The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani

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The 2023 MMA Hour Awards Show! Plus Conor McGregor is back, UFC 300 preview Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Ariel Helwani takes a closer look at Conor McGregor’s fight announcement and what this means for UFC 300. The panel weighs in on the news and what could be the main event for UFC 300.

They also recap the “Day of Reckoning,” the upcoming fight slate for Saudi Arabia, Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua possible fight, Jake Paul’s next fight, and more.

Ariel and panel then reveal their winners for the following awards:

Knockout of the Year

Submission of the Year

Breakout Fighter of the Year

Most Improved Fighter of the Year

Coach of the Year

Event of the Year

Crowd of the Year

Walkout of the Year

Promo of the Year

Poster of the Year

Photo of the Year

Social User of the Year

Bad Beat of the Year

Underdog of the Year

Lock of the Year

Most Profitable Fighter of the Year

Comeback of the Year

Comeback Fighter of the Year

Upset of the Year

Rivalry of the Year

Story of the Year

Feel Good Moment of the Year

Round of the Year

Fight of the Year

Female Fighter of the Year

Male Fighter of the Year

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Chael Sonnen, Devin Haney, Josh Emmett, Dave Lovell, and more Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (8:33), Ariel Helwani discusses how the UFC should handle the controversial trash talk, how Dana White broke the news about MVP joining the UFC, his favorite games, UFC 297, favorite Olympic sports, all-MMA trivia team, Sam Alvey’s Karate Combat title, tipping, and more.

Devin Haney around (1:02:16) discusses his recent performance against Regis Prograis, Ryan Garcia, why he returned to Matchroom Boxing, Gervonta Davis, life at 140 pounds, a future at 147 pounds, how he gained 25 pounds in 24 hours, Bob Arum’s comments, the best pound-for-pound fighter, and more.

Josh Emmett around (1:33:15) discusses his memorable knockout of Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296, what he was feeling heading into the fight, the late switch of opponents, what the knockout punch felt like, his celebration, what he wants next, how close he is to a title shot, and more.

Dave Lovell, the coach for Leon Edwards, around (1:55:45) discusses the UFC 296 fight week and Edwards’ performance, the team meeting after the press conference, why he was so fired up after the fight, his conversation with Dana White, when Edwards may return and against whom, and more.

Chael Sonnen around (2:30:58) discusses UFC 296, what should be next for Leon Edwards, Colby Covington’s performance and pre-fight trash talk, the brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, Stickland’s future, Ian Machado Garry’s comments, Francis Ngannou’s future, Jake Paul, the UFC heavyweight title, and more.

GC then around (3:56:27) reveals his Day of Reckoning parlay for this weekend.

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UFC 296 Reaction, Alexandre Pantoja, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Geoff Neal, Andre Fili, and more Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (8:49) wraps up UFC 296 and discusses Leon Edwards’ title defense, Colby Covington’s controversial comments, the brawl between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, what should be next for Edwards, and more. The panel then gives their takes on the memorable final pay-per-view for the UFC, including the futures of Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson.

Alexandre Pantoja around (1:04:02) discusses his UFC 296 title defense against Brandon Royval, the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference, why he feels bad for Royval, how Royval improved from the last fight, celebrating the win iwith Leon Edwards, how Gilbert Burns’ kids ended up in Octagon, Brandon Moreno’s next fight, and more.

Andre Fili around (1:33:04) discusses his UFC 296 win over Lucas Almeida, pro wrestling, his recent dog’s death, the tough decision he had to make, his performance, why he didn’t jump on the cage, how his UFC career at times has been a “nightmare,” what he’s been chasing in the Octagon, and more.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page around (2:00:44) talks about how his deal with the UFC came together, who he wanted to sign with when he became a free agent, his first formal meeting with Dana White, the financial aspects of his deal, how long he expects to fight in the UFC, taking cues from Michael Chandler's move to the UFC, White's announcement of his signing, his matchup with Kevin Holland, his hatred for the recent trash talk in the sport, his assessment of Leon Edwards' performance against Colby Covington, his dislike for Covington, his desire to ultimately fight Edwards in a UK stadium, his thoughts on KSI vs. Tommy Fury, and more.

