Ariel Helwani starts the final live show of 2025 with a recap and reaction to Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, including the big winners and losers, before The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join him to further break down the aftermath and forecast what’s next for both Paul and Joshua (04:07).

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn is back to provide his perspective on Joshua’s knockout of Paul, Paul’s game plan and toughness, Joshua’s rising star power, potential bouts for Joshua against Tyson Fury and Rico Verhoeven, Katie Taylor’s next fight, the brewing Zuffa Boxing rivalry, and more (1:04:01).

Andrei Arlovski returns to the show to give details about his run-in with streamer Jack Doherty, including who was involved, how the whole thing kicked off, his reaction to Doherty’s comments after the fact, and more. Plus, he previews his upcoming BKFC heavyweight title bout against Ben Rothwell and gives thoughts on the Paul vs. Joshua fight (1:42:49).

Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian provides an update on Jake Paul’s health after being knocked out by Anthony Joshua, and discusses Paul’s next move, how the loss impacts Paul’s stock, the main event purses, accusations of fight fixing, Netflix’s reaction to the event, and more (2:08:27).

One-half of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions, Harley Cameron, joins Ariel in-studio to talk about her ascent in 2025, her early life and knowing she wanted to be an entertainer, WWE facilitating her early wrestling training, the AEW locker room, working with Mercedes Moné, before showcasing her ventriloquism skills (2:35:17).

Ariel touches on a few news items, including Andrew Tate falling short in his Misfits debut against Chase DeMoor, and answers your Super Chats to wrap up the show (3:32:56).

The Ariel Helwani Show is live from Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Miami!

After welcoming in the capacity crowd (00:30), Ariel is joined on stage by UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison (07:50) to discuss her upcoming fight against Amanda Nunes and more.

The King of Miami, Jorge Masvidal, joins Ariel and ATT teammate Harrison on stage (29:05) to talk about the gym's dynamics, break down Harrison vs. Nunes, and tease his own 2026 comeback.

Ariel wraps up the show by answering questions from the crowd (56:55).

For the final Craic of 2025, Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall to round out the combat sports year.

They open by previewing this weekend’s crossover fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua on Netflix (04:38).

Shifting back to MMA, the duo discuss Tom “Bully” Aspinall’s message to Ciryl Gane and how the buildup to their rematch is shaping up compared to the first meeting (28:45).

Then it’s over to the PFL, where news of Movlid Khaybulaev’s positive drug tests has caused ripples. The guys react to what it means for the PFL titleholder (41:35).

Finally, Petesy and Chuck react to the latest Mark Zuckerberg MMA training footage, this time alongside Merab Dvalishvili (49:30).

To close out the show and the year, they answer your Super Chats (55:00).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll, answering your On The Nose questions, with topics including Francis Ngannou’s free agency, booking fighters on the show, corporate jargon, The Beatles, and more (11:29).

‘The Bad Guy’ Chael Sonnen is back to discuss John Cena’s retirement match, Ilia Topuria stepping away and the UFC lightweight title implications, Alex Pereira saying he won’t be on the White House card, Dana White’s claims about Francis Ngannou putting hands on him, Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, memories from the UFC on ESPN era, and more (1:04:51).

Holly Holm returns ahead of her title bout against Stephanie Han in January to talk about her boxing career, her interest in a Ronda Rousey rematch, how a fight between Rousey and Katie Taylor would go, her own potential Taylor fight, the story behind her celebratory backflip, and more (2:02:36).

Skye Nicolson joins following her win over Yulihan Luna to capture interim WBC super bantamweight gold, discussing how she’s adapted to the new weight class, her 2026 plan, including a quest to become undisputed, Devin Haney’s criticism of her and apology, Jake Paul being in danger against Anthony Joshua, how Ronda Rousey would fare in the ring, and more (2:34:57).

Sam Alvey is our final guest of the day, looking back at his loss to Robelis Despaigne at Karate Combat 58, talk about the event being delayed and how it impacted his preparation, being content with the referee’s stoppage, his feelings about Karate Combat as a promotion, how long he plans to continue fighting, and more (3:03:11).

Ariel closes with show with your Super Chats (3:22:36).

Ariel Helwani brings in The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll to react to the final UFC event of the year, starting with a review of Manel Kape’s big win and whether it was enough to earn a title shot, before moving on to the best moments from the now-over ESPN era, Francis Ngannou’s interview from last week and Dana White readdressing their interaction, and John Cena’s retirement match (12:16).

Rising UFC star Kevin Vallejos makes his show debut, discussing his knockout of Giga Chikadze, being awarded a performance bonus for his spinning backfist, intending to donate to Chikadze’s charity, his callout of Cub Swanson, and more (1:36:50).

Patrick Habirora joins on the heels of his win at PFL Lyon, talking about his training with Georges St-Pierre, his love of anime, his soccer background, seeking the toughest challenges, his knockouts of former UFC fighters, wanting to fight Kevin Lee next, feeling ready to take over if Usman Nurmagomedov leaves the PFL, and more (2:02:51).

Tyson Pedro returns with some big news, announcing his signing with PFL, then discusses his boxing run, his listed nickname being changed to “Kangaroo Paws,” James Te Huna being a mentor of his, being named after Mike Tyson, and more (2:28:00).

Shakur Stevenson is back to talk about his upcoming fight against Teofimo Lopez, claiming Lopez is not really from New York, describing his respect for Lopez from their time on the amateur scene, his plans to make Lopez pay for his words, working with Eddie Hearn, how a potential fight with Conor Benn would go, his training with Jake Paul, and more (3:06:55).

Ariel briefly responds to Jamahal Hill and answers your Super Chats (3:32:54).

The Craic is back! As usual, Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall and Ben “Big Time” Fowlkes.

