The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani

Latest Episodes:

Eddie Alvarez, Scott Coker, John Hathaway, Chris Avila, and more Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (10:33), Ariel Helwani discusses the mystery around UFC Vegas 61 , Bo Nickal’s ceiling, how to fix Bellator, the future of Combate, ONE Championship, PFL’s first PPV, the unofficial UFC grand prixs at lightweight and bantamweight and which one is more intriguing, the ongoing saga of booking Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, Aspen Ladd's next potential move, and more.

Eddie Alvarez around (1:01:01) discusses what happened with ONE Championship, how many fights he has left in his career, how he will make up his mind for his next stop, the power of free agency, advice for younger fighters, Nate Diaz, Joe Pyfer, and more.

John Hathaway around (1:33:57) discusses his long break from MMA, the three surgeries he had to endure, how hard it was to watch MMA early, why he’s coming back now, USADA testing, how he ended up at Oktagon MMA, his last UFC loss, how his diet has changed,

Scott Cokeraround (2:05:05) discusses Bellator Dublin, his current roster, lightweight tournament, allowing fighters to compete in other sports, Cris Cyborg’s future, A.J. McKee, how long Coker will run Bellator, the greatest fights he’s ever seen in person, Fedor Emelianenko’s next fight, and more.

Chris Avila around (2:39:25) discusses facing Dr. Mike on the Paul vs. Silva undercard, his boxing future, if he was close to facing Chad Ochocinco, how MVP treats him, Nate Diaz’s possible final fight in the UFC, how Diaz helps him during boxing fights, and more.

The parlay pals around (3:00:28) discuss a recent AEW trip, their recent parlay and the bets last weekend. The crew also picks its latest parlay, and GC also makes picks for UFC Vegas 61 and Bellator 286 on Saturday.

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Anderson Silva, Yoel Romero, Andre Fili, Damon Jackson, Campbell McLaren, and more Sep 21, 2022

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Ariel Helwani talks to NewYorkRic around (10:48) about his new hairstyle and where the hair will be donated. The parlay pals also reveal their latest parlay.

Damon Jackson talks around (32:00) about his emotional win at UFC Vegas 60, if he ever considered pulling out of the fight, what his brother meant to him, his new nickname, how he bounced back after his UFC departure, what’s next, and more.

Anderson Silva discusses around (1:01:07) his upcoming boxing fight against Jake Paul, if the boxing community respects him, why he’s taking the fight, his only problem with Dana White, if he will do MMA again, when he might call it quits, the UFC Hall of Fame, Jose Aldo’s retirement, and more.

Andre Fili discusses around (1:42:25) his big win at UFC Vegas 60, his new hairstyle, possible regrets from his fight, why he was so angry going up, how he has changed growing up, why he decided to hide a recent tragedy from his family, how he turned things around emotionally, doing standup comedy, Jose Aldo’s retirement, and more.

Yoel Romero discusses around (2:16:49) his upcoming Bellator fight against Melvin Manhoef in Ireland, how Conor McGregor has been helpful, his weight cut for light heavyweight, if he plans to return to 185 pounds, how he feels at Bellator, if a title shot is next, his fight against Israel Adesanya, how many boring fights he has had, and more.

Campbell McLaren discusses around (2:47:12) why Combate Global should be considered one of the top promotions in the U.S., how it is different than the UFC, the big women’s fight coming up, the strategy of adding fighters now, how much the pandemic hurt, who owns the promotion, and more.

GC around (3:24:01) makes his picks for a busy combat sports weekend.

In the latest On the Nose around (3:33:33), Ariel Helwani discusses Paulo Costa’s evolution, Jose Aldo’s legacy, Jon Jones’ heavyweight return, gambling and the UFC, MJF interview, Eddie Alvarez’s next stop, Ariel’s career start, Aspen Ladd’s future, and more.

