The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani

Latest Episodes:

Jared Gordon, Anthony Smith, Raufeon Stots, Billy Quarantillo, and more Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (7:04), Ariel Helwani talks about the UFC’s development of stars, Eagle FC, Brendan Schaub’s recent comments, the origin of NYRic, the UFC’s return to the O2 Arena, how to honor legends, favorite Adam Sandler movies, Douglas Crosby, and more.

Raufeon Stots around (1:39:07) discusses his big win over Danny Sabatello at Bellator 289, if Sabatello was tougher than he thought, what rounds he won, his reaction to the judges’ scores, his conversation with Sabatello after the fight, facing Patchy Mix next, and more.

Anthony Smith around (2:02:11) discusses when he found out he lost the Jamahal Hill fight, his reaction, what he thinks of the UFC 283 LHW title fight, who won the UFC 282 main event, being possibly the backup for UFC 283 title fight, training with Jamahal Hill, how he scored the UFC 282 co-main event, the state of MMA judging, his Conor McGregor comments, and more.

Jared Gordon around (2:32:13) discusses how he feels about the decision loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 282, the injuries he suffered, the aftermath, how he scored the fight, what he wants next, and more.

Billy Quarantillo around (3:01:18) discusses his win at UFC 282, his Bills fandom, math questions during his fight, what question fired him up for the fight, why he pulled out of his July fight, what’s next, donating his fight kit for charity, and more.

GC around (3:46:00) makes his picks for UFC Vegas 66, and the parlay pals make their selection for this weekend.

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Ariel responds to Paddy Pimblett (again), Ilia Topuria, Jamahal Hill, Raul Rosas Jr., Chris Curtis, Dricus Du Plessis, and more Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (6:34) discusses the death of soccer writer Grant Wahl at the World Cup recently.

Helwani then around (13:11) responds to Paddy Pimblett’s recent comments before UFC 282. Around (34:45) Ariel, New York Ric and Conner Burks discuss the fallout from UFC 282, the co-main event between Pimblett and Jared Gordon, Ariel's feeling it was "one of the worst decisions in the history of the UFC," the state of MMA judging, Ariel's thoughts on Doug Crosby's scorecards at UFC 282 and Bellator 289, Jan Blachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev scoring, and more.

Chris Curtis around (1:24:02) discusses his big win at UFC 282 over Joaquin Buckley, bouncing back from a recent loss, his odd finish, his recent hot streak in the cage, if he would ever fight Sean Strickland, what’s next, and more.

Dricus Du Plessis around (1:41:48) discusses his win over Darren Till at UFC 282, who he wants to fight next, if the fight should have been stopped in the first round, the issues with his legs during the fight, and more.

Raul Rosas Jr. around (2:00:55) discusses his UFC debut win at UFC 282, his long night after the win, why he started home school, if he was nervous, when his UFC dreams began, how he got started in MMA, when he had first MMA fight, if he still wants to buy his mom a minivan, why he could finish UFC champion Aljamain Sterling now, and more.

Ilia Topuria around (2:23:58) discusses his win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282, almost running into Paddy Pimblett at the PI, why he wants Brian Ortega next, Paddy Pimblett’s last fight against Jared Gordon, why he doesn’t want to face Arnold Allen, and more.

Jamahal Hill discusses how he find out he got a title shot at UFC 283, if he feels he has time to prepare, how Anthony Smith will help him in camp, his biggest fear, how the fight will go against Glover Teixeira, and more.

GC and Helwani look back at GC’s picks for UFC 282. Also, GC, NYR, and Ariel discuss more fallout from UFC 282 and Bellator 289.

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Ariel responds to Paddy Pimblett, Dana White. Plus: Cris Cyborg, Raufeon Stots, Danny Sabatello, Teofimo Lopez in studio, and more Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (4:53) discusses recent comments by Paddy Pimblett and Dana White on Pimblett’s podcast.

Danny Sabatello around (1:23:26) discusses his upcoming Bellator 289 clash with Raufeon Stots, who is under more pressure, when the fight will finish, if Mark Zuckerberg will be at that fight, his post-fight actions, and more.

