The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani

Latest Episodes:

Dustin Poirier, Rampage Jackson, Ilia Topuria, Renato Moicano Teofimo Lopez, Themba Gorimbo, and more Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (7:14) discusses how the special edition of The MMA Hour happened Saturday, the fallout of the interview with Turki Alalshikh, Tyson Fury, and Oleksandr Usyk, the fallout from Dustin Poirier’s tweet, the hot takes from the incident, The Rock vs. Roman Reigns, UFC Vegas 85, and more.

Themba Gorimbo around (44:57) discusses his UFC Vegas 85 win, the knockout win, recent comments by Kiefer Crosbie, how the comments bothered him, how his story found The Rock, The Rock’s support, how he ended up in the UFC, his near-death experience as a child, his tough childhood, how he’s helping back home, what’s next, and more.

Teofimo Lopez around (1:22:19) discusses his upcoming fight against Jamaine Ortiz, why he asked for this fight, why he didn’t want to face Ortiz, why he thought of Ortiz ripping his poster, how close he was to retirement, social media before Josh Taylor fight, trying ayahuasca, why he wants Bud Crawford next, and more.

Rampage Jackson around (1:49:57) discusses past clips with Ariel Helwani, how he ended up in poor seats at his last Japan event, if he’s really boxing Shannon Briggs, the fighters he wants to face next, meeting Conor McGregor, a classic story with Rampage, his loss to Jon Jones, and more.

Renato Moicano around (2:32:25) discusses his UFC Vegas 85 win, how many stitches he got from the fight, how the head butt hurt him, the Apex, if he would consider return to featherweight, his memorable post-fight interview, visiting his family, his thoughts on United States, what he wants next, Paddy Pimblett, and more.

The parlay boys around (3:09:34) look back at the most recent selection, and GC recaps his UFC Vegas 85 selections.

Dustin Poirier around (3:28:55) discusses his upcoming UFC 299 fight with Benoit Saint Denis, his first thoughts of his opponent, why five rounds, if Saint Denis was on his radar, his tweet that set off a firestorm, how this fight almost ended up at UFC 300, if he never gets to fight Nate Diaz, the state of the division, Holloway vs. Goethje, Max Holloway, Kayla Harrison, how his fight will end at UFC 299, Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, and more.

Ilia Topuria around (3:57:50) discusses his upcoming title fight at UFC 298 against Alexander Volkanovski, the videos he is putting out, his first staredown with Volkanovski, Volkanovski’s last knockout loss, Sean O’Malley’s recent comments, Paddy Pimblett, who he wants next, a recent meeting with Hunter Campbell, a future UFC event in Spain, what makes him nervous, the rise of Georgian MMA, his official prediction for Volkanovski, when his UFC dreams began, and more.

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BREAKING NEWS SPECIAL EDITION: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Turki Alalshikh announce new date, more Feb 03, 2024

Show notes

On the special breaking news edition of The MMA Hour, heavyweight boxing champs Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk appeared with Saudi Arabia royal adviser Turki Alalshikh and Usyk manager/translator Eglis Klimas, to talk about the delay of the Feb. 17 title unifier in Riyadh. Fury spoke about how his injury took place, Usyk and Klimas gave their reaction to Fury's cut, Alalshikh announced the new date for the fight and the incentive he's put out to both fighters to keep the fight from being delayed again. Additionally, Alalshikh talks about what will happen to the Feb. 17 event, the plan for Filip Hrgovic's next fight, the date for the highly anticipated light heavyweight title unifier between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, and more.

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Conor Benn Opens Up About Suicidal Thoughts, plus Raquel Pennington, Cory Sandhagen, Tatiana Suarez & Cassius Corrigan Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

In the latest edition of On the Nose around (6:35), Ariel Helwani discusses Renato Moicano, how much the MMA media landscape has changed, if it’s time to reveal Mysterious Frank, the biggest title fight to make in UFC now, and more.