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Paulo Costa in studio, MJF in studio, Action Bronson in studio, Cory Sandhagen, Joe Pyfer, and more Sep 19, 2022

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Ariel Helwani kicks off show by looking back at Jose Aldo’s career and his legacy.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman around (7:05) discusses his new AEW contract, where he went during his time off, the departure of Cody Rhodes, his relationship with Tony Khan, his return in Chicago, his feud with CM Punk, his issues with Jon Moxley, Vince McMahon’s retirement, and more.

Action Bronson around (58:48) discusses his motivation, his childhood, where he trained to wrestle, the toughness of ‘Robocop’ at UFC Vegas 60, his friendship with Chito Vera, the UFC bantamweight title picture, his new head tattoo, Israel Adesanya, Nate Diaz, and more.

Paulo Costa around (2:06:23) discusses his secret juice, his feud with Khamzat Chimaev, Jose Aldo’s retirement, his past as an IT worker, getting beaten up as a kid, and his run-in with a nurse in Brazil. He also gives NewYorkRic a special haircut.

Cory Sandhagen around (3:06:51) discusses his big win over Song Yadong at UFC Vegas 60, Yadong’s cut, how his Petr Yan lessons paid off, who he wants next, why Henry Cejudo shouldn’t get immediate title shot upon his return, and more.

Joe Pyfer around (3:31:52) discusses the big win in his UFC debut, driving exotic cars and Dana White’s Ferrari, how he stayed focused through tough times, his rough childhood, “Be Joe Pyfer,” and more.

The MMA Hour crew around (4:12:51) discusses how its recent parlay did, UFC Vegas 60 bets, and the big hitters for the week.

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Michael Chandler, Cory Sandhagen, Eddie Hearn, Daniel Rodriguez, Gennady Golovkin, and more Sep 14, 2022

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In the latest On the Nose around (7:12), Ariel Helwani discusses Nate Diaz’s departure with the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev’s heel turn, what’s next for Tony Ferguson, Chael Sonnen hosting Showtime pressers for Paul vs. Silva, Nick Diaz’s future, and more.

Michael Chandler discusses around (1:02:28) why it took so long to get the Dustin Poirier fight done at UFC 281, what happened with his incident with Poirier in July, facing Conor McGregor, Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev, Nate Diaz’s final fight, and more.

Cory Sandhagen discusses around (1:33:25) his UFC Vegas 60 main event fight against Song Yarding, his long layoff, the change in his personality, Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw, Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan, why he skipped watching UFC 279 main event, and more.

Daniel Rodriguez discusses around (2:08:40) his close fight against Li Jingliang at UFC 279, his wild fight week, his new deal, his new tattoo, who he wants to fight next, his favorite West Coast rapper, his top sports teams, his tough background, getting into fights in jail, and more.

The MMA Hour crew around (2:34:48) reveals its latest parlay for this upcoming busy combat sports weekend. Also, GC makes his latest picks for UFC Vegas 60.

Matchroom exec Eddie Hearn around (2:59:31) talks about expectations for the trilogy between Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, the status of the long-awaited Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight, why it took so long for the heavyweight title fight to happen, his relationship with Frank Warren, Fury's "take it or leave it" deal, what happened after Joshua's "post-fight antics" in the ring after the Oleksandr Usyk fight, whether the Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr. fight is really in jeopardy, his thoughts on Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva, Katie Taylor's next move, the potential of Taylor fighting Cris Cyborg, and more.

Gennadiy Golovkin around (3:32:07) discusses his upcoming trilogy match with Canelo Alvarez this Saturday night.

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UFC 279 reaction, Paulo Costa, Li Jingliang, Chris Barnett, Chimaev’s coach Andreas Michael, Aaron Jeffery, Paul vs. Silva presser watch-along, and more Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani opens The MMA Hour by paying tribute to Elias Theodorou, who died recently at age 34.

Ariel Helwani discusses around what this victory meant for Nate Diaz, and the obstacles he faced, in possibly his final UFC fight.

The MMA Hour crew wraps up UFC 279 around (37:54).