Raufeon Stots around (1:41:07) discusses his upcoming Bellator 289 clash with Danny Sabatello, Sabatello’s style of fighting, if the clash will live up to the hype, who will win the other bantamweight semifinal, faking a mole story, and more.

Cris Cyborg around (1:59:53) discusses her upcoming boxing clash Saturday night, if this is her first or second pro bout, where she might compete in MMA next, how she ended up on Terence Crawford fight card, her thoughts on Kayla Harrison’s PFL loss, if she has ever talked to PFL, why she battled a police dog, visiting Bruce Lee’s grave, a future fight with Katie Taylor, and more.

Teofimo Lopez around (2:18:49) discusses his upcoming clash with Sandor Martin on Saturday, his near-death experience with his injuries and more with the George Kambosos Jr. fight, fighter pay for combat sports athletes, moving to 140 pounds, why he likes MMA more than boxing, and more.

On Part 2 around (3:34:10) of On The Nose, Ariel, Conner and New York Ric discuss fighters withdrawing from the USADA testing pool by retiring, the potential ramifications of the UFC betting scandal, the best sushi restaurant ever, Bellator's outlook for 2023, ONE Championship's presentation, coverage of Dana White's slap fighting league, and more.

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UFC betting scandal explained, Zhang Weili, Stephen Thompson, Rafael dos Anjos, Matheus Nicolau, and more Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

The team around (12:59) gives a timeline of all the events leading up to the betting scandal involving James Krause, including his past appearance on The MMA Hour, and talks about the potential ramifications to the UFC and the sport.

Stephen Thompson around (1:01:43) discusses his win over Kevin Holland at UFC Orlando, the multiple injuries suffered in the fight, the conversations he had with Holland, how much pressure he felt heading into the fight, facing wrestlers, Holland’s corner throwing in the towel, what happened with Jack Black, what’s next, and more.

Zhang Weili around (1:25:38) discusses training with Nonito Donaire, her haircut, her reception at UFC 281, facing Carla Esparza, the first time she won the belt vs. the second, picking up Francis Ngannou, if she plans on moving up to face Valentina Shevchenko, what’s next, and more.

Rafael dos Anjos around (1:59:27) discusses his win at UFC Orlando, why he went back to 170 pounds, how much longer he wants to compete, if he’s confident he will get Conor McGregor next, McGregor’s USADA issues, and more.

Matheus Nicolau around (2:29:21) discusses his win at UFC Orlando, if he wants to stay with the UFC, his style of fighting, not being in UFC 4, the present he got from Matt Schnell after fight, being inspired by Rafael dos Anjos, his father’s death when he was a teenager, what’s next, and more.

GC around (3:10:24) looks back at his bets from this past weekend.

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Chael Sonnen, Kayla Harrison, Glover Teixeira, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and more Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (9:11), Ariel Helwani discusses UFC commentators, if he was a manager for Kayla Harrison, open scoring and PFL, Canada’s World Cup showing, Valentina Shevchenko vs. Amanda Nunes 3, multiple fighters hanging out with Ramzan Kadyrov, his message to Artem Lobov and Conor McGregor, and more.

Kayla Harrison around (46:28) discusses her first MMA loss at the PFL world championships, the last time she lost in anything, if she agreed with the judges, what she wants next, and more.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier around (1:16:34) discusses his PFL lightweight title, his tough road to the title, his financial struggles during the pandemic, his treatment in the PFL, how he celebrated the win, GSP’s advice during the fight, the finish, and more.

The parlay pals around (1:39:42) make their selection for this weekend, and GC makes his picks for UFC Orlando.

Glover Teixeira around (1:59:57) discusses what happened recently with UFC 282, why he could have faced Jan Blachowicz instead of Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282, if the UFC has reached out since the change, his chat with Jiri Prochazka, the death of Anthony Johnson, who will win the UFC 282 main event, Alex Pereira’s title win, and more.

