

The Ariel Helwani Show
Uncrowned & Yahoo Sports
“The Ariel Helwani Show” is the flagship program for Uncrowned. Every episode will feature interviews with the biggest names in combat sports, and analysis from Helwani and The Boys in the Back.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 29, 2026 • 2h 38min
UFC 325 preview, 'Tank' Davis arrested, Patchy Mix to RIZIN, Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez | The Boys in the Back
The Boys in the Back begin the show with news and notes, including the arrest of Gervonta 'Tank' Davis (02:06), Patchy Mix debuting for RIZIN (03:26), and more (14:05).Next, they preview UFC 325 from top to bottom (19:45), before diving into Shakur Stevenson vs. Teofimo Lopez (1:23:59).Finally, they make picks (1:29:41), deliver their P4P cooks (1:32:18), listen to your voicemails (1:55:00), and answer your Super Chats (2:23:29).

Jan 28, 2026 • 4h 4min
Conor Benn in studio, Jean Silva, Michael Chiesa, Royal Rumble draft, On The Nose, news & notes
Ariel Helwani starts the show by reacting to breaking news of Tyson Fury’s return to the ring and the implications of it landing on Netflix (06:06).Next, Ariel answers On The Nose questions, with topics including ads running during UFC 324, Justin Gaethje’s thrilling style and Paddy Pimblett’s chin, Alex Honnold’s terrifying climb, Josh Hokit's gimmick, veteran fighters being the last of a dying breed, and more (18:51).The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel for the annual Royal Rumble lottery (1:09:19).Michael Chiesa returns, discussing his Seattle Seahawks making it to the Super Bowl, his continued broadcasting work, fans’ complaints about broadcast ads, his breakdown of the UFC 324 main event, wanting to fight Colby Covington, being booked for the UFC Seattle card, talks of retirement, surviving childhood abuse, and more (1:31:45).Conor Benn is back, joining Ariel in-studio to talk about the idea of being a role model, wanting to fight Shakur Stevenson, potential options for his next fight, believing Ryan Garcia is a liability as an opponent, Tyson Fury’s return, Zuffa Boxing’s entry into the sport, still not liking Chris Eubank Jr., and more (2:11:51).Jean Silva is our final guest of the day, breaking down his big win over Arnold Allen at UFC 324, discussing the moment when he stepped on Allen’s back, the viral video of him getting emotional while seeing the UFC belt, his prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2, and more (3:07:45).Ariel covers more news and notes, before wrapping up with your Super Chats (3:36:15).

Jan 27, 2026 • 3h 43min
Arman Tsarukyan, Eddie Hearn in studio, Josh Hokit, news & notes
Ariel Helwani begins the show with discussions about Rose Namajunas needing eye surgery, PFL debuting rankings and their longterm viability, and UFC 325 fight week (07:05).Josh Hokit joins following his UFC 324 win over Denzel Freeman to talk about the performance, his viral promo after the fight, his current contract status, wanting to fight Tai Tuivasa, and more (31:51).Eddie Hearn is back in-studio to break down stories from the boxing world, including the Zuffa Boxing debut and signing Jai Opetaia, his rivalry with Dana White, how the governing bodies will handle UBOs, UFC fighter pay compared to revenue, Bam Rodriguez’s contract status, whether he believes iVB is viable, Anthony Joshua’s tragic accident, what’s next for Katie Taylor, and more (57:11).Ariel gives an update on the fight between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez being pulled from UFC 324 due to suspicious betting activity and Rose Namajunas undergoing successful surgery (2:14:05).Arman Tsarukyan returns to discuss his recent media tour, his hatred for Paddy Pimblett, Pimblett’s lack of skills, a proposed grappling match against Colby Covington, going down to featherweight if he doesn’t get a lightweight title shot, Dana White’s comments about him, and more (2:27:26).Ariel wraps up the show with more news and notes, before answering your Super Chats (3:10:21).

