The Ariel Helwani Show

Latest Episodes:

Rampage Jackson, Alex Pereira in studio, Chael Sonnen, Luke Rockhold, Deontay Wilder, Andre Ward, On The Nose Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

After quickly hitting some news and notes, Ariel Helwani is joined by Chael Sonnen to discuss his busy weekend with Real American Freestyle and CJI 2, the response to his initial comments on Raja Jackson, and his surprising prediction for the White House card main event (11:21).
Deontay Wilder recaps his win over Tyrrell Herndon, before talking about feeling rejuvenated and wanting to fight until he's 50, teasing a potential fight against Francis Ngannou, and more (1:03:01).

Luke Rockhold returns on the heels of his loss to Darren Till and addresses his future, including the topic of retirement and what life after fighting might look like. Plus, he details his backstage scuffle with Dillon Danis and responds to BKFC's David Feldman (1:30:07).

Alex Pereira is back in studio to discuss the Magomed Ankalaev rematch, address Ankalaev's social media persona, reveal the truth behind his own moment of frustration on social media, and look ahead to some new projects, including his acting debut and a new non-profit charity (1:58:37).

Andre Ward previews Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, talking about his commentary role for Netflix, potentially coming out of retirement to fight Anthony Joshua, his feelings on Jake Paul vs. Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, and more (2:59:38)

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson opens up about the situation involving his son Raja, revealing some of their conversations after the event, threats his family has received in the aftermath, what he expects to happen to Raja, who's to blame, and more (3:19:29).

Ariel and the Boys in the Back answer your questions during On The Nose, with topics including more on the Raja Jackson situation, Francis Ngannou, and Ariel's trip to Italy (4:10:52). Finally, they answer Super Chats before signing off (4:54:06).

We're back! Raja Jackson and UFC 322 reactions, Mackenzie Dern, Aljamain Sterling, Tom Lawlor, Charles Johnson, weekend recap Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and the crew are back from vacation, so they start with a catch-up on all the things they missed, including reactions to Raja Jackson's situation, UFC 322 being announced, the combat sports weekend — Misfits, Real American Freestyle, and CJI events, Jake Paul vs. Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, UFC Shanghai, and more (15:50).
Charles Johnson joins to discuss his big win in Shanghai, give a prediction for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van, and more (02:02:26).
Mackenzie Dern is next, previewing her strawweight title shot against Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 (02:45:06).
Tom Lawlor talks about his wrestling career, before tackling the Raja Jackson topic, including his own experiences in wrestling, who is to blame for the incident, and what potential repercussions to expect (03:06:46).
Aljamain Sterling is the final guest of the day, breaking down his win over Brian Ortega, making his case for a title shot, and giving his stance on referee accountability (03:36:19).

Khamzat Chimaev is boring? UFC welterweight drama, Jake Paul vs. 'Tank' Davis | The Craic Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

On a special Thursday edition of The Craic, Petesy Carroll tackles the week’s biggest stories alongside Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes.

They kick things off by debating whether Khamzat Chimaev’s recent middleweight title victory over Dricus Du Plessis has fueled the perception that he’s becoming a boring fighter (2:15).

Alongside Khamzat Chimaev in the main event, UFC 319 was also set to feature Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev. But Battle’s second consecutive weight miss led to the fight’s cancellation and his release from the promotion. The trio discuss what his cut says about how the UFC handles its roster (21:28).

Another weight class heating up is the UFC welterweight division. Sean Brady is calling out Ian Machado Garry, while Garry is taking aim at Leon Edwards. The crew lay out how they’d match up the top of the division (27:04).

Next, the guys react to the controversial announcement of Jake Paul vs. Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis as the latest Netflix boxing bout (39:10).

Looking ahead to the weekend’s fights, the chaps preview the under-the-radar UFC Shanghai card, including the co-main event standout, Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling (53:59).

To close the show, Petesy and company size up this weekend’s PFL card, headlined by Fabian Edwards vs. Dalton Rosta, whose trash talk has been going viral online (01:05:47).

Who's next for Khamzat Chimaev? Jake Paul vs 'Tank' Davis?! UFC Shanghai & PFL previews | The Boys in the Back Aug 20, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Back kick off the show by reacting to breaking news that Jake Paul will be fighting Gervonta 'Tank' Davis in November (02:18).
Sparked by Dana White announcing Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez for October, the Boys discuss who Khamzat Chimaev will face in his first title defense (10:04).

After previewing UFC Shanghai (26:56), we get the official announcement for Paul vs. Davis, so the Boys give their takes on the updated details (54:07).

Following a brief look at the conclusion of PFL's championship round (1:05:15), the Boys make picks (1:07:33), deliver their P4P rankings of kung fu movies (1:15:22), and close the show with your voicemails (1:34:25) and Super Chats (2:06:50).

Ariel x Ade, episode 39: Moses Itauma's trainer Ben Davison talks massive win and next fight, Mick Conlan and Dan Canobbio join, more Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani is flying solo for this episode of Ariel x Ade, but he’s bringing three guests with him.

First, trainer Ben Davison joins to discuss Moses Itauma’s first-round stoppage against Dillian Whyte, Itauma’s seemingly limitless potential, who the phenom might fight next, whether it’s too soon for the Oleksandr Usyk fight, and he gives an update on Anthony Joshua’s status (02:59).

Next, Dan Canobbio stops by to give his own take on what’s next for Itauma, Joseph Parker needing to be next for Usyk, Daniel Dubois splitting from trainer Don Charles. Plus, previews of some upcoming cards, including Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford, and more (28:03).

Finally, Mick Conlan calls in to talk about his September return in Dublin and weigh in on other topics including whether Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul would be bad for the sport of boxing, if it’s too soon for Itauma vs. Usyk, the potential of fellow Irishman Callum Walsh and more (48:04).

