The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show recapping a busy weekend in sports, including the World Cup final, Ben Askren’s retirement match, Conor McGregor sounding off about his injury and next steps on social media, UFC 329 viewership being released, and more (11:34).

Dominick Cruz is back to discuss his UFC Hall of Fame induction, life in retirement, his reaction to Conor McGregor’s injury, his sense of McGregor’s mental and physical state, overcoming his own injuries throughout his career, and more (35:14).

Michael "Venom" Page returns, talking about Conor McGregor’s injury, his frustration with opportunities he’s gotten since joining the UFC, his upcoming fight against Nursulton Ruziboev, his relationship and communication with the UFC, wanting to face the promotion’s biggest names, and more (1:01:51).

Colby Covington joins the show as RAF crossover cruiserweight champion, reflecting on his upset win over Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11, discussing the strength of Tsarukyan’s wrestling, his beef with and respect for Ben Askren, Belal Muhammad potentially being his next opponent, his friendship with Dricus du Plessis, his continued rivalries with Kamau Usman and Bo Nickal, and more (1:34:20).

Ben Askren stops by to talk about his retirement match at RAF 11, his physical preparation for the event, why Belal Muhammad was his perfect opponent, his emotions during the week, having his friends and family there supporting him, his legacy, Gable Steveson’s MMA ceiling, and more (2:02:49).

Tommy “Gun” McMillen makes his show debut, recapping his show-stealing performance at UFC OKC, his animosity toward Alberto Montes, training with Sean O’Malley and coach Tim Welch, his dream of fighting in the UFC coming true, setting a record for significant strikes, dubbing himself the third Diaz brother, and more (2:26:58).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to covers news and notes, including Dricus du Plessis’ impressive win over Kamaru Usman and other fights from UFC OKC, Johnny Eblen’s continued improvements and PFL’s future, Zuffa Boxing’s press conference for Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, Tom Brady and Logan Paul doing a WWE angle, and more (3:00:04).

Ariel closes the show with your Super Chats (4:15:16).

On a special birthday edition of The Craic, newly 39-year-old Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes to break down the biggest stories in combat sports.

To kick things off, they break down the aftermath of UFC 329, including Conor McGregor’s vow to “be back” (7:27).

Next up on the calendar is UFC Oklahoma City. The lads preview the main event, Dricus du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman (43:11).

After Justin Gaejthe said he won’t rematch Paddy Pimblett, the trio debate who the UFC lightweight champion will fight next (51:01).

Then, the boys talk PFL action this weekend (58:15), and tell tales from their week in Sin City (01:05:22).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show reacting to news that Ryan Garcia will be defending his WBC welterweight title against Conor Benn on Sept. 12 on Paramount Plus (05:02). The Paramount Plus aspect is very significant, as the streaming service gets their first big boxing event to go along with their UFC rights (22:36). 

Speaking of Zuffa Boxing, Shakur Stevenson recently signed with the promotion and has expressed his desire and willingness to fight Devin Haney this fall at a catchweight of 144 pounds (33:51). Haney has a decision to make: fight Stevenson and vacate his WBO title or defend it against Keyshawn Davis. 

Andy Ruiz will step back into the ring for the first time in two years, taking on Damian Knyba on Sept. 4, which leads to a discussion on whether or not Ruiz can reach the mountaintop again in the sport (49:39).

The Boys in the Back are back from Las Vegas and kick off the show by reacting to Conor McGregor calling for his UFC 329 fight to be deemed a No Contest (03:14), as well as other news and notes (06:40).

Then, they discuss the growing star power of Paddy Pimblett, including a ranking of UFC's biggest stars (12:12), and preview a weekend that includes UFC OKC (40:47), PFL Austin (1:18:10), and RAF 11(1:20:29).

Finally the Boys make picks (1:24:32), deliver their P4P broadcast graphics errors (1:26:56), listen to your voicemails (1:55:34), and answer your Super Chats (2:31:32).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show recapping the team’s adventures in Las Vegas, then reacting to the announcement of Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn, Conor McGregor’s first appearance since UFC 329, and more (10:37).

Shakur Stevenson is back to discuss his signing with Zuffa Boxing, other offers he received, whether he’ll be able to wear his own gear, still having hard feelings with the WBC, how Dana White and Nick Khan sold him on signing, wanting to fight Devin Haney in his debut, attending UFC 329, and more (36:09).

Ariel touches on the latest comments by Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira’s commentary on Michel Pereira’s release, and more (1:06:12).

Johnny Fisher joins the show to talk about his move from Matchroom to Zuffa, getting a massive raise, his conversations with Eddie and Barry Hearn after making the decision, his father “Big John” and their viral content, and more (1:15:36).

Mario Bautista returns on the heels of his huge UFC 329 win over Cory Sandhagen, discussing injuring Sandhagen’s leg and capitalizing on it during the fight, believing he’s worthy of a title shot, being willing to fight former teammate Sean O’Malley, social media chirping from Vinicius Oliveira, and more (1:41:16).

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling President Scott D’Amore joins Ariel in-studio to talk about the status of MLP, his time working with TNA, his early wrestling career and how he got into the business, recent WWE angles, and more (2:02:29).

The Boys in the Back jump in with Ariel to answer your On The Nose questions, with topics including journalistic ethics, UFC 329 fight week, the UFC light heavyweight title picture, Conor McGregor’s injury, and more (3:09:10).

Finally, the show ends with Super Chats (3:46:56) and an impromptu Argentina vs. England World Cup watchalong.