We take a live look around (1:00:40) at the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva press conference in Los Angeles on Monday.

Li Jingliang discusses around (1:30:15) why he thought he was robbed at UFC 279, the challenging fight week, his infamous suit, if he thought about not fighting at UFC 279, and more.

Allstars Training Center coach Andreas Michael around (2:06:32) talks about the weight issues Khamzat Chimaev faced before his fight with Nate Diaz was called off at UFC 279, Chimaev's offer to give his whole purse to Diaz to save the fight, whether Chimaev should fight at middleweight, the bad blood between Chimaev and Paulo Costa, his new status as a "heel" to UFC fans, potential fights with Colby Covington and Israel Adesanya, and more.

Paulo Costa. around (2:45:10), gives his side of his altercation with Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC Performance Institute, his thoughts on Chimaev's weight miss, the possibility of a fight between them, the 'crazy night' of UFC 279, how a fight between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul would play out, his vow to rematch Israel Adesanya after beating one more opponent, explaining more of his best memes, and more.

Chris Barnett discusses around (3:21:42) his injuries at UFC 279, his trip after the hospital visit, how he missed weight, his performance, his face during the fight, his flip, and more.

Aaron Jeffery discusses around (3:53:10) the recent death of former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou, Theodorou’s legacy, when Jeffery met him, and more.

GC and Helwani around (4:08:11) discuss his past bets for UFC 279 this past weekend.

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Ciryl Gane, Robert Whittaker, Paul Felder, Fernand Lopez, Lauren Murphy, and more Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani wraps up UFC Paris, his recent trip to a Nottingham Forest game and Cardiff, and much more.

GC looks back around (8:46) at his big betting weekend with UFC Paris, and the parlay pals make their pick for UFC 279.

Fernand Lopez discusses around (1:05:01) the crowd at UFC Paris, Ciryl Gane’s performance, how Gane bounced back from Francis Ngannou loss, who should Gane fight next, the toughest heavyweights in the division, and more.

Ciryl Gane discusses around (1:29:46) his recent hand injury suffered at UFC Paris, the crowd reaction, getting rocked by Tai Tuivasa, how long he might be out, and more.

Robert Whittaker discusses around (1:59:31) his big win at UFC Paris, the atmosphere, why he was upset at Marvin Vettori’s actions at weigh-ins, why he believes he is the “most dangerous man in the division,” Israel Adesanya’s style and next title defense, what he wants next, and more.

Lauren Murphy discusses around (2:30:44) why she went pubic about her issues before the Valentina Shevchenko fight, if it would have made a difference in the fight, Shevchenko’s recent title defense, her win over Miesha Tate, who she wants next, and more.

Paul Felder discusses around (3:02:09) the UFC 279 main event, if Nate Diaz has a chance, his post-fight questions at UFC events, if Felder would ever fight again, and more.

GC makes his picks for UFC 279 around (3:33:43).

In the latest On the Nose around (3:46:50), Ariel Helwani discusses Nate Diaz’s future if he wins at UFC 279, if he will fight again in the UFC, CM Punk’s recent comments, how MMA media has evolved, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa, and more.

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Demetrious Johnson, Tai Tuivasa, Danny Sabatello and Raufeon Stots in studio, A.J. McKee in studio, and Li Jingliang Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani and crew wrap up a busy combat sports weekend, and Conner Burks and Mysterious Frank discuss a trip to a ONE on Prime watch party.

Tai Tuivasa (around 29:32) discusses his upcoming fight against Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris, his recent social media interaction with Jon jones, what’s at stake Saturday, being in the corner of Mark Hunt vs. Brock Lesnar, his go-to food, and more.

Bellator interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello (around 01:01:29) exchange heated trash talk, and their bad blood almost spills over several times, about their upcoming clash in December.

