The Ariel Helwani Show

On this episode of The Uncrowned Beat, Ariel Helwani is joined by Dan Canobbio, Naji Grampus, and Alan Dawson to discuss the biggest stories in boxing, including: Canelo's next move after winning in Saudi Arabia (01:27), Cedric Doumbe being announced as Jake Paul's opponent (09:00), whether Oleksandr Usyk vs. David Benavidez (17:44), Floyd Mayweather vs. Ryan Garcia (27:08), and Shakur Stevenson vs. O'Shaquie Foster (31:20) could become reality, who is the face of women's boxing (38:33), and the status of Zuffa Boxing as the year comes to a close (46:43).

Petesy Carroll is back to captain the ship for this week’s edition of The Craic, alongside Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes.

First up, the trio react to Ilia Topuria calling out Paddy Pimblett for his comeback fight (10:57).

That opens up the wider lightweight picture. What’s next for Justin Gaethje, Alexander Volkanovski, and Arman Tsarukyan? (38:58).

Islam Makhachev has been taking plenty of flak from MMA fans lately. The lads weigh in on recent criticism of the current welterweight champion (46:57).

Jake Paul’s comeback now has an opponent, with Cedric Doumbe announced for his return to the ring (01:00:10).

Petesy then gives his take on Dan Miragliotta’s controversial stand-up in last week’s UFC main event (01:06:35), before the boys preview this weekend’s card, headlined by Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker (01:13:02).

To wrap things up, Petesy, Chuck and Ben answer your Super Chats (01:16:59).

The Boys in the Back start the show covering Lomachenko announcing his return (06:11), Conor McGregor forecasting his move to BKFC (12:24), Dana White again commenting on Islam Makhachev not fighting at UFC 336 (16:34), and more.

Then, they dive into the complicated relationship between Josh Hokit and fans, critics, and even his own promoter, Dana White (34:00).

Next, they preview UFC Vegas 124 (45:59) and this week's loaded boxing slate (1:03:34), before making picks (1:05:02).

The show wraps up with P4P dips (1:07:22), voicemails (1:33:13) and Super Chats (2:25:41).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show reacting to the onslaught of tweets from Terence Crawford, who called out Gervonta Davis, Floyd Mayweather, and Ryan Garcia before signing off for the day. Will he finally come back to boxing or is this just another troll job from Bud (01:53)?

There were a slew of fight announcements recently with Jai Opetaia vs. Deontay Wilder being set for the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua undercard (11:52), Erislandy Lara defending his middleweight title against Tim Tszyu (27:32), and Jermell Charlo returning on the undercard in Australia (27:32).

Looking ahead to this weekend, Joshua Buatsi takes on Willy Hutchinson for the vacant WBC light heavyweight title in Manchester. On the same night, but in London, Chris Billam-Smith takes on Chev Clarke. And over in Dallas, Alycia Baumgardner challenges Elif Nur Turhan for her IBF lightweight strap (31:26).

Finally, the guys talks about Cedric Doumbe being announced as Jake Paul's next opponent (45:25).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to Raul Rosas Jr.'s quick win over Colby Covington and the announcement of Deontay Wilder vs. Jai Opetaia. Then, he and the Boys answer all your questions in the latest On The Nose (06:56).

Skye Nicolson checks to preview Sunday's WBC title bout against Miyo Yoshida and break down how her unexpected alliance with MVP came to be, squashing her beef with Nakisa Bidarian, missing out on the Amanda Serrano fight yet again, Alycia Baumgardner calling herself the face of women's boxing and more (1:02:01).

Denzel Bentley looks ahead to his Zuffa Boxing debut against Shane Mosley Jr., reveals he nearly became an Amazon delivery driver to support his family during his recent layoff, talks getting stripped of his WBO middleweight title and more (1:31:43).

Tom Nolan stops by to reflect on his UFC Vegas 123 win over Renato Moicano, Dan Miragliotta's controversial decision, whether it tainted his victory, the layout of the UFC lightweight division and more (2:00:37).

Dan Hooker returns to preview his Nov. 21 bout against Brian Ortega, explain why he's making such a short turnaround, weigh in on Miragliotta's stand-up of Moicano, reflect on why fighting keeps him from going down a destructive path and more (2:33:10).

Ariel and the gang hit the day's lingering news and notes, answer the rest of your On The Nose questions and field your Super Chats to close out the show (2:59:24).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by recapping his experience — alongside The Boys in the Back — at WWE’s Monday Night Raw and Smackdown tapings (02:04).

Then, the crew covers news and notes including Carlos Prates’ strong words for Islam Makhachev, Dan Hooker feeling that Charles Oliveira and UFC ruined the BMF title, and more (12:35).

Alycia Baumgardner joins ahead of her Sunday fight against Elif Nur Turhan, talking about moving up in weight, how the fight came together, feeling that Caroline Dubois made excuses not to face her, skills she’s been sharpening since her last fight, respecting Nur Turhan’s title reign, her altercation with Claressa Shields, Amanda Serrano’s retirement, and more (31:30).

Ariel discusses Netflix producing a Dana White documentary, Ilia Topuria posting about his return, Sean Strickland playing basketball, Fedor Emelianenko saying he wants to fight Francis Ngannou, and more (1:01:46).

