The Ariel Helwani Show

Latest Episodes:

The Uncrowned Wrestling Show | Fantastic All In show, New Level debuts, Sunday Night’s Main Event predictions Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Solomonster raves about AEW All In London and has a lot to say about Will Ospreay’s title win and entrance at Wembley, plus Eric Bischoff comparing it to a Nasty Boys match (1:14).

He also has thoughts on the return of Britt Baker after nearly two years, the debut of The New Level, what really attracted them to AEW, the one team missing from the tag team standoff, and Mercedes Mone breaking her nose while winning the world title (7:27).

Kota Ibushi updates us on his broken leg and it’s not good, plus Jim Ross is back with a health update and why he wasn’t present in London for the PPV (32:32).

NXT Heatwave thoughts, including the match you should go out of your way to watch, Grayson Waller wins the NXT championship, and why it felt like he was one step away from being released before this latest run (39:16).

News on the return of Wrestlepalooza and what it could mean for the John Cena Classic, Penta and Rey Fenix battle to decide who gets to challenge Roman Reigns in Mexico City, one possible creative path for Jacob Fatu, plus a preview and predictions for Sunday Night's Main Event in Atlanta (43:50).

Injury updates on Kevin Owens after a scare this past weekend and Matt Cardona speaks from the heart after tearing his tricep (56:21).

Mercedes Martinez announces her sudden retirement in the middle of her final tour and more embarrassing Ric Flair tweets, as he threatens to sue over stolen robes (1:04:39).

Ending with your questions, talking a possible Ilja Dragunov debut in AEW, a Mighty Mouse and Ben Askren-type trade between WWE and AEW, and some of the top wrestler monikers (1:10:35).

Kofi & Austin Creed break their silence, Bella Mir, Alex Apodaca, Mayhem Miller, Ronald Humphrey, news & notes Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani quickly previews today’s lineup before being joined by The New Level to talk about their recent AEW debut. Kofi and Austin Creed reveal behind-the-scenes details about AEW negotiations, their first time interacting with the rest of the roster, reports of WWE asking them to take a pay cut and the decision to part ways, their continued relationship with Big E, the positive vibes around AEW right now, and more (04:45).

Alex Apodaca makes her show debut, discussing the shocking upset of Bella Mir, being a massive underdog in the fight, how she got her start in MMA, her accounting job, getting awarded the UFC contract by Dana White, her reaction to Mir’s mother’s comments on social media, and more (1:05:29).

Ronald Humphrey joins on the heels of his impressive win on Contender Series, talking about the experience on the show, as well as the fighting career and death of his father, Abongo, his thoughts on the rest of the UFC welterweight division, including champion Islam Makhachev, his goal of being an all-time great, and more (1:34:36).

Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller is back to discuss his episode of Vice’s Dark Side of the Cage and reflect on his career, overcoming legal troubles, his recent growth and evolution, and his time on Bully Beatdown. He also touches on his coaching career, his girlfriend, how to support fighters after retirement, and more (2:12:00).

Bella Mir looks back at her first career loss, detailing the preparation, the fight itself, and the aftermath. She goes into her weight cut, whether there was additional pressure, how she felt during the fight, her mother’s comments after the fight, expectations for her career, whether she has a UFC deal, and more (2:44:03).

Ariel announces the return of The Uncrowned Beat, covers recent news items (3:22:03), and then answers your Super Chats (3:31:26).

Wild weekend recap, Andy Ruiz in studio, Katie Taylor, Joe Lauzon, news & notes Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by recapping a wild weekend of combat sports, starting with Song Yadong’s stunning knockout of Umar Nurmagomedov, as well as brother Usman Nurmagomedov’s viral moment (01:30).

Katie Taylor joins ahead of her highly-anticipated retirement fight at Croke Park to talk about headlining the historic venue, her plans post-retirement, the various tributes being paid to her career, and more (32:22).

Ariel and crew react to Moses Itauma’s stunning loss at the hands of Filip Hrgovic, including foreshadowing comments by Itauma in now-unearthed interviews and Oleksandr Usyk’s thoughts on the fight, before discussing the embarrassing Duel Arena event (53:41).

UFC veteran Joe Lauzon discusses his BKFC debut, including what it was like to fight at Fenway Park, preparing for his first boxing bout, the damage sustained from bare-knuckle punches, his UFC contract status, and more (1:41:03).