Geoff Neal around (2:28:49) discusses how his rebooking with Ian Machado Garry came together, his reaction when the fight was confirmed, the health issues that forced him to withdraw from the first fight, his reaction to the T-shirt Garry created of his mugshot, starts his car with a breathalyzer, what happened the night of his DUI, how he feels about trash talk in the UFC, reaction to Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington at UFC 296, and more.

The panel then around (2:42:42) discusses Tony Ferguson’s future after this UFC 296 loss, Conor McGregor vs. Paddy Pimblett, Bryce Mitchell’s knockout, Strickland vs. DDP brawl, MVP vs. Kevin Holland, Jake Paul vs. Andre August, and more.

The parlay boys around (3:48:56) look back at their latest selection, and GC recaps his picks for UFC 296.

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UFC 296 Preview, Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson face-to-face, Merab Dvalishvili, Khalil Rountree Jr., Brandon Royval, Dave Lovell Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose around (8:56), Ariel Helwani discusses what makes a "Fight of the Year" candidate, who is next for Leon Edwards if he wins, Tom Brady’s Expos Topps ad, his favorite post-loss interview, favorite EPL stars, the California State Athletic Commission’s ruling on Power Slap, and more.

Merab Dvalishvili around (42:53) discusses his upcoming fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, if he’s bummed he didn’t get a title shot, if a title shot is up for grabs at UFC 298, why he wants a five-round fight, if Aljamain Sterling will move to featherweight, Sean O’Malley’s recent comments, O’Malley vs. Chito Vera, and more.

Khalil Rountree Jr. around (1:01:10) discusses his memorable win at UFC Vegas 83, how he performed in the fight, facing Anthony Smith, why he stopped from throwing extra punch after knocking out Smith, the words he shared with Smith, his social media struggles, why he called out Alex Pereira after the fight, why he manages himself, and more.

Brandon Royval around (1:33:33) discusses his upcoming title fight at UFC 296, how he found out about his title shot, his first fight against Alexandre Pantoja, the UFC 296 press conference, and more.

Dave Lovell, the head coach of UFC champion Leon Edwards, around (2:32:14) discusses Edwards’ upcoming title defense at UFC 296 against Colby Covington, if the powers that be want Edwards to lose, Edwards’ motivation heading into the fight, what concerns him most about Colby Covington, how Edwards is “different” heading into this fight, Ian Machado Garry’s split with Team Renegade, Covington’s previous comments about Edwards, and more.

Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson around (2:59:24) discuss their upcoming Karate Combat main event, why Henderson is competing again against Pettis, the Pettis losses that haunt Henderson, how the training has gone for Pettis, if Pettis is done with MMA for boxing, if Pettis will go back to the PFL, and more.

The parlay pals (3:18:21) make their latest selection, and GC makes his picks for the upcoming weekend.

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Leon Edwards, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Eddie Hearn, Dakota Ditcheva, Jonathan Di Bella in studio, and more Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (3:28) wraps up a busy combat sports weekend, including taking a closer look at PFL Europe, UFC Vegas 83, and Haney vs. Prograis. We look at what’s next for Khalil Rountree, if a title shot should be next, and the future of Anthony Smith. They also discuss Song Yadong's performance against Chris Gutierrez at UFC Vegas 83 and a potential fight with Petr Yan, Conor McGregor's staredown with Yan at a boxing event in Dubai, and more.

Dakota Ditcheva around (42:21) reflects on her title win at PFL Europe, Valentina Scatizzi's horrific eye injury and the fight's stoppage, the impact of her $100,000 winner's check, her desire to do a PFL tournament, Manchester City following her on Instagram, the possibility of fighting champ Liz Carmouche, and more.