Paulie Malignaggi and Victor Ortiz join for a face-to-face ahead of their BKB 62 fight, talking about the history between the two, how the bout came together, and how they expect the fight to go. Plus, Malignaggi touches on his rivalry with Manny Pacquiao, a potential fight against Tony Ferguson, his distaste for MMA fans, and more (1:18:28).

Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani talks about already making a splash in the UFC in a short amount of time, being chronically online and his references to MMA memes, his childhood martial arts journey, his sister’s martial art experience, training with Conor McGregor, his father training Royce Gracie, his "Mufasa" nickname, his callout of Jake Matthews, and more (1:53:28).

Ariel and crew discuss Edson Barboza and Michel Pereira returning to action, Conor McGregor partying in Italy, and more (2:33:04).

After previewing some upcoming events from around the entertainment world (2:45:03), Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (03:02:07).

Solomonster reacts to the big creative shakeup coming soon to WWE with Bruce Prichard retiring and Shawn Michaels taking over his role, with AJ Styles said to be stepping into a key role within NXT (02:49).

Thoughts on Conrad Thompson’s reveal that Vince Russo and Nick Khan had discussions about a potential WWE creative return for Russo and why this would have been an absolute dumpster fire (19:05).

Monday Night Raw fallout including details on the John Cena Classic, two Raw shows in one day — one from Australia and one from Disneyworld — plus another new addition to the 946 heading into War Games (28:53).

Reacting to Mark Shapiro’s comments from a TKO town hall on their Crown Jewel show in Riyadh this weekend, plus predicting the winners and losers from the PLE (53:43).

AEW Blood and Guts predictions, as the Full Gear card comes into greater focus, plus news from New Japan's latest show and all the AEW talent now confirmed for the Tokyo Dome in January (1:06:35).

News on two executive-level MLW departures, including one Hollywood name, and Tammy Sytch making one last ditch attempt to get out of prison (1:16:15).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by reacting to breaking news that Cedric Doumbe is taking on Jake Paul in a cruiserweight boxing match (07:12).

Darren Till jumps on to react to the Jake Paul fight announcement, talking about his own negotiations for the fight, his thoughts on Doumbe getting the opportunity, other promotions reaching out following the news, John Fury asking him to apologize to Tommy, when he plans to return, wanting to headline BKFC at Anfield, home of Liverpool Football Club, and more (35:13).

Jacobe Smith makes his show debut to recap his big win over Randy Brown, discussing personal adversity he had to overcome during training camp, Daniel Cormier’s mentorship and impact on his MMA journey, his decorated athletic career, his turbulent upbringing, why he wants to fight Kevin Holland, and more (1:05:26).

Ariel and the Boys in the Back recap UFC Vegas 123, focusing on referee Dan Miragliotta controversially standing Renato Moicano up from back control (1:37:18).

Then, Renato Moicano joins to talk about the controversial moment, his reluctance to make excuses, what Tom Nolan did to prevent submissions and why he deserves credit, wanting to see fighters be paid a higher flat fee rather than the show and win model, why he won’t appeal the decision, wanting to go into influencer boxing after his UFC career, the incredible success of his YouTube channels, and more (1:59:14).

Referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy weighs in on the Moicano controversy, breaking down the factors to consider when standing up fighters, how to treat dominant positions like back control, ways to mitigate inactivity, whether boos can affect referees’ decision-making, how much officials typically earn, why he hasn’t been able to officiate UFC events, and more (2:33:17).

Inside Boxing’s Dan Canobbio is our final guest of the day, breaking down Canelo Alvarez’s win over Christian Mbilli, discussing the crowd and atmosphere in Saudi Arabia, who Canelo should fight next, whether Canelo will eventually fight Jake Paul, talks of Oleksandr Usyk going back down to cruiserweight for a fight against David Benavidez, Devin Haney signing with DAZN and facing Liam Paro, and more (3:06:41).

Ariel covers news and notes, including TKO President Mark Shapiro talking about the business decision to host events in Saudi Arabia, Josh Hokit getting pepper sprayed to prepare for Ciryl Gane, social media posts made by Conor McGregor and Islam Makhachev, and more (3:30:00).

The show wraps up with your Super Chats (4:02:17).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show by reacting to Canelo Alvarez’s outstanding win over Christian Mbilli to capture another world title at super middleweight (01:50). Who should Canelo fight next: Hamzah Sheeraz? Terence Crawford (19:28)?

The undercard lasted several hours and saw Rafael Espinoza stop Ricardo Blandon by TKO and an all out slugfest between Jaime Munguia and underdog Nikita Zon (37:02).

Lastly, Oleksandr Usyk has expressed a desire to go back down to cruiserweight and fight David Benavidez in 2027. Is this a possible reality (49:31)?

On this episode of The Uncrowned Beat, Ariel Helwani is joined by Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, and Conner Burks to discuss top combat sports stories including: Alex Volkanovski angling for a Justin Gaethje superfight (01:20), fans seemingly turning on Alex Pereira (13:11), whether Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley is the biggest bantamweight fight ever (20:09), Conor Benn calling out Conor McGregor (27:40), and a look at the state of combat sports memorabilia (32:55).