Chael Sonnen around (2:28:48) discusses the UFC 282 main event change, Alex Pereira’s future, World Cup issues, Conor McGregor situation with USADA, Nate Diaz’s future, his issues with John Cena, Twitter, Tito Ortiz fight, and more.

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Tyson Fury, Jan Blachowicz, plus Alex Pereira, Larissa Pacheco and Brendan Loughnane all in studio. Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

The Parlay Pals around (8:29) discuss Kayla Harrison's performance, whether to ban Frank from the Parlay Pals, suggestions for the next season of PFL, the shakeup with UFC 282 and Ariel's reaction to the UFC's matchmaking choices, and more.

GC around (56:44) looks back at his picks for the PFL Championships and the biggest winners for last weekend.

Tyson Fury around (1:07:55) discusses his upcoming trilogy fight with Derek Chisora, why he decided to return to boxing, why the fights with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk didn’t happen, his dad vs. Jake Paul, and more.

Alex Pereira around (1:34:38) discusses how life has changed since he’s champion, if he thought he would be champ this quickly, if he was injured before UFC 281, his past fight history with Israel Adesanya, his UFC 281 title fight and the corner advice, what makes him upset, if he wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev, if Adesanya really wants a rematch next, his classic social media clips, and more.

Jan Blachowicz around (2:26:27) discusses how he ended up in the UFC 282 main event and a light heavyweight title shot, how he found out, the Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira fight, his rock climbing, how the UFC 282 main event will end, and more.

Larissa Pacheco around (2:47:00) discusses her upset win over Kayla Harrison, the best part of the victory, why she was so confident heading into the title fight, the title fight, if she felt disrespected, why she was out for three years, fighting Cris Cyborg, Kayla Harrison manager Ali Abdelaziz’s actions during the fight, Pacheco’s tattoos, Aspen Ladd’s PFL debut, and more.

Brendan Loughnane around (3:25:52) discusses his big win over Bubba Jenkins at PFL Championships, his celebrations afterwards, his phone call with Jenkins the day after, Ariel’s feud with Darren Till, his cross-country trip, Conor McGregor’s tweet, who he wants next, and more.

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Kayla Harrison, Brendan Loughnane and Marlon Moraes all in studio, and more Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

The parlay pals around (6:57) make their pick for this weekend’s PFL event, and GC makes his best bets for the PFL Championships.

In the latest On the Nose around (21:46), Ariel Helwani discusses Canada and the World Cup, Kayla Harrison’s future, Fedor’s retirement fight on CBS, Paulo Costa’s contract issues, ONE’s issues, Khabib’s GOAT status, favorite Franks in history, and more.

Marlon Moraes around (1:06:26) discusses his upcoming PFL debut Friday, why he decided to retire in and return, what happened during his recent skid, how he ended up in the PFL, how he linked up with Mark Henry, Frankie Edgar’s final UFC fight, and more.

Brendan Loughnane around (1:37:50) discusses his upcoming PFL championship fight, his cross-country trip after the event, the pressure he faced in his last event, working as a security officer at a strip club, what has changed for him, and more.

Kayla Harrison around (2:03:15) talks about her upcoming title fight against Larissa Pacheco in PFL main event Friday, the pressure, her difficult year, how many fights left on her deal, if Cyborg is on the horizon, what she wants to accomplish yet, and more.

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Michael Chandler, Terence Crawford, Ryan Spann, Vanessa Demopoulos, and more Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

The parlay pals around (7:19) discuss the end of their lengthy skid and the latest drama involving Dillon Danis.

Terence Crawford around (39:34) gives his side of the situation with the failed Errol Spence negotiations, who he blames for the fight not coming together, being an independent boxer and how that influences negotiations, his upcoming fight with David Avanesyan, the potential pitfalls of the matchup, and more.

Vanessa Demopoulos around (1:02:13) talks about her big win at UFC Vegas 65, lessons learned from her short-notice loss against JJ Aldrich, her "aggressive" childhood and fighting growing up, being raised by her grandparents, retiring from exotic dancing one year ago, her work as a self-taught aerialist, falling 2 stories from a pole while dancing, how she got into the business and advice from her father, her book on exotic dancing, "Stripper Bible," how a strip club manager got her into MMA, and her goals for her career, and the similarities between being a stripper and MMA fighter.