Shavkat Rakhmonov around (1:00:02) talks about how the fight with Stephen Thompson came together, whether a title shot is on the line, his sister Sora Rakhmonova's readiness for the UFC, meeting the president of Kazakhstan, his prediction for Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, training at Kill Cliff MMA, his prediction for his career in 2024, what he expects for the UFC 296 press conference, and more.

ONE champion Jonathan Di Bella around (1:20:06) discusses how he got into kickboxing, why the sport is illegal in Montreal, why he recently decided to box, social media, coffee plans, facing Rodtang or Takaru, his diet, when he wants to return, how active he wants to be in 2024, the face of kickboxing, the difference between kickboxing and boxing,

Eddie Hearn around (1:55:03) discusses the new Matchroom gym in Los Angeles, the upcoming fight schedule, the competition with other promoters, Regis Prograis comments, what’s next for Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar De La Hoya, Garcia’s performance, why isn’t Anthony Joshua facing Francis Ngannou next, Fury vs. Usyk, why Joshua keeps changing trainers, Andy Cruz, Conner Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr., Amanda Serrano’s recent decision, Taylor vs. Cameron 3, and more.

The panel then around (2:39:50) takes a closer look at some of the top early storylines and best bets for UFC 296 on Saturday night.

Leon Edwards around (3:19:20) talks about his appearance as a goalie at Soccer Aid, why it's taken him so long to return to the cage, Colby Covington fighting him after a two-year layoff, whether the UFC wants Covington to win at UFC 296, Belal Muhammad serving as a backup fighter, the best part about being welterweight champion, the drama surrounding Ian Machado Garry and his gym, how he'll treat Machado Garry when they see each other at UFC 296, and more.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling (tel:18004262537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), tel:18005224700 (CO/NH), /visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), (IA), (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit http://OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE tel:18008899789 (TN), or tel:18885323500 (VA).

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Alexander Volkanovski, Eddie Alvarez, Regis Prograis, Johnny Eblen, Drakkar Klose, and more Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

Drakkar Klose around (6:02) discusses his memorable knockout of Joe Solecki at UFC Austin, if there was any bad blood with Solecki, why he wants the Beneil Dariush fight next, his post-fight speech, making ends meet during his recent injury, his kids, the UFC Austin main event, Sean O’Malley, the best slam KO of all-time, and more.

Eddie Alvarez around (30:15) discusses his loss to Mike Perry at BKFC 56, his injuries suffered in the fight, the stoppage by his corner, if he enjoys BKFC, giving up size to Mike Perry, why Perry has had so much BKFC success, the weigh-in drama, what he wants next, PFL acquiring Bellator, Chandler vs. McGregor, and more.

Regis Prograis around (1:06:36) discusses his upcoming clash with Devin Haney, their staredown at the Golden Gate Bridge, the fact Haney took this fight, mixed martial arts, what a win will mean to his career, Matchroom Boxing, if Haney is underestimating him, Ryan Garcia’s fight, Shakur Stevenson, and more.

Johnny Eblen around (1:28:44) discusses what he thought of the PFL’s latest pay-per-view, Derek Brunson, the lack of elbows in some PFL fights, when he wants to fight next, how many fights he has left on his contract, co-promotional fights, Gordon Ryan’s comments, if he’s ever been offered steroids, and more.

In the latest On the Nose around (1:57:32), Ariel Helwani discusses the UFC anti-trust exemption lawsuit reports, GSP vs. Nick Diaz 2 at UFC 300, the real ‘God of War,’ MMA referees, World Fight League, Arman Tsarukyan’s future, and more.

Alexander Volkanovski around (2:29:02) discusses his upcoming UFC 298 fight against Ilia Topuria, his knockout loss at UFC 294, why he was so emotional after the defeat, why he went to post-fight press conference, his first concussion, what Cristiano Ronaldo texted him, Topuria’s abilities, rebounding from his first KO loss, and more.

The parlay boys around (3:23:40) make their pick for the upcoming weekend, and GC announces his selections as well.