Heavyweight boxer Andy Ruiz joins Ariel in-studio to talk about his comeback, his desire to be champion again, signing with Matchroom Boxing, his thoughts on Zuffa Boxing, his reaction to Moses Itauma’s loss, his son wanting to pursue boxing as well, releasing a diss track, and more (2:03:40).

Ariel covers other news and notes, including Zabit Magomedsharipov’s successful return to competition, Muhammad Mokaev grabbing grappling gold, Justin Gaethje getting into motivational speaking, Dana White being asked about the secret location he’s teasing, and more (2:51:47).

The show closes with your Super Chats (3:39:54).

Inside Boxing | Filip Hrgovic stuns exhausted Moses Itauma, Chantelle Cameron beats Mikaela Mayer, Lester Martinez shines Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show recapping one of the craziest endings to a heavyweight fight in ages, as Filip Hrgovic pulled off the massive upset of Moses Itauma, who simply ran out of gas (03:32).

How will Itauma bounce back from this loss? Chris digs deep into the psyche of Itauma and if his team prepared properly for this fight (29:43).

Over in Los Angeles, ProBoxTV rolled out one of their biggest fight cards to date with Lester Martinez defeating Luka Plantic in the main event. The co-main event saw Najee Lopez defeat Juan Carillo after a very bizarre replay review (47:24).

Finally, over in Birmingham, UK, Chantelle Cameron defeated Mikaela Mayer in a very close, back-and-forth fight. In the co-main event, Caroline Dubois defeated Amelia Moore then got into it again with Alycia Baumgardner outside the ring (53:38).

Dillon Danis pulls out again, Usman Nurmagomedov talks money, more | The Craic Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Petesy Carroll and Ben Fowlkes are back for a duo edition of The Craic.

Dillon Danis has pulled out of his MMA fight with Mike Perry. The boys react to the news (02:11).

Following her loss on Dana White’s Contender Series, Bella Mir has taken plenty of flack online. Petesy and Ben discuss the response to her defeat (23:21).

Then, the lads weigh in on Usman Nurmagomedov’s claim that he turned down a $2 million offer from PFL (49:19).

Looking ahead to the weekend, Petesy and Ben preview Moses Itauma’s return to the ring (59:05) and UFC Shanghai (01:03:41).

To finish up, the duo answer your Super Chats (01:13:35).

Inside Boxing | Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic preview, Mayer vs. Cameron, ProBox’s new era, Floyd Mayweather's legal business Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieiri open the show previewing the heavyweight title fight between 21-year old phenom Moses Itauma and battle-tested Filip Hrgovic (04:57).

ProBox TV has a big card featuring Lester Martinez, Ramon Cardenas, and Najee Lopez, with Chris on the call (26:47).

Over in Birmingham, MVPW has another installment with Mikaela Mayer taking on Chantelle Cameron in a battle of two top-five pound-for-pound talents with big stakes (41:19).

A slew of fight announcements were made this week: Dmitry Bivol vs. Callum Smith, Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi, and Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj (45:13).

We end the show with some Floyd Mayweather news, as the TBE launches The Money Team Legal Network (57:46).

Merab and Umar beef heats up, Kevin Holland on $11 million speculation, more | The Boys in the Back Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

The Boys in the Back serve up a brand new show, starting with some news and notes.

They cover Bella Mir’s first statement after her Contender Series loss and her mother’s apology (04:04), Kevin Holland addressing speculation about him being the $11 million man (09:53), Josh Hokit taking aim at Tom Aspinall (17:51), Usman Nurmagomedov turning down big money from the PFL (48:30), and more.

After breaking down the escalating beef between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov (50:59), they dive into Nurmagomedov’s fight against Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai and the rest of the card (1:02:48).

Next, they preview the rest of the weekend’s fight, including Mike Perry vs. Dillon Danis, BKFC at Fenway Park, Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgovic, and Mikaela Mayer vs. Chantelle Cameron (1:36:09), and make picks (1:44:37).

Plus, a brand new Fight Feasts, featuring Shanghainese food (1:46:00), P4P Chinese takeout (02:07:31), voicemails (2:21:21), and Super Chats (3:13:01).

Teofimo Lopez, Sean Brady, Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Delgado, On The Nose, Ariel's yogurt mystery, more Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to breaking news that TKO has become minority shareholders in DAZN, Bella Mir’s shocking Contender Series loss, Dana White’s demeanor at press conferences, Complex’s sports media power rankings, and more (10:12).

