The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by discussing Dustin Poirier’s arrest, before being joined in-studio by Eddie Hearn.

Hearn breaks news of Ian Machado Garry signing with Matchroom Talent Agency, then talks about the latest regarding Tom Aspinall, including recent communication with the UFC, Michael Bisping’s comments about Aspinall, rumors of Zuffa Boxing signing top talent, drama surrounding the promotion of a potential Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua fight, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs. Xander Zayas, Katie Taylor’s Croke Park fight, and more (09:40).

Ben Whittaker stops by the studio ahead of his American debut, previewing the bout against Richard Rivera, discussing his deal with Matchroom, coach Andy Lee’s impact on his fighting style, training alongside Joseph Parker, Hamzah Sheeraz, and Paddy Donovan, his respect for MMA fighters, English football, and more (1:16:27).

Cody Rhodes returns to catch up with Ariel, diving into who he considers the face of WWE, stories from his early career, his feelings on WWE Unreal, his relationship with AJ Styles, WrestleMania 42, the idea of taking a break, potentially becoming a booker in the future, whether he has unfinished business with The Rock, and more (1:46:05).

PDC world darts champion Luke Littler is in-studio to preview the US Darts Masters, reflect on his incredible success, and throw a few darts (2:28:20).

Ian Machado Garry pops in to talk about his signing with Matchroom Talent Agency, how the deal impacts his current management situation and relationship with the UFC (2:56:44).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll jump back in to cover news and notes and answer your Super Chats (3:36:04).

Solomonster reflects on 30 years since the birth of Austin 3:16 at the King of the Ring and a common misconception people have about it (0:26).

Then, he dives head-first into a wild week of TNA news, with thoughts on their stalled momentum six months after their debut on AMC Network and talent fleeing the company (06:26). Plus, Tessa Blanchard being forced to choose between TNA and CMLL (17:11), Tommy Dreamer out as head of creative, Sami Callihan making noise on his way out, and a Slammiversary preview (23:40).  

Next, thoughts on the King and Queen of the Ring finalists, the WWE championship match on Smackdown, and predictions for Night of Champions in Riyadh (38:32).

Finally, a preview and predictions for AEW Forbidden Door, including thoughts on Maya World shocking the world and beating Athena to advance to the Owen Hart tournament finals, Bully Ray’s stupid comments about Jon Moxley and Josh Barnett’s response (54:02).

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with a preview of this week’s stacked sports slate (00:52).

Boxing prospect Emiliano Vargas joins Ariel in-studio to discuss his bout against Bryce Mills in Brooklyn, his Hall of Fame father Fernando, a potential Ryan Garcia fight, rooting for Ilia Topuria, and more (20:27).

Jaron "Boots" Ennis is back in-studio with Ariel to preview his fight with Xander Zayas, then talk about the Virgil Ortiz fight falling through, his P4P status, Zayas calling him “flat-footed,” and more (1:10:47).

Josh Hokit returns and reveals his right hand was hurt heading into the Derrick Lewis fight. Then he discusses being kicked out of the UFC Freedom 250 press conference, his beef with Alex Pereira, feeling Pereira is overrated, whether Ciryl Gane landed illegal blows, whether he regrets his post-fight interview, whether there is a line he won’t cross, and more (1:55:48).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll react to the Hokit interview, before answering On The Nose questions, with topics including Dana White’s successor, UFC’s new rankings, blind rankings, and more (2:45:37).

Ariel ends the show by answering your Super Chats (3:36:21).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show discussing their upcoming pre-game party, the New York Knicks championship parade, and more (00:41).

Next, Turki Alalshikh recently took to social media in hopes of brokering peace between promoters over the Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury negotiations. The fight is yet to be announced and there are several rumors on who will officially promote it and where the fight will take place. Turki also made mention of some health issues, causing Ryan Garcia to react (09:44).

Xander Zayas vs. Jaron 'Boots' Ennis fight week is here and it is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Who will come out on top? Will a new star be born on Saturday night (25:28)?

Moses Itauma has an opponent. Filip Hrgovic, the hard punching Croatian, will take on the young phenom on August 28 in what is easily Itauma’s toughest test to date. Is this too much too soon for Itauma or a perfect piece of matchmaking (41:10)?

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show recapping his experience at the New York Knicks championship parade, before reacting to UFC Vegas 119 and Dricus du Plessis being booked against Kamaru Usman (01:53).

Ian Machado Garry is back on the show, discussing his UFC 330 meeting with Islam Makhachev in August, how the fight came together, other welterweights campaigning for the title shot, Makhachev’s comments about Garry’s skills, comparisons between their fight and Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, and more (31:43).

Diego Lopes returns to recap his White House win over Steve Garcia, talking about his prediction that Justin Gaethje would beat Ilia Topuria, weighing in twice to be the main event backup, the overall experience of fighting on the card, wanting to move up to lightweight and compete on the Noche UFC card, and more (58:49).

WBO and WBA super welterweight champion Xander Zayas joins Ariel in-studio to preview his massive fight against Jaron "Boots" Ennis, discussing his relationship with Top Rank, surprises in store for his walkout, appearing in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, Boots’ résumé, visualizing how the fight plays out, and more (1:22:06).

ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler stops by the studio to talk about "Finding My Father," a documentary where Fowler reconnects with his father through found audio tapes. He also touches on some of his career highlights, his love of boxing and newer fandom of MMA (2:03:35).

The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to cover news and notes, including UFC’s new Meta rankings, Freedom 250 ratings, and more (3:24:18).

Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (4:17:18).