani, The Boys in the Back, and Petesy Carroll ring in 2026 with the long-awaited, never-duplicated 13th Annual Helwani Nose Awards.

Before getting into the categories, the show pays tribute to MMA media member Abbey Subhan and Anthony Joshua team members Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele (08:28), then looks back at some of the moments we missed over the break (21:23).
The gang jumps into the most comprehensive awards in sports, with categories including Performance of the Year (36:00), Fight of the Year (39:51), Knockout of the Year (52:19), Rivalry of the Year (1:33:33), Story of the Year (3:11:24), Female Fighter of the Year (3:25:18), Male Fighter of the Year (3:33:56), and many more.

Finally, Ariel reacts to some breaking news about Jon Jones and rival Daniel Cormier (3:44:51) and answers your Super Chats (3:51:03).

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua aftermath, Eddie Hearn, Nakisa Bidarian, Andrei Arlovski, Harley Cameron in studio, weekend recap, news & notes Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani starts the final live show of 2025 with a recap and reaction to Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, including the big winners and losers, before The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join him to further break down the aftermath and forecast what’s next for both Paul and Joshua (04:07).

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn is back to provide his perspective on Joshua’s knockout of Paul, Paul’s game plan and toughness, Joshua’s rising star power, potential bouts for Joshua against Tyson Fury and Rico Verhoeven, Katie Taylor’s next fight, the brewing Zuffa Boxing rivalry, and more (1:04:01).

Andrei Arlovski returns to the show to give details about his run-in with streamer Jack Doherty, including who was involved, how the whole thing kicked off, his reaction to Doherty’s comments after the fact, and more. Plus, he previews his upcoming BKFC heavyweight title bout against Ben Rothwell and gives thoughts on the Paul vs. Joshua fight (1:42:49).

Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian provides an update on Jake Paul’s health after being knocked out by Anthony Joshua, and discusses Paul’s next move, how the loss impacts Paul’s stock, the main event purses, accusations of fight fixing, Netflix’s reaction to the event, and more (2:08:27).

One-half of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions, Harley Cameron, joins Ariel in-studio to talk about her ascent in 2025, her early life and knowing she wanted to be an entertainer, WWE facilitating her early wrestling training, the AEW locker room, working with Mercedes Moné, before showcasing her ventriloquism skills (2:35:17).

Ariel touches on a few news items, including Andrew Tate falling short in his Misfits debut against Chase DeMoor, and answers your Super Chats to wrap up the show (3:32:56).

Live From Miami! Feat. Jorge Masvidal & Kayla Harrison | The Ariel Helwani Show Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

The Ariel Helwani Show is live from Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Miami!

After welcoming in the capacity crowd (00:30), Ariel is joined on stage by UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison (07:50) to discuss her upcoming fight against Amanda Nunes and more.

The King of Miami, Jorge Masvidal, joins Ariel and ATT teammate Harrison on stage (29:05) to talk about the gym's dynamics, break down Harrison vs. Nunes, and tease his own 2026 comeback.

Ariel wraps up the show by answering questions from the crowd (56:55).

Tom Aspinall hits back, Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua arrives, Merab x Zuck | The Craic Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

For the final Craic of 2025, Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall to round out the combat sports year.

They open by previewing this weekend’s crossover fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua on Netflix (04:38).

Shifting back to MMA, the duo discuss Tom “Bully” Aspinall’s message to Ciryl Gane and how the buildup to their rematch is shaping up compared to the first meeting (28:45).

Then it’s over to the PFL, where news of Movlid Khaybulaev’s positive drug tests has caused ripples. The guys react to what it means for the PFL titleholder (41:35).

Finally, Petesy and Chuck react to the latest Mark Zuckerberg MMA training footage, this time alongside Merab Dvalishvili (49:30).

To close out the show and the year, they answer your Super Chats (55:00).

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