The Ariel Helwani Show

Ariel Helwani kicks off the show with Joe Pyfer, who responds to recent comments by Bo Nickal on the show, describing his interactions with Nickal previously, the area of his game he expects Nickal to try to exploit, being offered Anthony Hernandez before accepting the fight against Nickal, his framing of the fight as “poor kid vs. rich kid,” and more (06:01).
Mike Perry is back to talk about recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in August, having to take a pay cut for his Duel Arena fight, still having hard feelings toward Dillon Danis, his relationship with BKFC and whether he’ll fight for them again, when we’ll see him next, Sean Strickland’s recent pay dispute, and more (29:45).
Ilja Dragunov joins the show to discuss his WWE departure and signing with AEW, touching on details about WWE’s offer, being a polarizing performer, feeling like he can now unlock his creativity, and AEW dream matches. Plus, he offers memories of Pac, who recently passed away (1:03:53).
Old friend Ade Oladipo returns to break down the biggest boxing stories, including Zuffa Boxing’s recent run and its shocking release of Shakur Stevenson, what happens with Devin Haney, fallout from Daniel Dubois’ massive knockout of Fabio Wardley, Filip Hrgovic’s newfound personality, Canelo’s fight against Christian Mbilli still being planned for Saudi Arabia, and more (1:46:09).
Ariel answers your Super Chats to close the show (2:38:24).

Solomonster has three legal updates related to WWE, including a defeat in the McMahons' ring boy lawsuit, Ludwig Kaiser’s battery case, and Montez Ford accused of a sexualized lap dance on Monday Night Raw (01:56).
Why Smackdown is a terrible TV show and Friday was no different, right down to the man nodding off in the front row (17:56), and thoughts on Roman Reigns and The Bloodline sending the 946 crew packing on Raw (24:18).
An update on the cause of death for AEW star Pac, Tony Khan heaps praise on the Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery, and one big name who helped spearhead the WWE deal being gone from Netflix (35:44).
AEW WrestleDream thoughts on the debut of Clockwork Carnage, with what worked and what didn’t, and the arrival of Ilja Dragunov. Plus, Adam Copeland announcing his retirement for 2027 (42:11).
Former WWE and AEW star Zach Gowen announces his retirement from the ring, his quick rise and fall, the famous John Laurinaitis story, and why Gowen is a great example of never giving up on your dreams (1:16:20).

Ariel Helwani starts the show by reacting to breaking news that Shakur Stevenson has secured his release from Zuffa Boxing (08:51).
The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll join Ariel to talk about Farid Basharat not being re-signed and Dana White’s comments in the aftermath, the finish-heavy UFC Edmonton card, and more (42:16).
Jasmine Jasudavicius joins the show to discuss her big win over Erin Blanchfield, detailing the pre-fight trash talk, the atmosphere in Edmonton, the intricacies of her grappling game, her desire to fight on the Toronto card, how she matches up with UFC women’s flyweight champion Natalia Silva, and more (1:05:33).
Mike Malott returns to talk about his highlight-reel knockout of Joaquin Buckley, his relationship and run-ins with Buckley prior to the fight, the game plan for the fight, his soft-spoken demeanor contrasted with his violent fighting style, also wanting to turn around for the Toronto card, his NHL playing brother Jeff Malott, reacting to the finish, and more (1:30:26).
Bo Nickal is back to discuss the new date for his fight against Joe Pyfer, announcing the news at a political rally, Pyfer saying he’ll crush Nickal’s dreams, the stylistic matchup, his contentious relationship with Gable Steveson, MMA fighters competing in amateur wrestling, still wanting the Colby Covington match, and more (2:01:08).
Petr Yan is our final guest of the day, previewing his title defense against Merab Dvalishvili, his game plan heading into the trilogy fight, what he wants if he's victorious at UFC 333, and more (2:38:58).
Ariel then covers news and notes, touching on how attacks in Saudi Arabia have impacted the sporting world, including upcoming UFC and Canelo Alvarez events, Eddie Hearn’s reaction to the Shakur Stevenson news, fallout from Daniel Dubois’ knockout of Fabio Wardley, and more (2:56:41).
The show wraps up with your Super Chats (4:04:51).

Dan Canobbio and Chris Algieri open the show reacting to Daniel Dubois’ destructive second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley (03:21).

Sebastian Fundora picked up a buzzer-beating knockout win over Ermal Hadribeaj to retain his WBC super welterweight title and now sets his sights on the Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis-Josh Kelly winner (32:17).

Brandon Figueroa missed weight, had his title stripped, and ultimately pulled out of his fight with Tomoki Kameda. This could open the door for Naoya Inoue to fight for the vacant WBA title (54:44).

On this episode of The Uncrowned Beat, Ariel Helwani is joined by NewYorkRic, Petesy Carroll, and Drake Riggs to discuss hot topics including: UFC's welterweight title picture, amid reports of Carlos Prates being Islam Makhachev's next challenge (02:34), Sean Strickland's complaints about his pay (10:19), Nassourdine Imavov ramping up the trash talk (33:00), and more.