The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani

Latest Episodes:

DC & Helwani reunion special (in studio!), UFC 281 preview Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (8:38), Ariel Helwani discusses what’s next for Israel Adesanya if he wins at UFC 281, if a title shot is on the line for Chandler for Poirier, the UFC 283 main event, Alexander Volkanovski’s next fight, the UFC 281 fight card order, WWE Crowne Jewel event, and more.

Daniel Cormier around (57:16) goes down memory lane with Ariel and also discusses Cain Velasquez’s release, Jake Paul and Logan Paul, his top 5 fighters list, when he should have retired, if Jon Jones will ever compete at heavyweight, the UFC 281 main event, and more.

Ariel Helwani around (1:36:58) resumes answering questions about the Paul vs. Silva pay-per-view, if your kid wants to be a MMA fighter, is there an NBA coach like Eugene Bareman, top MMA teams over the years, Mayweather vs. Deji, potential MMA trades, and more.

The parlay pals around (2:39:29) make their pick for UFC 281, and GC around (3:04:33) selects his top bets for Saturday’s event.

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City Kickboxing in studio with Israel Adesanya, Eugene Bareman, Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell and Carlos Ulberg Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and the crew around (05:15) talk about their latest parlay, UFC Vegas 64, GC’s latest picks, the questionable line movement at the event, and more.

Eugene Bareman around (23:10) talks about a "fractured" phase of City Kickboxing's training and how everyone needed "a kick in the behind" to prepare for UFC 281, why Israel Adesanya was the last to come around, his reaction to criticism of Adesanya's performance against Jared Cannonier, what he expects from Alex Pereira at UFC 281, how he has "flashbacks" to Adesanya's knockout loss to Pereira and told a "boldface lie" to keep him to keep him from coming back too soon.

Carlos Ulberg around (55:01) talks about his UFC 281 fight with Nicolae Negumereanu, how he didn't like making his octagon debut at the UFC APEX, how he responded to City Kickboxing coach Eugene Bareman's "intense" demand to bond for UFC 281, the team's dreaded "spider" drill, why he changed his nickname, how he used to host "ladies night" at clubs, growing up as a street fighter, and what he learned from his first UFC loss.

Brad Riddell around (1:22:52) discusses a trip to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, his two-fight skid in the UFC, the lessons he has learned in MMA, his coach’s inspirational talk, if he wants to become a coach down the road, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev, and more.

Dan Hooker around (1:56:38) discusses if the pandemic stunted his career growth, his last performance against Arnold Allen, why he cut ties to featherweight division, Coach Bareman’s tough talk, Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler, and more.

Israel Adesanya around (2:31:12) discusses his performance against Jared Cannonier, his lunch with GSP, why this UFC 281 main event is “personal,” why he didn’t finish Alex Pereira in their second kickboxing fight, why he really left kickboxing, Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva, how he ended up as the Undertaker at the UFC 276 walkout, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev, Francis Ngannou’s future, and more.

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TJ Dillashaw, Arnold Allen, Jared Gordon, BJ Flores, and more Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (9:20), Ariel Helwani discusses Josh Thomson’s recent comments about the MMA media, best MMA moments as of late, current MMA fighters vs. Jake Paul, his suits, union talk, Jon Jones’ return and Stipe Miocic’s future, which wrestler would be helped by manager Heelwani, Kyrie Irving, Tyson Fury’s recent interview, Elon Musk and Twitter, and more.

Arnold Allen around (1:18:00) discusses his performance against Calvin Kattar, training for an upcoming marathon, getting booed at the UFC Apex, what will be next, his Vince Carter jersey, and more.

T.J. Dillashaw around (1:44:38) discusses his performance against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, his shoulder injury, when he first injured it during a TUF coach challenge, why he took the fight injured, the fallout after the fight, the quality of Sterling as champion, if he will return, Cody Garbrandt’s recent comments, and more.

Coach BJ Flores around (2:15:23) discusses Jake Paul’s performance against Anderson Silva, Paul’s gas tank and defense, if a boxer should be next for Paul, why he doesn’t prefer Paul to face Tommy Fury next, and more.

Jared Gordon around (2:48:36) discusses his upcoming fight against Paddy Pimblett, if this is the biggest fight of his career, what he thinks of Pimblett as a fighter, why he skips watching UFC events, his sobriety, and more.

The parlay pals around (3:19:23) make their pick for this weekend. Also, GC around (3:36:00) makes his picks for UFC Vegas 64.

