The Ariel Helwani Show

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Taylor vs. Serrano 3 Reaction from Madison Square Garden Jul 12, 2025

Show notes

Live from Madison Square Garden, Petesy Carroll and Chuck Mindenhall give their immediate reactions to Katie Taylor claiming victory in her trilogy fight against Amanda Serrano.

Soaking up the energy from the live arena, The Craic transports you cage side with live sound from the fighter announcements and results (00:13), followed by the duo breaking down the biggest storylines from the bout (04:28).

Live from New York! Taylor vs. Serrano 3, Jones vs. Aspinall at The White House, UFC 189 anniversary | The Craic Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

For the very first time, Petesy Carroll hosts The Craic from our New York studio!

Craic stalwart Chuck Mindenhall joins him at the top of the show before Irish boxing journalist Gavan Casey arrives to preview Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3, which takes place tonight at Madison Square Garden (11:33).

After that, Petesy and Chuck react to Dana White’s Full Send appearance where he discussed the possibility of Tom Aspinall fighting Jon Jones at The White House (53:17) and what will set up a meeting between Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev.

The lads then discuss the 10-year anniversary of UFC 189, before taking a look at Conor McGregor’s latest appearance at the BKFC press conference (59:12:28).

Chuck also gives insight on ghost-writing Ben Askren’s book after the former UFC fighter revealed he “died four times” after undergoing a double lung transplant (1:02:17).

UFC's heavyweight division needs help, UFC Nashville preview, Petesy Carroll joins | The Boys in the Back Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Back start the show with Ben Askren’s video from the hospital bed following his double lung transplant (02:20), then react to the PFL announcing a new CEO (07:08).

Next up, they tackle how to fix the UFC's heavyweight division (11:47), leading into a breakdown of UFC Nashville (39:01), starting with the Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira main event, followed by the rest of the card.

Then, Petesy Carroll joins the Boys in studio to open some soccer jersey mystery boxes (53:53), break down Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3 (1:00:23), and debate the implications of Jake Paul’s picture with Turki Al-Sheik (1:19:27).

Finally, the crew makes picks (1:23:39), reveal their Irish culture P4P rankings (1:28:05), and listen to your voicemails (1:42:58).

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith, TNA President Carlos Silva, Ring Announcer Big Mo, Petesy Carroll ALL IN STUDIO Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and the Boys in the Back are joined by Petesy Carroll to recap his time at the Taylor-Serrano open workouts as well as cover all the latest news and notes (01:08).

Combat sports ring announcer Kody "Big Mo" Mommaerts is the first of three in-studio guests, and he joins before working Taylor-Serrano on Friday. He gets into carving out his path as an announcer, competing in public speaking, his favorite fights, and more (16:22).

Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, is next up behind the desk, and he discusses Matchroom’s rebrand, how he met Eddie Hearn, the rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, Katie Taylor's possible retirement, Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul, and more (58:58).

TNA President Carlos Silva is next up, and he breaks down his role as head of Anthem Sports Group, including TNA’s growth and partnership with the WWE as well as Invicta FC's place in combat sports and the possibility of a deal with the UFC (1:46:20).

Petesy joins back to help answer Super Chats and end the day (2:24:47).

Ariel x Ade, episode 33: Massive weekend preview: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3, Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda, Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and Ade Oladipo are reunited in the New York studio ahead of a massive weekend in the world of boxing.
They begin the show by previewing the highly-anticipated trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano (02:22), before diving into the rest of the all-women card (22:57).
Next, they discuss the stacked Ring card headlined by Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz and Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda (31:09), before Ade voices his opinion on Jake Paul’s controversial WBA Cruiserweight ranking (39:15).
Then, special correspondent Petesy Caroll calls in live from the Taylor-Serrano open workout to set the scene (48:17).
After touching on the recently announced Ring event headlined by David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde (57:34), Ariel and Ade recap Jack Catterall’s win over Harlem Eubank (1:01:14) and deliver the Parting Shots (1:11:14).

IN STUDIO BIRTHDAY BONANZA: Craig Jones, Shakur Stevenson, Cherneka Johnson, Petesy Carroll Join Us Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off a special all in-studio show with Petesy Carroll, who comes bearing gifts for Ariel's birthday (05:06).

Craig Jones joins ahead of his grappling match against Gable Steveson and talks all things CJI 2. He also discusses mending ties with ADCC, his feud with the UFC, training with JDM and Tom Aspinall, and shares stories of his travels to Ukraine (16:00).

WBA bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson joins before her unified title fight against Shurretta Metcalf on the Taylor-Serrano undercard. She discusses signing with MVP, fighting at Madison Square Garden, her Māori heritage, and more (1:19:09).