A.J. McKee (around 01:38:45) talks about his upcoming fight at lightweight against Spike Carlyle at Bellator 286, the aftermath of his loss to Patricio Pitbull, the "legit mental breakdown" he suffered in the days after the fight, potentially fighting again at featherweight and Pitbull being on his "forever hit list," his thoughts on open scoring, his future with Bellator, his desire to face Benson Henderson, and more.

Li Jingliang (around 2:18:11) talks about his first reaction to fighting Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, his feelings on the short-notice booking, staying in the U.S. for the next year to fight more frequently, his response to critics of the matchup, desire to rematch Khamzat Chimaev and thoughts on Chimaev's fight with Nate Diaz, his reaction to Leon Edwards' win over Kamaru Usman and more.

Demetrious Johnson (around 02:46:33) discusses his revenge win over Adriano Moraes, whether Moraes made weight, why he changed his approach for the rematch, “Zombie Time,” his “perfect” highlight-reel knockout, why it was like DragonBall Z, ONE Championship’s broadcast deal with Amazon Prime, whether he’s the best flyweight in the world, ONE’s belt being twice as heavy as the UFC’s, the status of all his missing UFC belts, and more.

Ariel Helwani and crew (around 03:23:55) break down the latest news, place their latest parlay on UFC Paris, and GC names his best bets for Saturday. NewYorkRic also makes a big announcement.

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Luke Rockhold, Chael Sonnen, Mike Perry, Dan Hooker, Brendan Loughnane, Leon Edwards coach Dave Lovell, and more Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Brendan Loughnane around (7:43:) discusses his big win at the PFL playoffs, the pressure he faced going into the fight, why he got a mind coach, how tough fighting in PFL is, facing Bubba Jenkins, his reaction to Leon Edwards’ win, and more.

Mike Perry around (30:32) discusses his big win over MVP at BKFC 27, if he was injured at all, how he has to train differently for BKFC, why he wants to box Jake Paul, if he’s done with MMA, and more.

Dave Lovell, a coach of UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, around (1:06:19) discusses the first time he met Edwards, his passionate advice during the fight at UFC 278, the decisive finish, where he wants the first title defense, and more.

Luke Rockhold around (1:34:34) discusses his performance at UFC 278, the altitude and his broken nose during the fight, his issues with Dana White from the start, his leg surgery that set him back, what Daniel Cormier said to him after the fight, why he rubbed blood all over Paulo Costa, Jake Paul’s comments, the favorite moments of his career, and more.

GC and Helwani around (2:10:07) look back to see how the future bets have played out so far this year, and reveal Conner’s dreaded T-shirt curse.

Dan Hooker around (2:29:36) discusses his return to lightweight, his previous cut to featherweight, his recent skid in the UFC, the criticism Israel Adesanya got after his last fight, and more.

Chael Sonnen around (3:00:49) discusses the UFC 278 main event, who Leon Edwards should fight next, Colby Covington’s future, the UFC welterweight division, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz, the UFC bantamweight division, Jake Paul’s next opponent, who will Jon Jones face in his return, and more.

In the latest On the Nose around (3:42:14), Ariel Helwani discusses what’s next for Leon Edwards, his favorite post-fight interviews, what the loss cost Kamaru Usman, Anthony Joshua’s performance during and after fight, the “retirements” of Tyson Fury and Henry Cejudo, a Mount Rushmore of favorite athletes, and more.If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).

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Leon Edwards, Paulo Costa, Merab Dvalishvili, Tim Simpson, UFC 278 reaction, and more Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Helwani talks about Leon Edwards’ long road to the UFC title, Jake Paul’s comments about the UFC 278 co-main event, and more.

Ariel Helwani, NYRic, and GC then around (38:14) discuss where Leon Edwards’ improbable win and the knockout ranks in UFC history and if Edwards should face Jorge Masvidal or Kamaru Usman next.

Merab Dvalishvili discusses around (1:01:22) his performance against Jose Aldo at UFC 278, what Aldo said to him after the fight about possibly retiring, why he couldn’t take Aldo down in the fight, his traditional outfits before fights, issues with fans bringing flags to fights, who he wants next, Dana White’s comments about the fight, and more.