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Jake Paul, Sean O’Malley, Katie Taylor, Sean Brady, Tommy Fury, Sayif Saud, and more Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and Eric Jackman around (5:48) discuss Jake Paul’s latest win over Anderson Silva, the people calling the fight fixed, and what’s next for Paul.

Tommy Fury around (21:34) discusses Jake Paul’s decision win over Anderson Silva, whether Paul’s performance was impressive, the reason Paul vs. Fury fell apart, why Paul would be an easy fight, his upcoming fight against Paul Bamba, why he’d beat Paul and KSI in the same night, why Paul’s Canelo callout is clickbait, and more.

Katie Taylor around (40:51) discusses her unanimous decision win over Karen Elizabeth Carabajal, the pressure on her as a big favorite, why her next fight should be at Croke Park, whether that fight needs to be Amanda Serrano, why Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn need to squash their beef to get the Amanda Serrano rematch done, and more.

Ariel Helwani around (57:35) discusses what happened between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul’s camp during fight night. Also, GC looks back at past bets.

Fortis MMA coach Sayif Saud around (1:17:22) discusses Uriah Hall’s performance against Le’Veon Bell, if Hall will continue to box, if Hall can beat Jake Paul, ‘funky’ judging, open scoring, cornering fighters, and more.

Sean Brady around (1:42:31) discusses his loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 280, the pressure of being undefeated, how he dealt with the loss, how he’s mixing things up with training, nasty messages from the fans, when he would like to return, and more.

Sean O’Malley around (1:58:12) discusses his win over Petr Yan at UFC 280, what rounds he won, how tough Yan was, if a title shot is next, facing Henry Cejudo, O’Malley vs. Chito Vera 2, Jake Paul’s performance, and more.

Ariel, GC and NewYorkRic around (2:27:23) debate who is the GOAT and rankings.

Jake Paul around (3:07:42) discusses his big win over Anderson Silva, how surreal the fight was, Silva’s antics during the fight, why body shots were the difference in the fight, whether he was surprised by the boos, his thoughts heading into the eighth round, the reaction he’s gotten from the fight, accusations of the result being rigged, whether he’s interested in fighting Tommy Fury, why Nate Diaz is an easier opponent than Silva, a potential fight against Floyd Mayweather, and more.

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Calvin Kattar, Arnold Allen, Katie Taylor, Fabian Edwards, and more Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Ariel weighs in on the rankings in light of Islam Makhachev and Aljamain Sterling's wins at UFC 280, the presence of Roman Kadyrov's son at the event and fighters' relationship to the Chechen dictator, Conor McGregor's recently revealed USADA status, whether the UFC engages in "sportswashing," his interview with AEW founder Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone's reaction to it, his relationship with Jake Paul after Paul's rip of Luke Rockhold, the team's favorite horror movies, and more.

Katie around (1:15:15) discusses why she disappeared from the public eye after her fight with Amanda Serrano, reflecting on the experience of fighting in Madison Square Garden, thoughts on the scorecards, why an immediate rematch with Serrano didn't happen, why her fight with Karen Carabajal isn't taking place at Croke Park, whether she might rematch Serrano next and Dublin's Croke Park could host, her reaction to Claressa Shields' win over Savannah Marshall, the possibility of fighting Holly Holm or Cris Cyborg, and more.

Arnold around (1:48:01) discusses his UFC Vegas 63 headliner against Calvin Kattar, the fight taking place at UFC APEX and what's at stake in the matchup, the possibility of fighting on a stadium show headlined by teammate Leon Edwards' rematch with Kamaru Usman, whether Leon set an example for humble fighters, explaining his funnier tweets as of late, and more.

Fabian around (2:12:31) talks about fighting Charlie Ward, his desire to face Gegard Mousasi and instead being told he's two fights from a title shot, his reaction to brother Leon's knockout of Kamaru Usman, the "knock-on" effects of Leon's win on their training, whether he was ever close to signing with the UFC, how he got into MMA independent of Leon, the crazy experience of his first amateur fight, his past as a janitor and a carpenter, his thoughts on champ Johnny Eblen, desire to fight Gegard Mousasi next, fighting out his contract to test the MMA marketplace, and more.

Kattar around (2:32:29( reacts to his loss to Josh Emmett at UFC Austin, his issues with the scoring of the fight, the financial blow of losing, the status of appealing the result, his position on open scoring, his thoughts on Arnold Allen as an opponent, his experience as a local MMA promoter with last-second changes, his thoughts on Alexander Volkanovski facing Islam Makhachev, possibly getting into the title picture if contenders like Emmett and Yair Rodriguez are unable to capitalize, and more.