This week’s biggest story is the escalating back-and-forth between Dana White and Francis Ngannou. The crew breaks down their interviews and what the exchange really means (5:05).

Next up, the lads tackle whether Merab Dvalishvili still deserves Fighter Of The Year after his loss to Petr Yan, and who might take the spot instead (38:48).

Another end-of-year competition comes to a close with the Uncrowned MMA picks, and Ben Fowlkes addresses his disappointing bottom-of-the-table finish (49:21).

Finally, Petesy and the guys preview UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape (53:21) and answer your Super Chats (1:09:30).

The Boys in the Back submit their final show of the year, starting with some news and notes, including Kron Gracie being forced out of his VFL fight (02:49) and Islam Makhachev defending a potential Kamaru Usman title shot (04:04).

After a conversation about the massive amount of turnover for UFC champions in 2025 (22:42), the Boys preview UFC Vegas 112 (41:18) and PFL Lyon (1:14:39), before touching on John Cena's retirement match (1:25:45) and making picks (1:35:53).

The Boys deliver their P4P lists of finales (1:40:48), then answer your voicemails (2:05:22) and Super Chats (3:00:47).

Ariel Helwani begins the show by reviewing the latest war of words between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili after it first appeared they'd buried the hatchet (02:19).

Francis Ngannou returns to talk about being approached to fight Jake Paul, his prediction for Paul’s fight against Anthony Joshua, his relationship and contract status with PFL, who he might fight next, Ciryl Gane’s eye-poke on Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira’s chances against Jon Jones, and address Dana White’s claim that Ngannou put hands on him (16:50).

Ariel hits some news and notes and answers a few questions (1:02:28), before welcoming Chris Duncan back to the show to discuss his thrilling UFC 323 win, feeling that Terrance McKinney fights scared, sacrifices he’s making to become a champion, Donald Cerrone being his favorite fighter, and more (1:30:16).

Jalin Turner joins on the heels of his first-round finish of Edson Barboza to talk about sharing the cage with a legend, overcoming mental hurdles and personal tragedy to make it back to the UFC, plans in motion for a massive 2026, and more (2:03:59).

Ariel answers On The Nose questions about champions of years past facing modern stars, timing for UFC’s White House card, and more (2:25:22).

Tatsuro Taira stops by to recap his big win over Brandon Moreno, witnessing the injury to Alexandre Pantoja from cageside, believing he will fight champion Joshua Van next, being willing to fight Van anywhere but hoping for Japan, and more (2:58:31).

Ariel does another round of On The Nose questions, before answering Super Chats to end the show (3:29:23).

Ariel Helwani starts the show with On The Nose, touching on the heated back-and-forth between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jamahal Hill, why MMA retirements don’t stick, how Paramount will recoup its UFC investment and how that impacts fighter pay, and more (11:24).

Maycee Barber is back to break down her UFC 323 win over Karine Silva, discussing her health heading into the fight, the illegal upkicks she received, chasing a title shot, wanting to rematch Alexa Grasso, not being impressed by Valentina Shevchenko’s performance against Zhang Weili, and more (1:03:51).

Mansur Abdul-Malik brings his infectious energy to the show, talking about his first-round submission of Antonio Trocoli at UFC 323, how his MMA journey started, being inspired by Rory MacDonald, why he’s so intense while preparing for fights, honoring his father and realizing his dreams, and more (1:28:16).

Kron Gracie joins Ariel in-studio to reflect on his UFC career, talk about his departure from the promotion, fan reaction to him pulling guard, training with Gilbert Melendez, growing up with Rickson as a father, his unique training techniques, his perspective on earning jiu-jitsu black belts, and more (2:04:45).

WBC women’s lightweight champion Caroline Dubois is our final guest of the day, discussing her signing with Most Valuable Promotions, leaving Boxxer, fighting on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua card, wanting to fight Alycia Baumgardner, and more (3:10:40).

Ariel answers more On The Nose questions and Super Chats to close the show (3:34:31).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with his reaction to UFC 323, including the excellence of Petr Yan in his upset win over Merab Dvalishvili, Joshua Van becoming the second-youngest champion in UFC history, Henry Cejudo’s retirement, and more (02:38).

Dr. Brian Sutterer MD joins to discuss Alexandre Pantoja’s elbow injury, UFC initially suggesting it was a shoulder injury, the timetable for Pantoja’s return, MMA’s overall injury risks, Tom Aspinall’s eye injury and continued complications, and more (45:08).

Ariel reacts to Dana White’s recent comments about Aspinall, and the latest updates about the White House card (59:35).

Joshua Van joins on the heels of his UFC 323 victory over Pantoja to talk about becoming the second-youngest champion in promotional history, his view of Pantoja’s injury, wanting to rematch Pantoja, bringing the belt to his father’s grave, potentially fighting Tatsuro Taira, his response to those criticizing his celebration, and more (1:16:43).

Coach John Wood returns to break down Merab’s performance at UFC 323, including Merab’s preparation, whether Merab relied too much on his striking, telling Merab he was ahead in the fight between rounds, plus, a check-in on Gina Carano as she returns to training, and more (1:34:57).

Payton Tablott is back after the biggest win of his career to discuss Henry Cejudo’s game plan for UFC 323, their past training sessions and respect, who he wants to fight next, Merab’s performance, his wild interaction with Adin Ross, Winged C’s tattoo claims, and more (2:02:12).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to cover some news and notes, including Dana White weighing in on Terence Crawford being stripped of his WBC belt and Arman Tsarukyan’s path back to the title, UFC announcing some new fights including Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira, Conor McGregor’s linkup with Mike Tyson, and more (2:31:42).

Ariel answers your Super Chats to wrap up the show (3:50:27).