The Ariel Helwani Show

Latest Episodes:

Ilia Topuria, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones reaction, Ice Cube, Nazim Sadykhov, more Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Ariel kicks off the show with his reaction to Dana White's announcement that Jon Jones retired and vacated his heavyweight title (04:36).

Ilia Topuria joins ahead of his vacant lightweight title bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to discuss the fight, Islam Makhachev's decision to vacate, Paddy Pimblett, the possibility of fighting in Spain, and more (35:50).

Nazim Sadykhov, Azerbaijan native, calls in after his Fight of the Night performance at UFC Baku to break down winning two bonuses, moving to New York as a kid, his beginnings in MMA, and more (1:01:38).

The Boys in the Back join Ariel to give their opinions on the Jon Jones saga and its impact on Tom Aspinall. Then, they move into the biggest results from UFC Baku and the other news and notes around the sport (1:26:05).

Next up on the program is Ariel’s Fanatics Fest interviews, first with Ice Cube (2:49:54), who covers everything from his Big3 basketball league to professional wrestling, and then with Georges St-Pierre (3:12:07), who weighed in on Jon Jones, his fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov that nearly came to be, Islam Makhachev moving up, stories from his career, and more.

Ariel and the crew wrap up the show by looking at the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez faceoff and answering your Super Chats (3:40:29).

BREAKING: Jon Jones retires, Tom Aspinall is UFC champion, Ariel Helwani reacts to 'shameful' situation Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani gives his immediate reaction to Dana White announcing that Jon Jones has retired, making Tom Aspinall the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion.

Conor McGregor’s latest scandal, Jon Jones speaks on his future, Ice Wars, more | The Craic Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

The Craic is back with its usual trifecta! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes get the show underway by unpacking the fallout from Conor McGregor’s latest nightclub scandal (4:23).

It wouldn’t be a Craic episode without a Jon Jones segment, and this time it’s his appearance on the Nelk Boys podcast. The boys discuss his latest comments, which unsurprisingly don’t inspire much excitement for the potential Tom Aspinall matchup (25:34).

Pivoting to the other side of the combat sports spectrum, Chuck Mindenhall recaps his trip to BKFC’s Ice Wars, including his rink-side feels alongside boxing legend Tommy Hearns (46:51).

The UFC is back too. This time debuting in Baku, Azerbaijan. The guys break down the Xs and Os of the main event, assess Rafael Fiziev’s three-fight losing streak ahead of his bout against Ignacio Bahamondes, and spotlight a few hidden gems on the rest of the card (55:34).

To round out the show, the trio dissect the viral Turki Al-Sheikh, Canelo Alvarez, Terrence Crawford family dinner photo, then answer a few viewer superchats (1:06:16).

The Boys in the Baku! UFC Baku preview, Fight Feasts from Atlanta, voicemails | The Boys in the Back Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Baku start the show by reacting to Jon Jones’ recent comments about Tom Aspinall and Francis Ngannou (02:46), before moving on to the developing drama between Joaquin Buckley and Israel Adesanya (14:36).

Next they preview the UFC's debut in Azerbaijan (21:34), headlined by Jamahal Hill versus Khalil Rountree Jr., along with the next round of the PFL tournament (47:58).

After highlight Big Hitters from UFC Atlanta, the Boys make their picks (52:40), and premiere the newest Fight Feasts (1:04:49), where GC went home to a Atlanta for a food tour.

They wrap up by listing their P4P best hills (1:20:54), listening to your voicemails (1:34:38), featuring mailman beef and some old favorites, and answering your Super Chats (2:11:30).

Cory Sandhagen, Paul Walter Hauser & Marc Raimondi IN STUDIO, Julio César Chávez Jr., On The Nose Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani begins with the news and notes before Petesy and the Boys in the Back join to answer your On the Nose questions (07:56).

Cory Sandhagen calls into the program to discuss his potential title shot against Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley’s recent performance, his viral social media skits, lifestyle habits, starting an OnlyFans, and more (1:02:42).

Marc Raimondi, Atlanta Falcons reporter and veteran MMA journalist, joins his old friend Ariel to discuss his new book, "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America." He shares insights into his writing process, why he chose to focus on pro wrestling, and stories from his journey as an author (1:33:09).

Paul Walter Hauser — Primetime Emmy winner, Golden Globe Award winner, and professional wrestler — comes in-studio to shoot on his biggest acting roles, his lifetime love of wrestling, breaking into the sport, aspirations and dream matchups, producing for Major League Wrestling, dealing with injuries, WWE storylines, and much more (2:32:15).

Julio César Chávez Jr., former WBC champion, ends the day with a preview of his upcoming fight against Jake Paul. He gets into his father’s legacy, the state of his career, a rumored matchup against Darren Till, regrets around the Anderson Silva fight, and more (3:28:26).

Ariel and the Boys wrap up the show by answering your Super Chats (3:51:22).

Ariel x Ade, episode 31: Richardson Hitchins' huge win, 'Boots' moving up, Deontay Wilder's mentality, more Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Ariel Helwani opens the show solo with a recap of Richardson Hitchins’ huge win over George Kambosos Jr. (03:34) and Eddie Hearn’s reaction to Hitchins' free agency comments (04:23).

Dmitry Salita, head of Salita Promotions, calls to discuss Claressa Shields’ upcoming undisputed heavyweight title fight (10:29), MVP’s increased presence in women’s boxing (14:11), TKO’s emergence in the sport (16:37), and more.