Jan 26, 2026 • 4h 35min
Massive UFC 324/Zuffa Boxing reaction, Sean O’Malley, Dan Hooker, Travis Barker, Alex Perez, weekend news
Ariel Helwani begins the show with a recap of UFC 324. Joined by The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll, they cover the night’s main event, how it could tie into Conor McGregor’s return, UFC bonuses increasing, Paramount’s first UFC broadcast, the suspicious betting activity around Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez, and Cameron Smotherman fainting at weigh-ins, before touching on Zuffa Boxing’s debut (03:03).Alex Perez stops by following his big win over Charles Johnson at UFC 324, talks about the performance, missing weight and not being eligible for bonuses, overcoming difficulties in training camp, being confident about re-signing with the UFC, and more (1:31:17).Sean O’Malley returns, discussing his UFC 324 win over Song Yadong, the feeling of being back in the win column, his daughter being at the fight, landing significant shots to Song’s body, UFC’s increased bonuses, wanting a rematch against Petr Yan next, and more (2:02:03).Dan Hooker is back, breaking down his loss to Arman Tsarukyan, including his nose being broken by the weigh-in head-butt, explaining why he accepted a short turnaround against Benoit Saint Denis, his beef with Paddy Pimblett and their war of words, signing a new contract, the next edition of 1 Minute Scraps, and more (2:33:21).Legendary musician Travis Barker describes his love of combat sports, explains how the UFC promo he recorded came together, then gives his thoughts on UFC 324 and some upcoming fights, and more (3:06:35).Ariel wraps up the show with UFC 324 viewership numbers released by Paramount and some other news and notes, including Dana White’s latest comments about Tom Aspinall, and your Super Chats (3:41:50).

Jan 25, 2026 • 1h 8min
UFC 324 Post-Fight Show: Justin Gaethje wins interim title in WAR with Paddy Pimblett
Ariel Helwani and Petesy Carroll react to UFC 324, the promotion's Paramount debut.They kick things off with the thrilling main event between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, which saw Gaethje become interim UFC lightweight champion (03:22).Next, they discuss this week's chatter about fighter pay and the increased bonuses announced by Dana White (20:31).After matchmaking for the UFC's lightweight division (23:52), they dive into the co-main event win by Sean O'Malley (29:30) and the rest of the card (34:23).Finally, they touch on news from the night, including referee Mark Smith tearing his ACL and the fight between Michael Johnson and Alexander Hernandez being pulled due to suspicious betting activity (49:02), before giving final thoughts on the Paramount debut (56:14).

Jan 23, 2026 • 1h 22min
Dana White battles Justin Gaethje on fighter pay, can Paddy Pimblett be a UFC star? | The Craic
The Craic is back! This week, the lads go all in on UFC 324.To open the show, Petesy Carroll is joined by Craic regular Ben Fowlkes and UK MMA journalist Chisanga Malata to break down this weekend’s main event: Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett (2:30).One half of that main event, Gaethje, recently voiced his disappointment over not getting more money after the Paramount deal. Petesy and Ben react to his comments, the fallout that followed, and the state of fighter pay in 2026 (31:02).UFC 324 brings plenty of other key storylines. The boys debate whether Arman Tsarukyan should be next for the winner of the main event (46:38).Next, they dig into the fireworks bantamweight matchup between Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong (48:42), and discuss whether Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ciryl Gane could be next up for the heavyweight title (51:01).On the back end of the show, Chuck Mindenhall joins from Las Vegas. Boots on the ground for the Zuffa Boxing debut, Chuck sheds light on how the event is shaping up (53:45).To close up shop, the boys give their UFC 324 picks (1:12:31), and respond to your Super Chats (1:16:45).

Jan 22, 2026 • 3h 25min
UFC 324 preview, Ariel Helwani joins to talk McGregor vs. Chandler, fighter pay | The Boys in the Back
The Boys in the Back kick off the show with a discussion about UFC fighter pay in the Paramount Era, sparked by Justin Gaethje's recent comments (02:35).After touching on Dana White saying he wanted a specific fighter to lose (19:53), they preview the UFC 324 main card (26:59).The Boys react in real time to White's response to Gaethje (54:14), before bringing in Ariel Helwani to talk more about fighter pay and UFC seemingly moving on from Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler (1:26:58).They break down the rest of UFC 324 (1:52:14), make picks (1:59:50), and debut a brand new Fight Feasts, featuring cuisine from the Dominican Republic (2:04:02).Finally, the Boys deliver their P4P convenience store foods and drinks (2:16:11), listen to your voicemails (2:36:14), and answer your Super Chats (3:19:53).