The parlay pals around (2:56:13) are back to discuss all the best bets for this weekend including Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva, UFC Vegas 63 and more.

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UFC 280 reaction, Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Vera, Muhammad Mokaev, Manon Fiorot, and more Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (6:51) wraps up UFC 280 and Islam Makhachev’s impressive win in Abu Dhabi.

Ajlamain Sterling around (18:43) discusses his UFC 280 title defense over T.J. Dillashaw, Dillashaw’s shoulder injury and whether he knew about it beforehand, the fan reaction to the fight, Sean O’Malley’s controversial win over Petr Yan, what’s next, Henry Cejudo, whether the UFC was upset that he won, clearing $1,000,000 in his bank account, and more.

Manon Fiorot around (47:05) discusses her UFC 280 victory over Katlyn Chookagian, why she didn’t like her performance, wanting to fight Alexa Grasso in a No. 1 contender fight next, not being impressed by Grasso’s latest win, how she’d fare against Valentina Shevchenko, her fashion style, and more.

Muhammad Mokaev around (1:11:28) discusses his big win at UFC 280, his issues with Malcon Gordon, if he felt the pressure, who he wants to fight next, what he thinks of Jeff Molina, his health scare before the fight, if he ran into Khabib Nurmagomedov before the fight, and more.

Marlon Vera around (1:33:02) discusses what he thought of the UFC 280 co-main event, who won the Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan fight, if Vera should get a title shot next, if Henry Cejudo deserves a title shot next, what happened with Cory Sandhagen callout, when he wants to fight again, and more.

Ariel Helwani, NewYorkRic, and GC around (2:04:34) take a closer look at UFC 280 and the top fights to make coming out of the star-studded event.

GC around (3:04:35) takes a look back at his best bets for UFC 280 and their latest parlay.

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Dominick Cruz, Ben Askren, Alistair Overeem, Alexa Grasso. UFC 280 preview, and more Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (11:00), Ariel Helwani gives Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev post-fight promos if they win at UFC 280, UFC fighters and gambling, Power Slap League, AEW angles, Chito Vera’s next fight, if PFL is gaining ground on UFC, his wings error, and more.

Alexa Grasso around (1:15:15) discusses her UFC Vegas 62 main event, the pressure of being labeled “Mexican Ronda” Rousey, what grade she would give her performance, what she was like during high school, and more.

Alistair Overeem around (1:38:47) talks about his performance at Glory Collision 4, his 72-hour fast, how he felt about open scoring, how he really feels about Rico Verhoeven, what’s next, how he feels about Glory, if he has ruled out MMA return, if he will ever do pro wrestling, and more.

Ben Askren around (1:59:24) discusses his new book, Bo Nickal’s path in UFC, Nickal vs. Khamzat Chimaev, Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 2, what he remembers from the Jorge Masvidal fight, how he’s remembered for his losses, the trade to the UFC, Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva, and more.

Dominick Cruz around (2:41:50) discusses his loss to Chito Vera at UFC San Diego, what went wrong, if he needs to change up his style, Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw, who is bantamweight GOAT, his future plans, the top fights at UFC 280, and more.

The parlay pals around (3:29:18) make their latest parlay and GC makes his bets for UFC 280 on Saturday.

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Jiri Prochazka, Petr Yan, Javier Mendez, John Hathaway, and more Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (5:50) discusses a busy weekend in combat sports, his issues with the UFC Apex events, and UFC 280. He also names the best division in the UFC.

John Hathaway around (30:57) discusses his comeback win this past weekend in Germany, the experience of fighting for the first time in 10 years, whether he'll fight with his current promotion, Oktagon, or move back to the UFC, when he wants to fight next, being back in the MMA limelight, being an inspiration for others who've dealt with Crohn's disease, and more.

Javier Mendez around (59:24) discusses the first time he met Islam Makhachev, Makhachev's path compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam rejecting his nickname offer, how Khabib is different than father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov than he is as a coach, what makes Khabib a great coach, how a misunderstanding made Khabib go "crazy" in the gym, whether Khabib ever gets the urge to come back, his breakdown of Islam's UFC 280 title fight against Charles Oliveira, and more.

The parlay pals around (1:31:02) reunite to discuss last weekend’s parlay and look back at GC’s bets for UFC Vegas 62.