Co-host Ade Oladipo joins the show in progress (34:23), fresh off hosting duties for the Club World Cup (36:04), to spotlight Hitchins' win (40:40), before discussing Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis moving up in weight (50:01), and Deontay Wilder's mentality before his return fight (54:09).

They close the show by reacting to breaking news about Jaime Munguia’s positive drug test (1:00:09), previewing this weekend’s fights (1:04:37) and delivering the Parting Shot (1:07:20).

Julianna Peña, 'The Iron Turtle' JunYong Park, Rose Namajunas, Andrei Arlovski, Phil Rowe Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Phil Rowe kicks off the program fresh from his UFC Atlanta comeback win over Ange Loosa and shares his thoughts on his struggles to get a fight, the stakes around his last performance, his mom’s health struggles, releasing a song, and more (05:54).

"The Iron Turtle" JunYong Park, UFC middleweight contender and one of the show’s most highly anticipated guests, joins the program before his fight this weekend to discuss the origins of his nickname, his large fan base, his MMA background, training with Alex Pereira, and more (32:30).

Andrei Arlovski calls in to preview his BKFC debut and talks about his reasons for leaving the UFC, his motivations to continue fighting, the GFL’s demise, picks his heavyweight GOAT, and more (1:02:11).

Julianna Peña stops by after her title loss to Kayla Harrison at UFC 316. In an emotional conversation, she delves into competing with injuries, the finishing sequence, Kayla’s size, Amanda Nunes’ return, her comeback plans, and more (1:32:28).

Rose Namajunas is the final guest and breaks down her big win over former training partner Miranda Maverick, bee-induced injuries, her mindset leading into the fight, chasing the belt, the Shevchenko-Zhang superfight, and more (2:02:34).

Ariel and the Boys in the Back wrap up the show with an update on Ben Askren courtesy of his wife and by answering your Super Chats (2:34:22).

Sean O'Malley, Khalil Rountree Jr., Deontay Wilder, Malcolm Wellmaker, Michael Chiesa, weekend recap Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

Khalil Rountree Jr. joins the program before his UFC Baku main event against Jamahal Hill to discuss headlining the first UFC event in Azerbaijan, almost giving up on MMA, his coach John Wood, growing after his loss to Alex Pereira, his path back to a title shot, and more (02:15).

Deontay Wilder, American heavyweight great, previews his return to the ring against Tyrrell Herndon. "The Bronze Bomber" talks about dealing with betrayal, coming back from losses, speaking to a sports psychologist, his future, and more (52:55).

Ariel Helwani is joined by the Boys in the Back to recap Kamaru Usman’s decision win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta, plus the news and notes from around the sport (1:40:52).

Sean O’Malley calls in after his defeat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316 to break down the submission loss, his viral lifestyle changes, differences in the rematch, his future at featherweight, the state of the bantamweight division, and more (2:04:24).

Malcolm Wellmaker, surging UFC bantamweight contender, joins after his devastating win over Kris Moutinho and gets into his KO streak, fighting in Atlanta, his childhood and early career, quitting his job as a pipefitter, and more (2:37:33).

Michael Chiesa looks back at his hard-fought victory over Court McGee and discusses his feelings around the fight, dealing with negativity, his three-fight win streak, his change in mindset, his success in commentary, Islam vs. JDM, and more (3:08:49).

The Boys rejoin to wrap up the day and are greeted by a special guest and longtime friend of the program, Jon Bier. Then they answer your Super Chats (3:46:40).

Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes: Biggest WMMA fight ever? Plus, Kamaru Usman’s plan, PFL’s puzzling moves, more | The Craic Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

This week on The Craic, Petesy Carroll calls on Ben Fowlkes and Drake Riggs to talk combat sports’ biggest and weirdest headlines.

They open the show by debating whether the inevitable Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison bout could be the biggest women’s MMA fight of all time (4:09).

Next, the trio turn their attention to this weekend’s UFC Fight Night main event: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley. Petesy and the boys unpack the key narratives heading into the matchup, including Usman’s bold three-fight plan to achieve double-champ status (26:04).

It’s been another weird week for PFL. Not only does it seem they might be fumbling the Paul Hughes vs. Usman Nurmagomedov rematch, but they’ve also strangely been linked to Russell Brand. The guys weigh in on another disappointing spread of headlines for the PFL (43:56).

To end on a high note, the chaps look ahead to a stacked weekend of combat sports action. From GLORY 100 to BKFC Ice Wars, there’s plenty for fight fans to enjoy (1:02:48).

Who can stop Merab Dvalishvili? Plus, UFC Atlanta and PFL previews, P4P 'dawgs', voicemails, more | The Boys in the Back Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

The Boys in the Back begin the show with an update about Ben Askren (03:28), courtesy of Daniel Cormier, before discussing Merab Dvalishvili’s dominance and who has a realistic chance to dethrone the champ (05:13).
Then, they preview UFC Atlanta (23:05), headlined by Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, and PFL's next tournament round in Nashville (55:45).

Next, they spotlight some Big Hitters from UFC 316 (1:03:32), make their picks, and deliver their P4P ‘dawgs’ (1:13:45), a list of fighters who have that dog in them.

Finally, the Boys close the show by listening to your voicemails (1:30:16) and answering your Super Chats (2:07:06).

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