The Ariel Helwani Show

• LIVE FROM VEGAS (FINALE): Merab Dvalishvili and Tracy Cortez in studio, Alexandre Pantoja, Payton Talbott, UFC 317 reaction, more

  Our grand finale from the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas kicks off with Ariel Helwani and the gang reacting to a wild combat weekend, headlined by Ilia Topuria's monster knockout of Charles Oliveira, Alexandre Pantoja's latest title defense, Jake Paul's victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., plus much more from UFC 317 (05:25).Then, Helwani reacts to Sean Strickland's viral tussle with Luis Hernandez on the undercard of Tuff-N-Uff 145 (49:47).UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja discusses his title romp over Kai Kara-France, his likely next defense against Joshua Van, his place in MMA's pound-for-pound rankings and more (1:04:37).Tracy Cortez joins us in-studio to discuss her big UFC 317 win over Viviane Araujo, her recent health problems, her emotional post-fight message, what's next and more (1:33:15).Payton Talbott discusses his pay-per-view rebound over Felipe Lima, how he handled his first loss, his growth as a prospect, his friendship with Frank Ocean, new movie projects, potentially fighting Malcolm Wellmaker next and more (2:13:20).UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili stops by in-studio to discuss life since his second win over Sean O'Malley, Ilia Topuria's unbelievable rise, what it's like to spar Topuria, his likely next title defense against Cory Sandhagen and more (2:38:12).Ariel and the Boys in the Back close us out by answering your Super Chats, then facing off with some dangerously spicy chicken (3:37:12).

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• UFC 317 Post-Fight Show: Ilia Topuria viciously knocks out Charles Oliveira, Alexandre Pantoja dominates again

  NewYorkRic and Chuck Mindenhall (with a brief appearance by GC) join forces after the conclusion of UFC 317 to recap the whole event, starting with Ilia Topuria’s blistering first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira (01:21) and then diving into who should be next for the newly crowned lightweight champ.Next up, they touch on Joshua Van’s thrilling win in a Fight of the Year contender against Brandon Royval (19:42), Alexandre Pantoja’s smothering submission of Kai Kara-France (23:12), and the likely clash between the two after their in-cage faceoff.Then, they go over Beneil Dariush’s decision win over Renato Moicano (34:58) and hit the main card opener: Payton Talbott’s bounceback win over Felipe Lima (39:18).They wrap things up with the prelims (49:17), including Gregory Rodrigues’ scary knockout of Jack Hermansson, and Chuck offers his final thoughts on the card. 

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• LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS (Day 2): Tom Aspinall, Demetrious Johnson, Ian Machado Garry, Rico Verhoeven

  Our second show LIVE from the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas kicks off with Demetrious Johnson and his wife, Destiny, who chat about what goes into being the MMA GOAT, weight-cutting stories, receiving retirement advice from GSP, and more (02:32).Ian Machado Garry joins Ariel at the table to share details about Charles Oliveira’s weight cut, fighting Belal Muhammad or Sean Brady next, Kamaru Usman’s win over Joaquin Buckley, and more (34:41).Ariel breaks up the action by answering your Super Chats (52:41).Rico Verhoeven, GLORY heavyweight champion, is up next after his most recent title defense. He talks about headlining GLORY 100, training with Tom Aspinall, completing the "iron gut challenge," hopes of fighting Francis Ngannou, and more (1:04:16).Newly crowned undisputed heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall wraps up the day with his behind-the-scenes account of Jon Jones’ retirement (1:32:55). His father, Andy, also stops by to voice his opinion on the UFC's handling of the announcement (2:12:55). The duo detail who Tom wants to fight next and more.The Boys in the Back join Ariel to complete their International Fight Week draft (3:08:33) and answer more Super Chats (3:12:19).

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• LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS (DAY 1): Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, Raul Rosas Jr., John Wood

  Ariel Helwani and the crew kick off the show from Venetian Resort in Las Vegas to talk all things International Fight Week and the news and notes from around the sport (05:10).Israel Adesanya is the first guest in today’s star-studded in-studio lineup and he joins before his UFC Hall of Fame induction to discuss his loss to Nassourdine Imavov, training with David Goggins, Jon Jones, his back and forth with Joaquin Buckley, DDP-Khamzat, and hints at his next fight (29:29).Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is next up on the mic and he gets into his UFC 317 predictions, crossing paths with Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev’s chances against JDM, his next defense, and more. Ash Belcastro, his manager and owner of Engage Apparel stops by to finish off (1:16:02).Dan Hooker is the last of the CKB gauntlet and he joins Ariel to share his thoughts on his return from injury, preparing for his viral backyard brawl event, interacting with fans, receiving his 50 drug-free test jacket, and much more (1:45:57).John Wood, head coach of Syndicate MMA, stops by along with Daniel Rubenstein, Merab Dvalishvili’s manager, to discuss building a successful team, Khalil Rountree’s win over Jamahal Hill, Nazim Sadykhov’s viral KO, traveling to Georgia, and more (2:34:17).Raul Rosas Jr., 20-year-old UFC phenom, closes the day with a chat about taking on MMA full-time after high school, fighting in Mexico, looking for a matchup in the rankings, training with Frank Mir’s daughter, and more (3:12:44).Joanne Wood, retired UFC flyweight, stops by as a surprise guest (3:48:28).

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• Tom Aspinall's next moves, Jon Jones' legacy tarnished? UFC 317 preview, more | The Craic

  The Craic returns! In a special Wednesday edition of the show, Petesy Carroll is joined by Chuck Mindenhall and Ben Fowlkes to break down the latest evidence surrounding Jon Jones’s recent criminal charge, including Jones’ seemingly self-incriminating posts on X (0:38).Jones’ retirement disgruntled a lot of MMA fans, including Andy Aspinall, father and head coach of newly crowned undisputed champion Tom Aspinall. Petesy discusses his sit-down with Andy, who didn’t hold back in criticizing the UFC’s handling of the heavyweight title picture (26:06).So what’s next for the heavyweight champ? The trio considers the top contenders for Tom Aspinall’s first title defense. Ciryl Gane, Francis Ngannou, and Alex Pereira are the names most fans are calling for. The guys weigh the pros and cons of each option (37:59).Jon Jones may be dominating the headlines, but UFC 317 is fast approaching. The lads preview the Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira super fight and close the show highlighting their favorite storylines heading into this weekend’s card (49:36).  

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