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Michael Chandler, Mike Perry, Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker, Miesha Tate, Deiveson Figueiredo, Sean Brady, and more Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (4:42) quickly wraps up a busy combat sports weekend.

Mike Perry around (10:43) talks about his big win over Eddie Alvarez at BKFC 56, his performance compared to Conor McGregor, his family's reactions to his fights, all the callouts he got immediately after the fight, and potential opponents for his next bout, including Nate Diaz, Jake Paul, Darren Till, Jorge Masvidal, his conversation in the hospital after the fight with Alvarez, and more.

Sean Brady around (43:17) talks about medical complications that forced him to withdraw from his fight against Jack Della Maddalena, his win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Austin, his work with a mental coach for the fight, how he lost his confidence in the Belal Muhammad fight, getting hate from the crowd in Austin, the kimura he used on Gastelum, his problems with Ian Machado Garry and wanting the winner of Garry vs. Vicente Luque, his pick in Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, and more.

Deiveson Figueiredo around (1:05:21) reflects on his bantamweight debut win over Rob Font at UFC Austin, whether he wishes he'd moved up from flyweight earlier, what he weighed heading into the fight, how close he is to a title shot against Sean O'Malley, moving full time to Arizona to work with Henry Cejudo, whom he wants to fight next, when he'll be ready, whom he picks in Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval, and more.

Miesha Tate around (1:30:42) discusses her big win at UFC Austin, her training camp, her new coach, how she wanted to win this fight as much as a world title, what she learned from going down to 125 pounds, if she regrets the move to 125, competing in fights with her kids older, if she would want Holly Holm next, her legacy, and more.

Dan Hooker around (2:01:07) discusses his recent arm injury, Jalin Turner’s win over Bobby Green, the controversial stoppage, his new chest tattoo, the timetable for his return, and more, the break from the Octagon, Islam. Makhachev’s future, Arman Tsaurkyan’s hotel confrontation, who he wants next, and more.

Arman Tsarukyan around (2:28:19) discusses his win over Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin, the KO of Dariush, his gameplan for Dariush, the issues of finding fight, getting a title shot, the lightweight division, the confrontations with Bobby Green, the controversial stoppage with Green, when he would like to return, and more.

Michael Chandler around (2:56:29) discusses his new business venture with tequila, not being able to fight in 2023, if the Conor McGregor fight will happen at UFC 300, McGregor’s training footage, the Beneil Dariush knockout, Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and more.

The panel around (3:27:31) discusses Dana White’s recent comments about PFL, UFC Austin, the Bobby Green controversial stoppage, and more.

The parlay boys around (3:45:09) look back at their latest pick, and GC recaps his picks from last weekend.

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DC & Helwani reunion show! Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

In the latest On the Nose segment around (9:34), Ariel Helwani discusses the first feud for CM Punk, the future of ONE FC, where MVP will end up, Paddy Pimblett’s stardom, if Netflix will partner up with PFL, the NBA in-season tournament, UFC heavyweight division, two former YouTube creators, Kayla Harrison’s future, magazines, PFL pay-per-views, Ariel’s WWE theme song, possible PFL trades with UFC, and more.

Daniel Cormier around (1:04:19) discusses CM Punk’s return to the WWE, if Cormier will appear at another WWE event, the true UFC heavyweight champion, USADA’s departure, UFC 300 matchups, Chael Sonnen’s recent interview with Ariel, MVP vs. Kevin Holland, Noche UFC, the end of DC’s career, Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg, UFC vs. PFL, Sean Strickland, Aljamain Sterling at featherweight, Dustin Poirier’s next move, Bayern Munich, and more.

The parlay boys around (2:55:15) make their next selection for this weekend, and GC reveals his picks as well.

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Wild Weekend Review, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Joe Pyfer, Impa Kasanganay, Skye Nicolson, Mike Kogan, and more Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

Ariel Helwani around (8:33) wraps up a busy combat sports weekend, including the PFL’s latest pay-per-view. He breaks down what worked and what didn’t on Friday night. He also predicts what fights they should make next, including one for Cris Cyborg. He then discusses Katie Taylor’s big win over Chantelle Cameron and what should be next for Taylor. Helwani wraps it up talking about CM Punk’s surprising return to WWE.