Cory Sandhagen around (30:50) discusses his social media game, his shoulder injury, losing his possible title fight, the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo fight, facing Sean O’Malley, if he has any regrets taking Petr Yan fight, who will win UFC 299 main event, Umar Nurmagomedov, his YouTube videos, Aljamain Sterling at featherweight, and more.

Tatiana Suarez around (1:01:23) discusses her Bills fandom, why she’s not fighting at UFC 298, when she might return, if a title shot is on the horizon, her new documentary, and more. Cassius Corrigan joins Suarez to discuss the documentary, Suarez’s rise to wrestling fame, how they found out Suarez had cancer, and more.

Raquel Pennington around (1:30:13) discusses her UFC 297 title win, her illness before the fight, if she thought about dropping out, if she feels disrespected, her reception at the airport, Jessica Pena’s recent comments, Kayla Harrison’s UFC debut, Sean Strickland’s comments, and more.

Ariel around (2:00:21) returns to On the Nose to discuss UFC 301, if he will attend future UFC events, Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns, if he would commentate for WWE, Vince McMahon news, and more.

Conor Benn around (2:50:45) discusses his upcoming fight against Peter Dobson, being called the “bad boy of British boxing”, having to fight in Las Vegas instead of England, the frustration of not being able to fight in England, if he feels that this is personal at this point, how expensive this fight has been for him, how he has been portrayed by the British media, if he thought of retirement, blackmail allegations, his future plans, his staredown with Dobson, his fight prediction, and more.

The parlay pals around (3:22:11) make their latest selection, and GC makes his picks for the upcoming UFC Vegas 85.

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Aljamain Sterling, Diamond Dallas Page, Renato Moicano, Holly Holm, CSAC boss Andy Foster Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (7:02) discusses this past weekend in combat sports, the Conor McGregor trailer for Road House, and more.

California State Athletic Commission Executive Director Andy Foster around (21:54) discusses a possible new rule change in mixed martial arts, the fight that caused the tweak in the rules, if soccer kicks could return, rules meetings, the 12-6 elbow rule, the pension fund for fighters, the BKFC and Power Slap approvals, the Usman Nurmagomedov positive test, and more.

Holly Holm around (1:08:47) discusses her upcoming clash with Kayla Harrison at UFC 300, how she found out, what she feels about this fight, if the fight at 135 pounds will be in Holm’s favor, what if Harrison misses weight, why she is always fighting the best, her last fight, the UFC 297 co-main event, if a title shot should be at stake at UFC 300, the 145-pound division, if Amanda Nunes will return, and more.

Renato Moicano aorund (1:35:07) discusses his upcoming Drew Dober fight at UFC Vegas 85, his mustache, his time apart from the Octagon, his messages for the haters, fighting at the UFC Apex again, what he wants next, Dober’s recent performances, Islam Makhachev’s last performance, other top lightweight fights coming up, Max Holloway, the UFC 300 fight card, and more.

Diamond Dallas Page around (2:04:27) discusses Jake Roberts, Scott Hall, how he got a press pass at the Royal Rumble, his history with Cody Rhodes, Vince McMahon’s latest resignation, if the atmosphere at Royal Rumble was any different, Hulk Hogan classic tale, and more.

Aljamain Sterling around (2:49:20) discusses his upcoming UFC 300 fight against Calvin Kattar, his grappling events, his issues with some jiu-jitsu competitions, the Chase Hooper match, his skits with Merab Dvalishvili, if he will ever fight at 135 pounds again, the Sean O’Malley loss, how he ended up with Kattar, how close he is to a FW title shot, the grounded fighter rule, Chito Vera vs. Sean O’Malley, and more.

The panel around (3:28:56) looks back at this past Saturday’s Royal Rumble and determines who won the men’s and women’s lottery. They then break down the memorable event.

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Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC! Plus: Robert Whittaker, Cedric Doumbe, Leah McCourt, Bianca Belair and Montez Ford in studio Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (6:28), Ariel Helwani discusses Kayla Harrison’s move to the UFC, what it means to the PFL, Harrison’s move to 135 pounds, if Cyborg could join her in the UFC, if it’s the end of the women’s 145-pound division, the Bills, WWE Raw to Netflix, and more.