GC around (1:29:31) looks into this past weekend’s bets for UFC Vegas 65 and some of the biggest winners as well.

Ryan Spann around (1:40:43) discusses his big win at UFC 281, why he missed weight, missed opportunities, Anthony Smith’s comments, when he would like to return, and more.

Michael Chandler around (2:03:03) discusses his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281, his style of fighting, the animosity with Poirier, any regrets, fighting with a broken nose, his controversial actions during the fight, a possible clashes with Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal, Anthony Johnson’s legacy, and more.

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Dustin Poirier, Yair Rodriguez, Renato Moicano, Jason House in studio and more Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (7:16), Ariel Helwani discusses if Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 3 could happen, what’s next for Dustin Poirier, World Cup picks, Alex Pereira’s rise to champion, Michael Chandler vs. Conor McGregor, ranking NYC UFC events, the interim FW title shot, and more.

Manager Jason House around (54:53) discusses how he handles a massive roster, how he got his start, his relationship with the UFC, Brandon Moreno winning the UFC title, what’s next for Chito Vera, fighter pay, and more.

Renato Moicano around (1:24:36) discusses what took so long to break out of his shell, his UFC 281 performance, where he learned English, the lack of respect he was getting in the rankings, fighter pay, and more.

Dustin Poirier around (1:48:02) discusses his win over Michael Chandler at UFC 281, a headbutt in the first round, if there was any ring rust, meeting Mike Tyson, the Marvin Hagler hat, if he thought Michael Chandler blew his nose on him on purpose, the fish hook, why he bit Chandler, the third round slam, what he said to Chandler after the fight, what’s next, and more.

The parlay pals around (2:28:11) pick their latest parlay and GC makes his latest picks for Bellator 288, UFC Vegas 65, and World Cup 2022.

Yair Rodriguez around (3:00:54) discusses his UFC interim featherweight title fight against Josh Emmett at UFC 284, what he thinks of Emmett as a fighter, riding horses, and more.

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Israel Adesanya in studio, Chris Gutierrez in studio, Erin Blanchfield, Matt Frevola, David Taylor in studio, and more Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (7:28) looks back at the career and legacy of former UFC title challenger Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson.

The parlay pals around (19:55) discuss all the major storylines coming from UFC 281, including Alex Pereira's shocking win over Israel Adesanya, whether Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez or Molly McCann vs. Erin Blanchfield was a poorer matchup, the Parlay Pals' bad beat and more.

Chris Gutierrez around (1:01:19) reflects on his "surreal" victory over Frankie Edgar, his history with Edgar, his reaction to seeing Edgar hit the canvas, his coach Mark Montoya's health problems, nasty messages he received from fans before the fight, how he got into martial arts and MMA, his street-fighting days, a custody battle over his son and how MMA was used against him in court, legal accusations against him, next potential opponent, and more.

David Taylor, around (1:31:58) an Olympic gold medalist and world champion in freestyle wrestling, discusses possibly making a move to mixed martial arts, Bo Nickal’s path, 2024 Olympics, WWE, and more.

Erin Blanchfield around (2:03:56) discusses her performance against Molly McCann at UFC 281, getting booed for the first time, the finish, her celebration, who she wants next, and more.

Matt Frevola around (2:16:42) discusses his performance at UFC 281, his unique UFC fight announcement, his nickname and his family’s nicknames, his walkout song, wanting Paddy Pimblett next, deepwater training, and more.

The parlay pals around (2:36:42) discuss the UFC interim featherweight title shot and odds for next week’s combat events.

Israel Adesanya around (3:07:15) discusses how he’s dealing with his loss at UFC 281, his performance, his fight week, fight night, Brad Riddell’s decision to step away, his walkout song, the finish, sparring with Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, when he wants to return, why he wants Alex Pereira next, the reaction from fans, and more.

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