Ariel closes the show with a look at the upcoming schedule, before celebrating an anniversary with the Parting Shot (1:07:08).

Dillon Danis in studio, Mike Perry & Jeremy Stephens faceoff, Lerone Murphy, Carlos Ulberg Aug 19, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with Lerone Murphy, who talks about his highlight-reel knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319, practicing the spinning elbow, champion Alexander Volkanovski’s callout for December, his weight cut, and more (07:53).

Dillon Danis is back in studio with Ariel to discuss a variety of topics, including his upcoming Misfits fight, why he’s not facing Tony Ferguson, believing he can submit Khamzat Chimaev, the ongoing lawsuit with Logan Paul’s wife Nina Agdal, and more (31:37).

Dillon’s upcoming opponent, Warren Spencer, drops in to respond and things get heated (1:13:53), then Ariel and Dillon continue their banter (1:26:22).

Carlos Ulberg joins next to preview the Dominick Reyes fight, look back at his win over Jan Blachowicz and express disappointment that it didn’t lead to a title shot, break down the Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira rematch, and more (1:58:42).

Finally, BKFC opponents Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens go face-to-face, with tempers flaring and both making the case for victory in October (2:21:42).

Francis Ngannou, Paulo Costa in studio, Michael 'Venom' Page, Bryan Battle, Tim Elliott, UFC 319 reaction Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani opens the show with a full recap of UFC 319, including a response to the chatter of Khamzat Chimaev being “boring” (02:28).

Paulo Costa joins Ariel in-studio to react to Chimaev’s victory, talk about the UFC’s decision not to have him front row in Chicago, his game plan for a potential Chimaev fight, their past run-ins, making his acting debut, and his faith (1:01:00).

Then, Paulo dusts off the clippers to give NewYorkRic another haircut (1:58:11).

Francis Ngannou is next, reacting to recent comments by PFL Chairman Donn Davis about their first event in Africa and expressing his own vision for PFL Africa. He also discusses the status of his relationship with the PFL, Jon Jones’ retirement, still wanting to fight Deontay Wilder, details from April’s motorcycle accident, and more (2:14:47).

Michael "Venom" Page returns after his victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 319 to talk about the performance, whether he’ll go back down to welterweight or remain at middleweight, hanging out with Carlos Prates, potential fights against Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards, and more (2:58:48).

Tim Elliott, fresh off an upset win over Kai Asakura, makes his show debut to discuss his game plan for the fight, being vocal about wanting digital scales to be used for weigh-ins, returning from a long layoff, responding to critics on social media, and more (3:10:05).

Bryan Battle is the final guest of the day and he’s back to discuss UFC 319 fight week, including his weight miss that led to his bout being cancelled, believing he can still make middleweight, hoping for the fight to be rebooked for October, dealing with the blowback from fans, and more (3:39:44).

Ariel and the Boys in the Back close the show with more news and notes and your Super Chats (4:05:36).

UFC 319 Post-Fight Show: Khamzat Chimaev dominates Dricus Du Plessis; Who's next? Ariel Helwani reacts Aug 17, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani is joined by Petesy Carroll for their immediate reactions to UFC 319, starting with Khamzat Chimaev dominating Dricus Du Plessis to become UFC middleweight champion (01:24).
After breaking down the fight, they wonder who Chimaev could face next, including reactions to a real-time callout by Sean Strickland (13:01).

Helwani quickly recaps the rest of the card (23:37), before returning to individual performances including: Lerone Murphy's masterful knockout of Aaron Pico (30:04), Carlos Prates' return to form against Geoff Neal (38:18), another win by Michael 'Venom' Page (43:26), and Tim Elliott's major upset against Kai Asakura (48:37).
Finally, they touch on Alex Hernandez's brutal finish of Chase Hooper (52:06) and dive into some reactions from Dana White and others to a memorable card (54:22).

UFC 319 weigh-in & press conference reaction, Conor McGregor’s not cut, more | The Craic Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

With UFC 319 right around the corner, Petesy Carroll joins forces with Ben Fowlkes to break down the card’s biggest talking points.

After reacting to the weigh-in results (7:23), they dive straight into the main event. Is this Khamzat Chimaev’s coronation, or are fans once again underestimating Dricus Du Plessis? The boys tackle it all (11:03).

UFC 319’s co-main event, Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico, is another intriguing matchup. Petesy and Ben debate whether UFC debut jitters could affect Pico and if Murphy is being overlooked as a betting underdog (28:14).

Next, the duo break down their favorite matchups from the rest of the card, including Carlos Prates’ bid to get back in the win column against Geoff Neal (35:30) and Michael “Venom” Page’s move up to middleweight to face Jared Cannonier (38:28).

Wrapping up the UFC 319 talk, Petesy and Ben share their official Uncrowned picks (44:28) before shifting to how the UFC–Paramount deal could impact fighter pay (47:52).

To cap things off, Petesy and Ben react to the highly anticipated announcement of Paul Hughes vs. Usman Nurmagomedov (01:04:28) and the news that Conor McGregor is back in the testing pool (01:09:17).

UFC 319 MEGA PREVIEW: Can Dricus du Plessis stop Khamzat Chimaev? Top UFC on ESPN moments, more | The Boys in the Back Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Back are here to preview UFC 319, including a full breakdown of the can't-miss championship fight between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev (3:50).
After previewing the rest of the card (41:15), the Boys briefly look ahead to the latest PFL championship fights (1:22:34) and make picks for the weekend (1:25:56).
Next, they debut a brand new Fight Feasts, focused on food from the 'Windy City,' and deliver their P4P rankings of moments from the UFC on ESPN era (1:51:59), before closing with your voicemails (2:25:06) and Super Chats (3:03:07).

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