Leah McCourt around (59:43) discusses what happened to Ryan Curtis, who was injured during an MMA practice recently, the severity of his injuries, the surgery, how Curtis is dealing with the injury, what Curtis was like as a fighter, the support for Curtis after the injury, the acquisition of Bellator by the PFL, if a fight with Cris Cyborg is on the horizon, and more.

Cedric Doumbe around (1:31:39) discusses his upcoming PFL Europe fight, how the event is already sold out, a possible Anthony Pettis clash, how he ended up facing Baissangour Chamsoudinov, makes a fight prediction, why everyone thinks Chamsoudinov could pull the upset, his staredown with Michael ‘Venom’ Page, why he doesn’t want to do PFL tournament, his interaction with the crowd before his last fight, his walkout, his popularity in France, UFC’s mistake, when he might call it quits, what he might do after fights, who he might face next, and more.

The panel around (2:03:45) does their lottery for this weekend’s Royal Rumble.

Robert Whittaker around (2:29:22) discusses his upcoming fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 298, his growing family, his injury in the Dricus Du Plessis fight, how awkward it is to fight DDP, who won the UFC 297 main event, if DDP should face Israel Adesanya next, why Costa is so dangerous, the popularity of Sean Strickland, who he wants after Costa, balancing a family and fighting, and more.

WWE stars Bianca Belair and Montez Ford around (3:16:10) join us in-studio to discuss their upcoming Hulu reality show Love & WWE, the massive broadcast deal between WWE and Netflix, the growth of WWE under Nick Khan, the challenges of managing a relationship within the same business, the eternal heel vs. babyface debate, body dysmorphia and eating disorders, future goals, the 2024 Royal Rumble, CM Punk’s shocking return to WWE, and more.

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UFC 297 Reaction, Julianna Peña, Neil Magny, Chris Curtis, Jasmine Jasudavicius Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (00:53) wraps up his busy weekend and takes a closer look at UFC 297. He discusses the close main event in Toronto, if Dricus Du Plessis will headline UFC 300 with Israel Adesanya, and other top storylines from the event. He addresses Dana White’s comments about the UFC Saudi Arabia event being moved to later in the year, Dricus du Plessis road to the UFC middleweight title, how the UFC 297 main event was scored, the legality of the knees that stopped the Movsar Evloev vs. Arnold Allen fight, and more.

Jasmine Jasudavicius around (1:00:16) talks about how the UFC 297 opportunity came together, her reaction to Priscila Cachoeira missing weight, making the fight a catch weight, why she was so angry Cachoeira came in heavy, how she used the weight miss to punish Cachoeira in the first round, how she felt dealing out so much damage in the fight, whether the fight should have been stopped, the conversation she had with Cachoeira before the fight, her teammate Mike Malott’s loss, and more.

Julianna Pena around (1:25:20) discusses the UFC 297 co-main event, what was wrong with the fight, if Amanda Nunes will return, if Nunes will cut the line to the next title shot, an old story about Pennington on TUF, Raquel Pennington’s comments after UFC 297, the future of Mayra Bueno Silva, her return date, her prediction for the Pennington fight, and more.

Chris Curtis around (2:02:58) discusses his decision win at UFC 297, why he reduced media heading into the event, why he got rid of social media, his rough 2023, critiquing his own fight, the split decision against Marc-Andre Barriault, his performance, the commentary from Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz for his fight, if he might change weight classes, and more.

Neil Magny around (2:29:54) discusses his UFC 297 comeback win over Mike Mallot, what happened during the first two rounds, the corner advice before the third round, what could be next, if he talked with Mallot after the fight, the future of Mallot, Ian Garry’s comments, what he wants next, and more.

Ariel around (3:04:49) discusses Sean Strickland’s comments during the UFC 297 media day, the timing of the questions by the MMA media, Dana White’s comments after UFC 297, past transgressions by some fighters and their respective punishments, and more.

The parlay boys around (3:32:32) look back at their most recent selection, and GC looks back at his UFC 297 picks.