WBA welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez joins on the heels of his win over Rolly Romero to discuss managing his coaching relationship with his father, wanting to fight Devin Haney, calls for him to fight Jack Catterall, and more (1:09:21).

Sean Brady talks about his experience preparing for RAF 12 and stepping on the mat against Jordan Burroughs, how he believes Islam Makhachev would do against Burroughs in wrestling, wanting to face Colby Covington for RAF, his upcoming fight against Gabriel Bonfim, Ian Machado Garry’s performance against Makhachev, not being on UFC 330 in Philadelphia, whether Din Thomas will corner him for his next fight, and more (1:34:54).

Jose Delgado makes his show debut, discussing how his main event matchup against Jean Silva came together, his upbringing and family life, hoping to honor his father, who died when Delgado was young, his girlfriend’s taxidermy hobby, and more (2:07:12).

Rafael dos Anjos is our final guest of the day, talking about returning from a two-year layoff at UFC 332, opening his new gym in Austin, Texas, the secret to his longevity, still wanting to fight Conor McGregor, and more (2:33:24).

Ariel and the crew answer your On The Nose questions, including how the sport and UFC can attract new fans, drug testing in MMA and its impact on all-time rankings, Ilia Topuria’s next fight, and an all-time saga regarding Ariel’s missing yogurt (2:59:50).

The show ends with your Super Chats (4:06:32).

Will Ospreay, Mikaela Mayer, Carli Judice, Ade Oladipo, news & notes Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Ariel Helwani opens the show by bouncing around the upcoming schedule, including Umar Nurmagomedov’s UFC main event against Song Yadong in Shanghai, Bella Mir’s Contender Series showcase, and more (05:57).

Old friend Ade Oladipo reunites with Ariel to talk all things boxing, starting with the reaction to his viral George Foreman clip, then discussing Moses Itauma’s massive potential, the drama surrounding Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury and it potentially not taking place in the UK, Zuffa Boxing’s impact so far, and more (18:01).

Unified super welterweight champion Mikaela Mayer joins to preview her bout against Chantelle Cameron, also talking about her contract with MVP, wanting to fight Claressa Shields, Alycia Baumgardner fighting Elif Nur Turhan rather than Caroline Dubois, the momentum in women’s boxing compared to their MMA counterparts, her commentary career, and more (1:01:06).

Ariel and The Boys in the Back chitchat about youth sports, fatherhood, and life, before covering some breaking news (1:29:29).

Carli Judice makes her show debut, discussing her sports background, growing up as a non-MMA fan, the story being her nickname “Crispy,” her finishing ability and high-volume style, meeting fellow Lafayette, Louisiana native Dustin Poirier, and more (2:00:53).

AEW star Will Osprey discusses his massive opportunity to headline AEW All In opposite Kenny Omega at Wembley Stadium, reflecting on his career to this point, his high-flying style, his relationship with AEW boss Tony Khan, the vibe in the locker room, receiving offers from WWE, how the WWE and AEW products compare, loving his time in Japan, and more (2:33:00).

Ariel and crew close out the show with your Super Chats (3:20:23).

The Uncrowned Wrestling Show | Ilja Dragunov gone from WWE, AEW Wembley predictions, TNA Lockdown fallout Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Solomonster reacts to Ilja Dragunov’s sudden departure from WWE, why it happened, how they dropped the ball with him, and where he could be headed next (02:48).

The fans in Toronto deserved a better Smackdown than what they got on Friday, which featured a CM Punk and Kevin Owens title match, Lil Yachty getting into the ring, and Matt Cardona suffering an injury (19:48).

Raw featured the return of Royce Keys and arrival of a new team from NXT, Oba Femi and Bron Breakker sign the contract for their upcoming match, and the finals are now set to decide who wrestles Roman Reigns in Mexico City (26:10).

Plus the latest on the Continental Cup tournament, and a preview and predictions for AEW All In London at Wembley Stadium (40:28).

News on AEW coming to France for the first time, Athena suffers an asthma attack during the ROH PPV, and the massive amount of money AEW lost on its Fight Forever video game (56:58).

TNA Lockdown fallout from Sunday with Leon Slater’s status, the WWE Hall of Famer’s son who is now under contract with TNA, and Dave Bautista lands a big TV gig (1:00:39).

Ending with your questions, talking Jay White in the Casino Gauntlet, ranking Brock Lesnar all-time, and the best pro wrestling theme song written or produced by someone outside the wrestling industry (1:04:42).

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