Bellator exec Mike Kogan around (30:33) discusses Bellator’s sale to PFL MMA, Bellator’s relationship with Showtime, if he will remain with Bellator, Bellator’s possible future, if Scott Coker will join the new Bellator, PFL's tournament format, Cris Cyborg’s future, ONE Championship’s future, and more.

Impa Kasanganay around (1:01:31) discusses his PFL title win Friday, his motorcycle tour, what his past year has been like, why he lived in his car for six months, how he was able to train, if he ever thought of retirement, his childhood, what he wants next, Francis Ngannou, and more.

Joe Pyfer around (1:28:32) discusses his upcoming main event against Jack Hermansson, when he found out, what could be next after it, if he wanted to test his free agency, Paul Craig’s antics, avenging his one UFC loss, the UFC rankings, and more.

Skye Nicolson around (1:53:45) discusses her stoppage win over Lucy Wildheart on Saturday night, what she has learned over the past year, if she was more nervous before this fight, her walkout song, why she passed on next Olympics, coming out with bad intentions, facing Amanda Serrano, meeting Ed Sheeran, her message to Serrano, and more.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier around (2:24:04) discusses his win over Clay Collard in the PFL pay-per-view, if it could be the end of his career, when he will make a final decision, what he wants to do next, if he has any regrets, what GSP means to you, some of his injuries, his favorite victory, and more.

The panel around (2:47:32) takes another look at a busy combat sports weekend.

The parlay boys around (3:31:28) look back at their most recent selection, and GC recaps his picks from this past weekend.

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Dustin Poirier, Kayla Harrison, Chantelle Cameron, Ailín Pérez in studio Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Boxing champ Chantelle Cameron around (12:41) discusses Katie Taylor skipping media for their rematch, how life has changed since her win over Taylor, why she was in awe of Taylor before the first fight, suffering a bad injury before that fight, her frustration at the terms of the rematch, her lack of a rematch clause, wanting to challenge for Taylor’s 135-pound titles, their awkward run-ins before the rematch, why she thinks Eddie Hearn is rooting for Taylor to win despite promoting both fighters, and more.

On the latest edition of On the Nose around (33:18) and (3:22:45) Ariel Helwani answers your questions about the PFL-Bellator deal, the year of the backup fighter, PFL’s five different brands, how Bellator’s preexisting contracts work, math rock, favorite fighter nicknames, PFL’s broadcast future, European MMA, UFC press conferences compared to boxing press conferences, sneakers, hating the NBA’s in-season tournament, college football, weird hobbies, and more.

Kayla Harrison around (54:54) discusses her PFL bout against Aspen Ladd, her up-and-down year since her first loss, what’s different for Friday’s bout, why her kids won’t be in attendance this year, why Julia Budd isn’t fighting, why Larissa Pacheco would smoke Ladd, her run-ins with Pacheco on fight week, not understanding why the Ladd bout is a 150-pound catchweight, her future in PFL after Friday’s return, Cris Cyborg, and more.

Dustin Poirier around (1:37:31) discusses his charitable efforts for the Thanksgiving season, reconnecting with The Korean Zombie, why he’s still processing his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, the drama around the recent Islam Makhachev fight, wanting to fight at UFC 300, why he’s too small for welterweight, Brendan Allen’s big win, wanting to box in the future, Francis Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury, his post-MMA plans, and more.

Ailín Pérez joins us in studio around (2:09:08) to discuss her UFC Vegas 82 win, the crazy brawl at the Argentina vs. Brazil soccer match, her side of her Performance Institute run-in with Joselyn Edwards before her fight, the origin of their feud, manager Alex Davis’ account of the situation, whether she’s considering pressing charges on Edwards, her viral post-fight celebration, the money she makes from her OnlyFans, and more.

The Parlay Boys around (3:54:23) make their selections for the holiday weekend.

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