Paulo Costa around (1:31:08) discusses his performance against Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, his issues in the Marvin Vettori fight, his current UFC contract, why he left his former manager, his issues with USADA while cutting weight, the blood Rockhold put on his face, Jake Paul’s comments, his best tweets, and more.

Leon Edwards around (2:31:31) discusses winning UFC welterweight title at UFC 278, what happened after the first round, the advice from his coaches, getting emotional talking about his mother’s reaction to the win, if Nate Diaz could get a title shot, and more.

Tim Simpson, the manager of Leon Edwards, around (3:05:43) discusses Edwards’ UFC 278 win, when he first met Leon, where the title defense might take place, and more.

Ariel Helwani and crew around (3:28:38) look back at best bets during UFC 278 and discuss latest MMA news.

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Luke Rockhold, Rory MacDonald, Michael 'Venom' Page and Mike Perry face to face, Tom Aspinall, Chris Wade and Brendan Loughnane face to face, Aaron Jeffery, and more Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

Ariel kicks off the show with a preview of the upcoming weekend of MMA action including UFC 278, PFL Playoffs and more. Ariel also immortalizes Jessica-Rose Clark on The MMA Hour wall of fame for walking out to the Shawn Michaels classic Sexy Boy at UFC 276.

Brendan Loughnane and Chris Wade join the show at (7:08) to talk about their meeting at PFL Playoffs 3. The pair explain their ongoing rivalry and its origins, trade a few verbal jabs over their PFL careers, debate who is the bigger attraction, and Loughnane's underdog status. They also give their sides of what happened during a faceoff promoting the Saturday fight where Wade got heated with Loughnane's teammate.

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall around (33:06) returns to the show to talk about his comeback from a knee injury suffered in the main event of his UFC London fight against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall discusses his exact injury and his timetable for rehab. He also reveals a history with knee problems that led to the injury at UFC London and admits he put off corrective surgery for too long.

Rory MacDonald joins the show around (1:05:27) to talk about his recent retirement and express his gratitude for the fans' reaction to his announcement. MacDonald explains why he decided to hang up his gloves and when he started to think that his time to walk away was approaching. He also discusses his best moments, his regrets about his MMA career, and what his plans are for the future.

Michael 'Venom' Page and Mike Perry join the show around (1:33:10) to talk about their BKFC headliner. They discuss how much weight they have to cut, how the fight came together, and what they see happening when they fight bare-knuckle. They also debate on who has the better dance moves and what will happen to their respective careers with a loss, and their predictions when the fight will end.

Aaron Jeffery joins the show for the first time at the (2:02:18) mark to talk about his upset win over Austin Vanderford at Bellator 284, comparisons to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and 'disrespectful' headlines from his win.

GC, Helwani and NewYorkRic around (2:21:41) discuss their best bets for UFC 278, UFC 278 parlay picks for Saturday's pay-per-view event, and more.

Ariel around (2:49:49) answers your questions about UFC 278, the welterweight title picture, Leon Edwards' rough path to fighting Kamaru Usman, managers "in the pocket" of the UFC, how he'd cast his MMA Hour colleagues as Seinfield characters, Dana White's admission the UFC shouldn't have released Shane Burgos, and more.

Luke Rockhold returns around (3:14:24) to talk about being in his UFC first fight week in three years, his career goals at this point in his life, his relationship with the UFC and why he's tried to change his reason for fighting. Rockhold explains why he's been so outspoken about the UFC's business practices and how he felt like he was fighting the promotion from the first step of his career.

In Part 2 of On the Nose around (3:44:09), Ariel talks about the most stressful part of doing The MMA Hour, why he continues to support and be inspired by pro-wrestling, what drives him nuts about pro-wrestling haters, breaking fight scoops, who could carry the torch for Canadian MMA, the UFC's plans for Jon Jones, Dana White's reaction to the ESPN fighter pay piece, and more.

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