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Rose Namajunas, PFL founder Donn Davis, Julianna Peña, Jim Miller, Eric Nicksick, UFC 298 preview Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (6:00), Ariel Helwani discusses Max Holloway vs. Justin Goethje at UFC 300, the UFC 298 main event, and more.

Julianna Pena around (20:56) discusses this Saturday’s UFC 297 co-main event, when she might bee able to return, why she is pulling for Mayra Bueno Silva in the fight, is she has a title shot set for her return, makes her selection for the parlay pals, and more.

Donn Davis around (45:09) discusses the upcoming PFL vs. Bellator fight card next month, how the fans received the card, the UFC’s Saudi Arabia card, why Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison didn’t happen, the offer on the table for Harrison, Patchy Mix, Brendan Loughnane, how PFL vs. Bellator will be an annual event, the future of Bellator, Francis Ngannou’s future, and more.

Eric Nicksick around (1:12:38) discusses if Sean Strickland has changed as champion before UFC 297, his reaction to Strickland vs. DDP brawl at UFC 296, if Strickland’s emotions will be hard to control, how to defeat Dricus Du Plessis, Francis Ngannou’s fight camp, and more.

Rose Namajunas around (1:37:14) discusses her upcoming fight in March against Amanda Ribas, her hand injury that she suffered at UFC Paris, if she thought about retirement after the loss to Manon Fiorot, how her life has changed, why she gave up caffeine, if she is close to a title shot, fighting Valentina Shevchenko, and more.

Jim Miller around (2:01:46) discusses how he ended up on UFC 300, if he was surprised it was Bobby Green, how he trains and fights as an “old man,” the key to his longevity, if this will be his last fight, Green’s last performance, fighting at the UFC Apex, and more.

Ariel around (2:30:13) returns to On the Nose to discuss questions surrounding Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou, UFC Saudi Arabia, Ngannou’s PFL return, Sean Strickland’s comments, Ali Abdelaziz, his professional relationship with Jones, and more.

GC around (3:07:10) makes his selections for UFC 297, and then the panel makes their picks for this Saturday’s event.

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Anthony Joshua, Dricus du Plessis, Jiří Procházka, Brandon Moreno, weekend review Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

Anthony Joshua around (14:10) discusses his upcoming fight against Francis Ngannou, his new documentary, what he learned from the first face-off with Ngannou, when he might call it quits, Deontay Wilder’s recent loss, his coaches, Eddie Hearn’s recent comments, and more.

The panel around (34:33) discusses the upcoming Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou showdown, UFC Vegas 84, the latest UFC 300 fights, Artur Beterbiev’s performance, UFC 297, and more.

Jiri Prochazka around (57:48) discusses his upcoming UFC 300 fight against Alexander Rakic, his bike ride in Spain, his recent loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 295, how he dealt with the defeat, if his mind changed about the stoppage, fighting at Madison Square Garden, his placement on UFC 300 fight card, dealing with staph infection, Magomed Ankalaev’s win, and more.

Dricus du Plessis around (1:27:26) discusses the weather in Toronto, his upcoming UFC 297 title fight with Sean Strickland, if he thought he missed a title shot with his injury, the pre-fight press conference, if he had any regrets for his comments, if he is in Strickland’s head before the fight, the UFC 296 brawl, if he thought of pressing charges, what he expects at UFC 297, if Khamzat Chimaev deserves a title shot, and more.

Brandon Moreno around (1:57:41) discusses his upcoming rematch against Brandon Royval in Mexico City, his thoughts on the UFC 296 brawl since was right there, if a title shot is on the line, his thoughts on Manel Kape, his recent loss to Alexandre Pantoja, his modeling with Puma, his dream scenario after the fight, and more.

The parlay boys around (2:18:36) look back at their most recent selection, and GC recaps his picks for UFC Vegas 84.