Petr Yan around (1:58:41) discusses his reaction facing Sean O’Malley at UFC 280, if O’Malley is on his level, why he didn’t face Chito Vera, why he came up short in his last fight against Aljamain Sterling, his recent meeting with Sterling, if he should get a title shot with a win Saturday, how the O’Malley fight will end, and more.

Jiri Prochazka around (2:25:26) discusses his title rematch with Glover Teixeira, why the fight is in Vegas, his hair, why the belt is near him for meditation, his recent trip to Egypt, the things he has changed since he has become champ, and more.

Ariel Helwani around (2:50:23) gives an update on Jon Jones and UFC 282.

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Alexander Volkanovski, Kevin Holland, Shawn Michaels, Chatri Sityodtong in studio, Aspen Ladd, Lance Palmer, Brandon Royval, and more Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (8:13), Ariel Helwani discusses the UFC’s crowded featherweight division, Ariel’s big weekend, Extreme Rules, the Tony Khan interview, Jon Jones’ return, and more.

Brandon Royval around (55:20) discusses his upcoming clash at UFC Vegas 62, how he got his nickname, how he feels about returning to the UFC Apex, the stakes for this weekend, sleeping in his car, and more.

Aspen Ladd around (1:17:19) discusses her upcoming fight against Julia Budd in her PFL debut, her UFC departure, Dana White’s comments, how she ended up in the PFL, and more.

Shawn Michaels around (1:35:36) discusses his moment in the ring with Triple H recently, life without Vince McMahon at the WWE, how NXT has changed, his recent conversations with Bret Hart, Jessica-Rose Clark walking out to one of his songs, and more.

ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong around (2:05:21) discusses the trade of DJ/Ben Askren, how they landed Roberto Soldic, the departure of Eddie Alvarez, their interest in Nate Diaz, how his mom inspired him, the turning point for ONE, future events in the U.S., and more.

Kevin Holland around (2:46:55) discusses if his retirement was real, what brought him back, facing Stephen Thompson next, if he regrets facing Khamzat Chimaev, his new necklace, if he would ever train with Chimaev, why he started a podcast, and more.

Lance Palmer around (3:18:50) discusses his relationship with the PFL, when his issues all started, his free agency, his dream opponent, his advice to younger fighters, and more.

The parlay pals around (3:42:27) make their pick for this upcoming weekend.

Alexander Volkanovski around (3:56:55) discusses how he became the backup fighter for the UFC 280 main event, his hand injury, if a lightweight title shot would be next, which fighter would be a better matchup for him, his recent interaction with Hasbulla, and more.

GC makes his picks around (4:41:47) for the upcoming busy combat sports weekend.

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Bo Nickal, Alistair Overeem & Badr Hari face-to-face, A.J. McKee, Ben Rothwell, Yan Xiaonan, and more Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

A.J. McKee around (4:41) discusses his lightweight debut at Bellator 286, if he will return to 145 pounds, his issues with Patricio Pitbull’s performance, what he wants next, how much money he threw into his crowd, and more.

Yan Xiaonan around (24:13) discusses her performance at UFC Vegas 61, how tough the last year was for her, why she likes Team Alpha Male, why she was fighting boys in her childhood, how many times did she win, if she met Mark Zuckerberg at the event, who she wants next, and more.

Ben Rothwell around (43:44) discusses his performance at BKFC 30, his robe, what he was thinking about before his debut, and more.

Alistair Overeem and Badr Hari around (1:00:20) discuss their upcoming clash at Glory Collision 4, if the fight is personal for either one of them, what’s the difference between the first two fights, the rough patches in their careers, and more.

Bo Nickal around (1:40:18) discusses his DWCS run, his upcoming fight at UFC 282, how he has dealt with expectations, how MMA fighters can act more professional, his issues with Khamzat Chimaev, being on the UFC 4 video game, the status of his octagon debut at UFC 282, his demand to fight on the pay-per-view main card, interest from the WWE, how a wrestling match with Logan Paul would turn out, his prediction he'll be fighting for the belt by mid-2024, callouts from Chris Curtis and Darren Till, and more.

Ariel Helwani, NewYorkRic and Conner Burks around (2:10:28) discuss the potential of Bo Nickal, how he would fare against the best welterweights in the world, predictions for Nickal's possible fight with Jamie Pickett at UFC 282, the stars of UFC Vegas 61 and Bellator 286, and more.

The parlay pals around (2:40:55) look back at their most recent parlay, the best bets at UFC Vegas 61 and Bellator 286, and more.

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