The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with movie star O’Shea Jackson Jr., who joins him in-studio to talk LA sports, his latest film projects, pro-wrestling, fatherhood, going on tour with his father Ice Cube, and more (03:34).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by previewing the show, then addressing his recent back-and-forth with Sean Strickland, touching on other news and notes, and answering Super Chats he missed from yesterday’s show (07:48).

Next, video of the crew’s visit to the Santa Monica Pier, including a roller coaster, some basketball, and more (30:38).

Chris Avila joins Ariel in-studio to preview his fight against Brandon Jenkins on the Netflix MMA card, speaking on potential rematches against Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, wanting to fight Tony Ferguson for Misfits, being bothered by the odds for his upcoming fight, venturing into acting, and more (43:31).

Bodybuilding star Mike O’Hearn comes in-studio to discuss the beginnings of his career, training with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno from an early age, appearing on American Gladiators alongside Gina Carano, garnering interest from WWE, dispelling claims of PED use, memes and handling viral fame, his martial arts training, and more (1:16:10).

Ariel sits down with Nate Diaz for a wide-ranging interview on his decision to fight Mike Perry on Netflix, talks with the UFC about a return, a potential Conor McGregor and Max Holloway fight, the legacy of the BMF title, and more. Plus, stories from his illustrious career and long-standing beefs involving Daniel Cormier and Jake Shields get settled over FaceTime (2:15:45).

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian is in-studio to preview Netflix's MMA card, diving into the business side of the event, how the talent was assembled, viewership expectations, before also discussing TKO’s position in the industry, fighter pay, the Ali Revival Act, Jake Paul’s return, and more (2:56:34).

Legendary musician Travis Barker joins Ariel in-studio to talk about his upcoming projects and rabid MMA fandom, including his thoughts on UFC 328 and the aftermath (3:29:00).

Magician Ian Michael Scheller wows and amazes Ariel Helwani with tricks, including a few with an MMA twist (4:01:00).

The Boys in the Back join Ariel to try some In-N-Out (4:24:01).

Solomonster is back with thoughts on the passing of media mogul Ted Turner and why wrestling would look very different today without him (1:30).

Then, he dives into WWE Backlash from Tampa and John Cena’s historic (was it though?) announcement of The John Cena Classic, pitting WWE stars against NXT stars, why the idea could work, but is not without its issues (7:54).

AEW sues its former streaming partner, TrillerTV, for $5 million in unpaid money owed to them, what they allege, and the impact a Triller bankruptcy could have on independent wrestling (34:41).

The latest on MJF challenging Darby Allin for the AEW World title and what MJF will have to put on the line for it, plus thoughts on AEW hosting a show on an indoor golf course and why we need more wacky venues in wrestling (40:01).

Closing out with news on the end of Raja Jackson’s criminal case, Billy Corgan’s NWA touting big ratings on Comet TV, and Sports Illustrated ranking the 20 best wrestlers in WWE history… and yes, there are some issues (46:49).

Ariel Helwani starts the show, live from Los Angeles, by previewing the upcoming week. Then the Boys in the Back join Ariel in-studio to discuss UFC 328, starting with Sean Strickland’s shocking upset of Khamzat Chimaev and whether he should have apologized after the fight, then moving on to the rest of the card (12:46).

We open the show recapping Daniel Dubois' late stoppage of Fabio Wardley to capture the WBO heavyweight title in an all-time thriller of a fight. Is a trilogy with Oleksandr Usyk, a rematch with Wardley, or perhaps a Moses Itauma showdown next for Dubois? Also on the card, David Morrell was upset by massive underdog Zak Chelli (02:55).

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunite for the UFC 328 post-fight show, reacting first to Sean Strickland shocking the world again by dethroning Khamzat Chimaev (00:37).

After discussing Nassourdine Imavov calling next (21:50), they address Strickland's apologetic post-fight speech (26:33).

Next, they revel in the show-stealing co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira (31:51), including the stoppage (37:27), and Van's callout of Alexandre Pantoja (40:48).

Finally, they recap the rest of the card, including the scoring of Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (49:36), Sean Brady's win over Joaquin Buckley (56:46), including the drastic betting line movement, and more (59:35).

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes return as usual.

First up, the lads react to the fireworks between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland at the UFC 328 press conference (05:10).

After predicting what kind of shenanigans could unfold at the pair’s final faceoff (36:19), the boys preview the flyweight title co-main event between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira (41:40).

Attention then turns to Dana White’s confidence in Conor McGregor making his long-awaited return this summer (49:29).

Elsewhere, recent comments from TKO president Mark Shapiro on the state of the UFC product have come under the microscope (01:01:45).

To close the show, the chaps give their UFC 328 picks (01:09:15).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri kick off the show discussing David Benavidez’s recent comments about potentially fighting Dmitry Bivol at a catchweight of 190 pounds. Is Benavidez already looking for a way out of making the 175-pound light heavyweight limit? Ring Magazine also reported a strong desire from Turki Alalshikh for Benavidez to fight heavyweight king, Oleksandr Usyk, in 2027 (03:36).

Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois will go at it in a highly-anticipated heavyweight championship fight in Manchester, England. Can Wardley keep the momentum going after big stoppage wins over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker? Dubois, coming off the stoppage loss to Usyk, and could be in a do-or-die situation (23:25).

Finally, the guys discuss the upcoming featherweight championship bout between Angelo Leo and Ra’eese Aleem, with the winner potentially squaring off against Naoya Inoue in 2027 (55:01). 

The Boys in the Back read your five-star podcast reviews (02:51), before discussing Raja Jackson's plea deal (22:32), Freedom 250 fighters visiting President Donald Trump at the White House (25:23), and another investor call from TKO's Mark Shapiro (32:14).

Ariel Helwani begins the show by honoring media mogul and WCW owner Ted Turner, who passed away Wednesday (10:02).

Eric Bischoff joins to celebrate Turner, talking about his impact on the wrestling industry, stories from their time running WCW together, fallout from the Time Warner merger, and more (17:59).

Ariel and The Boys in the Back discuss UFC 328, including Khamzat Chimaev releasing sparring footage with Sean Strickland, new trash talk from both sides, and Strickland’s brewing feud with Josh Hokit, then touch on Ciryl Gane’s recent comments about Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria flying to see President Trump at the White House, and more (38:25).

Heavyweight boxer Dave Allen previews his upcoming bout against Filip Hrgovic, also speaking about his love of American sitcoms, getting into the management game, Conor Benn leaving Matchroom, Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport, and more (57:57).

Johnny Eblen joins to discuss his training sessions with Sean Strickland, before PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis joins for their virtual face-to-face, ramping up the intensity before their massive rematch in July (1:35:29).

Karate Combat President Asim Zaidi addresses recent criticism the promotion has received, giving details about the brawls involving the Pitbull brothers, Winged C pretending to be blind and walking onto the mat, Larissa Pacheco being matched against an inexperienced fighter, fighters claiming the promotion didn’t pay them, and more (2:04:50).

Paulie Malignaggi is back ahead of his next bare-knuckle bout, discussing damage he suffered in his last fight, the Ali Revival Act and the recent Senate committee hearing on the bill, the state of the sport of boxing, and more (2:32:19).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to react to the White House main and co-main event fighters visiting President Trump, Sean Strickland’s media day comments, and more (3:04:43).

After answering your On The Nose questions (3:27:14), the show ends with your Super Chats (4:05:45).