The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by recapping a huge combat sports weekend that included thrills from the Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis vs. Xander Zayas card (10:07), developments in the the Dana White and Eddie Hearn rivalry (33:03), and a fun UFC Baku Fight Night (45:13).

Rafael Fiziev returns after a big win in Baku to talk about fighting again in his home country, getting back on the winning track, scoring his first knockout since 2022, being surprised by Justin Gaethje’s win over Ilia Topuria, not appearing in the new Meta rankings, and more (1:04:12).

Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez joins to discuss his main event booking for UFC’s return to Sacramento, being excited about fighting close to home, lessons learned from his loss to Sean Strickland, recently training with Strickland, thoughts on the White House card, and more (1:31:14).

Inside Boxing’s Dan Canobbio makes his show debut, breaking down the weekend’s action, touching on the fallout from ‘Boots’ vs. Zayas, a potential fight between ‘Boots’ and Vergil Ortiz, what’s next for Ben Whittaker, Turki Alalshikh trying to play peacemaker for Dana White and Eddie Hearn, the current state of Zuffa Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk vacating his titles, Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli being postponed, and more (1:51:05).

UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern is our final guest of the day, discussing her upcoming title defense against Gillian Robertson, why the fight with Zhang Weili isn’t happening, her experience at the Golden Globes, not being able to fight on the White House card, Ronda Rousey’s comeback, playing in celebrity poker games, and more (2:3731).

Ariel covers some news and notes, before answering Super Chats to close the show (3:05:26).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show dissecting Jaron 'Boots' Ennis’ seventh-round stoppage of Xander Zayas in front of a raucous Brooklyn crowd (02:00).

Next, they touch on what's next for 'Boots,' including mention of Terence Crawford and Vergil Ortiz (28:38), as well as unifications against Josh Kelly or Sebastian Fundora (30:15).

Then, they cover Ben Whittaker's very impressive US debut (35:09) and Emiliano Vargas' stoppage win over Bryce Mills (39:58).

Finally, they hit big headlines from the weekend, including Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli being postponed and Teofimo Lopez vs. Rolly Romero taking shape (46:12), plus Oleksandr Usyk relinquishing his heavyweight titles, likely to fight Deontay Wilder (47:59).

Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunite for this week’s episode of The Craic.

First up, they discuss Ian Machado Garry’s move to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency ahead of his upcoming title fight (8:30).

Another high-profile Hearn client is Tom Aspinall, prompting a conversation about the current state of the heavyweight champion’s career (24:02).

Dustin Poirier’s recent arrest footage also sent shockwaves through the MMA community. The lads discuss the fallout for the retired fan-favorite (51:10).

The boys then react to the UFC officially releasing the global viewership figures for the White House card (59:50).

The latest UFC rankings have also stirred plenty of debate (1:02:25), then Petesy breaks the news that Oleksandr Usyk has vacated his world titles (01:10:55).

To close, the trio answer your Super Chats (01:16:55).

The Boys in the Back cover some news and notes (05:17), including Ilia Topuria's return (15:04), before breaking down the latest drama regarding the UFC's heavyweight title picture (22:36). When will we see Tom Aspinall again? Could Josh Hokit end up getting a title shot?

Plus, they preview UFC Baku (38:53) and PFL San Diego (58:26) and speak to LFA 235 winner Liam "The Iowan Lion" Aunan (1:09:08).

Finally, the Boys deliver their P4P worst fight tattoos (1:42:52), make picks (2:08:19), listen to your voicemails (2:10:38), and answer your Super Chats (2:43:50).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show breaking down the upcoming unification bout between Xander Zayas and Jaron 'Boots' Ennis. Is this too much too soon for the 23-year-old Zayas? Will this be Ennis’ defining moment so far in his career? Plus, the X’s and O’s between two fighters with two distinct styles (02:23).

Joe Cordina has visa issues and is out of his title fight vs. Abdullah Mason next week. Stepping in is the veteran Albert Bell, who was scheduled to fight Andy Cruz on July 18. Could this be a tougher fight for Mason, as Bell presents a totally different style and dynamic (52:44)

Reports state that Teofimo Lopez and Rolly Romero have “verbally agreed” to a fight this summer, where Romero would put his WBA welterweight title on the line (54:25).

Finally, they discuss Liam Paro’s big win over Lewis Crocker to capture the IBF welterweight title (57:12).