Superstar Shakur Stevenson closes out the show as the final guest before his fight against William Zepeda. He shares his thoughts on Turki Alalshikh's comments, Floyd Schofield, fan criticism, Canelo-Crawford, and ends with his predictions for boxing’s biggest matchups (1:54:49).

The gang rejoins Ariel and they answer your Super Chats (2:39:56).

Joshua Van, Frank and Bella Mir, Nakisa Bidarian in studio, Butterbean, weekend recap, more Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

The Craic's Petesy Carroll is in town, so he joins Ariel Helwani in studio to set the table for this weekend’s Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy fight on Netflix and discuss other major news and notes around the sport (06:10).

"Butterbean" Eric Esch, boxing legend, calls in to talk about his incredible health resurgence, a potential return against Jake Paul or Brock Lesnar, fighting in PRIDE, and more (1:03:36).

Frank and Bella Mir are next up, and they discuss Bella’s UFC aspirations, conversations with Dana White, following in her father’s footsteps, Olympic goals, and more (1:35:20).

Next up is a preview video of the crew’s behind-the-scenes adventure at UFC headquarters during International Fight Week (2:04:14).

Joshua Van joins after his barnburner against Brandon Royval at UFC 317 to reflect on fighting twice in three weeks, facing off with Alexandre Pantoja in the octagon, competing next for the UFC flyweight title, and more (2:18:27).

Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian comes in studio before the all-women's boxing card on Netflix headlined by the Taylor-Serrano trilogy. He discusses the lead-up to the event, Jake Paul’s win over Julio César Chávez Jr., negotiations with Canelo, and more (2:42:19).

Ariel and the crew end the show by answering your Super Chats (3:26:10).

Can Ilia Topuria top Conor McGregor? P4P American fighters, voicemails, more | The Boys in the Back Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Back return from Las Vegas and kick off the show with a debate about new UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria's star power and how he compares to Conor McGregor (02:17).

With no event to preview, The Boys recap their picks (33:50) and jump into their P4P all-time rankings of American fighters (41:22), before listening to voicemails (52:55) and answering your Super Chats (1:19:54).

The Hardy Boyz in studio, Arman Tsarukyan, Bo Nickal breaking news, Gregory Rodrigues, Hamzah Sheeraz Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with stories from last week's Las Vegas adventure (01:46), before speaking to top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan about being the backup fighter for UFC 317, his reaction to Ilia Topuria's win, words exchanged with both Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje, who he wants to fight next, and more (22:58).

Next, Gregory Rodrigues aka 'Robocop' joins the show following his devastating knockout of Jack Hermansson, to talk about the big win, explain the origins of his nickname, and more (47:00)

Bo Nickal calls in with breaking news about joining Real American Freestyle Wrestling and discusses potential matchups within the promotion, who he might want to fight next in the UFC, Jon Jones' retirement, and more (1:06:27).

The Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff, join Ariel in studio to discuss their legendary careers, including their current run with TNA, memories from the WWE days, and then list their best tag teams of all time (1:41:34).

Boxer Hamzah Sheeraz is the final guest of the day, reflecting on the controversial draw in his last fight, previewing his fight against Edgar Berlanga, diving into his relationship with new trainer Andy Lee, and more (2:49:10)

Finally, Ariel and the Boys in the Back answer Super Chats and discuss who could be the UFC's next American star and whether Ilia Topuria's resume already rivals that of Khabib Nurmagomedov (3:36:28).

Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett, Conor McGregor's appeal, Khamzat Chimaev lands stateside | The Craic Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes return as usual, and kick things off by breaking down Ilia Topuria’s newly minted no. 1 spot in the official Uncrowned pound-for-pound rankings (4:03).

Shifting to what’s next for Topuria, Petesy and the gang weigh in on Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaejthe, and Arman Tsarukyan as potential contenders for the lightweight champion (10:30).

Conor McGregor is back in the headlines. The former champ withdrew his application to introduce new evidence in his ongoing appeal. The guys discuss the latest in McGregor’s disappointing run of recent news cycles (30:52).

Looking forward to UFC 319, the trio celebrate the good news of Khamzat Chimaev finally landing on U.S. soil; a reassuring sign that his middleweight clash with Dricus Du Plessis is on track (38:10).

The UFC also recently announced UFC 321’s return to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The crew debate which championship fight will top the card, with Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena being the likely frontrunner (49:26).

Another middleweight making waves is Sean Strickland, who was caught in a bizarre in-cage brawl at a local MMA event. The trio break down the wild footage of the incident (57:30).

To wrap up the show, Petesy gets the guys’ takes on Jake Paul officially becoming a ranked WBA cruiserweight, and talk Ben’s trip to Seattle to see Wu-Tang live (1:05:28).

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