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Paulo Costa, Arnold Allen, Mark Hunt, Callum Smith, and this week's news! Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (4:48), Ariel Helwani discusses Tom Aspinall’s campaign to fight Jon Jones, whom Aspinall should fight next, if this is affecting Jones’ legacy, and more. The team discusses movies about wrestling, the etiquette of eating pizza, the truth of UFC pay-per-view numbers, GC’s meme game, Adesanya vs. Pereira 3 for the UFC 300 main event, whether UFC execs watch the MMA Hour, why International Fight Week got bumped up, Gaethje vs. Hollaway for the BMF title, Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz’s potential boxing match, and more.

Paulo Costa around (24:19) discusses dropping out of his fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, the status of his elbow injury, how he ended up with Robert Whittaker, if he’s worried about ring rust, Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis, if there’s a line for pre-fight trash talk, facing Chimaev this year, life without USADA, secret juice, if he thinks Conor McGregor will fight at 185 pounds, Francis Ngannou, how he will defeat Whittaker, and more.

Callum Smith around (54:56) talks about cutting weight in the cold of Quebec, Montreal, for his fight with Artur Beterbiev, the delay due to Beterbiev’s health issues, his spoiler role to a potential fight between Dimitry Bivol and Beterbiev, whether there’s a rematch clause, the hype around Beterbiev, his keys to victory for the fight, whether he’s concerned about judging in Quebec, and more.

Mark Hunt around (2:02:35) discusses if his legal issues with the UFC are over, his return to fighting, getting into bare-knuckle boxing, his current weight, getting offered to take a dive for a fight, if he has talked to BKFC, if he can still watch MMA, wanting to face Jake Paul, USADA leaving UFC, and more.

Arnold Allen around (2:32:00) discusses his activities away from the Octagon, his recent time off from the UFC, his performance against Max Holloway, his upcoming fight against Movsar Evloev at UFC 297, how GSP is an inspiration, the rise of UK MMA, Alexander Volkanovski’s legacy, how his Dad will be in his corner, Francis Ngannou, and more.

The crew around (2:58:44) returns to the On the Nose questions.

The parlay boys around (3:44:58) make their latest selection, and GC makes his picks for the upcoming combat sports weekend.

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Francis Ngannou, Ian Machado Garry, Bo Nickal, Eddie Hearn, Aleksandar Rakic, and more Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (2:14) takes a closer look at the boxing showdown between Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua as well as the next fights for Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira in the UFC.

Francis Ngannou around (17:03) discusses his upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua, how the fight happened, how things have changed since the Tyson Fury fight, if a rematch with Fury will happen, if he will compete in MMA this year, the support from MMA fighters, Eddie Hearn’s comments, taking care of his coach Eric Nicksick, and more.

Ian Machado Garry around (49:46) gives us an update on his health and his decision to pull out of the fight at UFC 296, the reaction by the fans, how his fight moved back at UFC 298, how Garry and his wife were attacked online in the recent months, recent comments by Colby Covington and Sean Strickland, his side of the story of the P.I. incident with Strickland, his hitlist for the year, what happened with Team Renegade, where he will be training next, and more.

Bo Nickal around (1:22:52) discusses his upcoming fight at UFC 300, fatherhood, his long break, how he ended up with Cody Brundage, how many times he wants to fight this year, what he thought of Khamzat Chimaev’s last performance, how he wins at UFC 300, and more.

The panel around (1:39:33) discusses the new UFC fights for UFC 299 and UFC 300.

Aleksandar Rakic around (2:00:21) discusses losing his fight at UFC 297, how he ended up at UFC 300, being out two years with an injuries, watching the division move on without him, his injuries, facing Jiri Prochazka, Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira, Ankalaev vs. Walker 2, and more.

Eddie Hearn around (2:35:51) discusses the rise of Luke Littler, the upcoming clash between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, his previous comments about Ngannou, why Ngannou is dangerous against Joshua, if Joshua will keep the same team, the future of Joshua, Taylor vs. Cameron 3 updates, and more.

The panel then around (3:09:29) discusses the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou fight more, if Ngannou will compete for the PFL, who will win the fight between Joshua and Ngannou, and more.

GC around (3:33:33) announces his futures bets for 2024.

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