The Ariel Helwani Show

Latest Episodes:

Dawn of the Paramount Era, Dana White on the White House card, more | The Craic Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

The Craic is back with its dynamic trio. Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes reunite, kicking things off with a deep dive into how the UFC’s Paramount era will shape up (2:47).

Then, the guys react to Kayla Harrison dropping out of UFC 324 (28:13), how it impacts the quality of the UFC’s debut on Paramount, and whether UFC 325 shapes up as the stronger event (36:49).

With Dana White at the helm of the UFC’s new deal, the trio break down his recent media appearances and how a lack of promotional push is impacting the hype around upcoming events (46:01).

While the UFC prepares for its Paramount debut next week, attention turns to KSW, where rising prospect Salahdine Parnasse is set to face Marcin Held. Petesy breaks down the matchup for the lads (56:32).

To round out the show, the chaps flex their dramatic muscles by re-enacting an interaction between a UFC matchmaker and a manager (1:04:05), then answer your Super Chats (1:22:21).

Kayla Harrison Out, What Now? No Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at White House? | The Boys in the Back Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

The Boys in the Back bring you another stacked show, starting with reaction to the arrest warrant issued for Gervonta Davis (02:52) and Dana White's recent comments about the White House card (05:12).

Ariel Helwani joins, giving his own thoughts on the latest from White and discussing Kayla Harrison's withdrawal from UFC 324, as well as the numerous names volunteering to fight Amanda Nunes as a result (17:05).

The Boys cover other news, including Paddy Pimblett calling Arman Tsraukyan's grappling overrated, Sean O'Malley reacting to sliding into the UFC 324 co-main event slot, Khalil Rountree Jr. calling for a Jiri Prochazka rematch, and more (48:17).
After looking at some UFC championship futures (1:05:50), The Boys deliver their P4P heartbreaking cancellations (1:28:19), listen to your voicemails (1:49:38), and answer your Super Chats (2:17:25).

Daniel Cormier reunion! Israel Adesanya & Kayla Harrison breaking news, Joe Pyfer, Anthony Hernandez, Chuck Mindenhall, On The Nose Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with On The Nose, answering questions related to Dana White’s announcement of Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer, Kayla Harrison being out of her UFC 324 bout against Amanda Nunes, Meta getting naming rights to the APEX, and more (04:23).

Joe Pyfer is back to discuss the massive opportunity against Adesanya, being the betting favorite, how the fight got made, his respect for Adesanya, training his grappling with Nicky Rod, and more (1:06:12).

Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez returns to preview his UFC Houston main event against Sean Strickland, then talks about his post-MMA plans, expecting a bloody fight from Strickland, not being bothered by trash talk, feeling like he doesn’t get special treatment from the UFC, and more (1:35:25).

Old friend Daniel Cormier finally reunites with Ariel to celebrate a few holidays, discuss UFC’s move to Paramount, Harrison being forced out of the Nunes fight, Gable Steveson’s potential to be UFC champion, Jon Jones coaching Steveson, coaching opposite Jones on their reality show, his continued rivalry with Jones, potentially wrestling Jones, and more (2:19:57).

Uncrowned’s Chuck Mindenhall, die-hard Denver Broncos fan, joins the show to talk trash to Ariel about his Buffalo Bills before their teams meet in the NFL playoffs (3:10:24).

Ariel wraps up the show with your Super Chats (3:45:59).

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).

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