Jan 21, 2026 • 4h 28min
Israel Adesanya, Michael Chandler, Cory Sandhagen, UFC 324 preview, PFL breaking news, On The Nose, more
Ariel Helwani begins the show by reacting to Donn Davis’ PFL departure, PFL securing additional funding, and Jake Paul’s PFL partnership coming to an end (03:33).Next, Ariel answers On The Nose questions about Dana White’s recent media tour, including his reaction to the idea of Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal, Sean O’Malley’s future, UFC’s political influence, Amanda Nunes’ return, and more (16:15).Israel Adesanya is back to break down his UFC Seattle fight against Joe Pyfer, discussing how the fight came together, whether he believes he can fight for the title again, the state of the middleweight division, training with Mauricio Ruffy, his foray into DJing, and more (1:34:36).Cory Sandhagen joins the show, dissecting the UFC bantamweight division, including major UFC 324 matchups and Sean O’Malley potentially getting a title shot, then talks about Justin Gaethje’s chances against Paddy Pimblett, his time jumping rope and climbing mountains, and more (2:05:31).Michael Chandler is our final guest of the day, addressing the buzz around the White House card and giving his thoughts on Dana White’s recent comments about Conor McGregor’s return, why he should be the one to fight McGregor, Jorge Masvidal’s entry into the conversation, Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 324, and more (2:34:22).Ariel closes the show with an update on the Ali Revival Act, before answering a few more On The Nose questions and Super Chats (3:00:52).

Jan 20, 2026 • 3h 35min
Dominick Cruz, Rose Namajunas, Ateba Gautier, iVB Founder Ed Pereira, Ariel responds to Max Holloway, more
Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by acknowledging Indiana University’s college football national championship (05:26).Ateba Gautier is our first guest, joining ahead of his UFC 324 fight to discuss being considered a top prospect, remaining relentlessly motivated, his game plan for Andrey Pulyaev, believing teammate Lerone Murphy should have gotten a title shot, and more (12:16).Rose Namajunas returns to preview her UFC 324 meeting with Natalia Silva, talking about being one of the most tenured current UFC veterans, what motivates her now, how her style matches up with Silva’s taekwondo, potentially fighting friend and UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, and more (34:00).Dominick Cruz is back to discuss the launch of his podcast, including the former rivals he’s had as guests, whether he has the itch to fight again, fighter pay in the post-pay-per-view era, his viral social media comment about Alexandre Pantoja’s injury, potentially competing again, Conor McGregor’s potential return, and more (1:04:55).iVB founder Ed Pereira details the company’s background, then talks about working on The Ring’s Times Square boxing event, the public event they’re trying to do in San Francisco, finding a promoter for the event, shooting down rumors of Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder being booked for the main event, and more (1:51:08).Ariel wraps up the show with some news and notes, including Katie Taylor talking retirement, footage of Gable Steveson training with Jon Jones, Max Holloway’s response to Ariel’s interview with Jorge Masvidal, and more (2:34:25).Finally, your Super Chats (3:27:52).

Jan 19, 2026 • 3h 59min
Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, weekend recap, more
Ariel Helwani starts the show on a somber note, reflecting on the Buffalo Bills’ season coming to an end, before reacting to a busy weekend that included major reveals from Zuffa Boxing, Paramount’s promotional efforts for UFC 324, Dana White’s recent apathy, Arman Tsarukyan’s world tour, Alex Pereira and Jon Jones exchanging callouts, and more (12:25).Jorge Masvidal returns to talk about rumors of him potentially facing Conor McGregor, wanting to fight on the White House card, not calling in a favor with President Trump to get on the card, and his response to Max Holloway’s stance on the BMF title (1:04:21).Waldo Cortes-Acosta is back, previewing his UFC 324 fight against Derrick Lewis, revealing he wanted to fight Lewis for a long time, looking back at his baseball career, and more (1:35:07).Dustin Poirier is our final guest of the day, joining on his birthday to discuss the birth of his son Kingston, life in retirement, still missing fighting, continuing to seek broadcast opportunities, his breakdown of the UFC 324 main event and Conor McGregor’s potential return, filming the "Road House" sequel, and more (2:00:37).Ariel covers more news and notes, including Conor McGregor talking about his contract status, Alexandre Pantoja being back in the gym, Nick Diaz and Sean Strickland crossing paths in Vegas, and more (2:00:37).Finally, Ariel answers your Super Chats (3:31:59).


