Ariel Helwani's MMA Show

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Ariel Helwani begins the show with holiday cheer and shares his thoughts on Joanna Jedrzejczyk's victory over Michelle Waterson and Cub Swanson's win over Kron Gracie in Fight of the Night. Then, Jedrzejczyk joins to delve more into the story of whether or not she would make weight, share updates on the injury to her foot, and how important this win was for her (7:00). Then, UFC strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez explains how her neck injury is the reason why she has yet to call out for a title shot (27:00). Next, UFC's Mike Davis talks about his UFC FN win with just a few days' notice and his surprise that the fight against Thomas Gifford wasn't stopped sooner (43:00). After that, David Michaud speaks about advancing to the PFL WW Finals on December 31 on ESPN2 and how he drives to his fights because he's afraid to fly (58:00). Then, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez explains why he's so excited about his new contract in pro-wrestling, his debut on Smackdown and his title matchup against Brock Lesner at the end of the month. (1:14:00). Plus, after going 15-0 in Bellator, Aj McKee joins via Facetime to discuss being No. 1 on the list of Top 25 Fighters Under 25 and if he's surprised that he ranked that high. Also, he describes the feeling of he and his father fighting on the same card, and both winning (1:34:00). After that, Ariel catches up with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson who details his upcoming fight at Bellator in December against Fedor Emelianenko and shares family updates (1:49:00). Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker comes aboard and tells Ariel about what drew him to MMA, how the birth of his son fueled his ambition to train for boxing and jujitsu and life after the plane crash (2:08:00). ONE FLW WGP Champion Demetrius "Mighty Mouse" Johnson talks about his wins over Yuya Wakamatsu, Tatsumitsu Wada, and Danny Kingad to win the eight-man competition and gives Ariel his dental regimen. He also discusses a recent diagnosis and how it affects his fighting (2:28:00). From New Zealand, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman expresses that UFC 243 was the best night of his professional career and expands on how things have changed for him and Israel Adesanya following the win (2:48:00). And finally, Brian Ortega discusses needing two surgeries after a title loss, the reality check he received to get himself in better shape and his upcoming matchup with the Korean Zombie Chang Sung Jung in December (3:09:00).

Ariel Helwani's MMA Show begins with Ariel's thoughts on Israel Adesanya's rapid rise to UFC superstardom and the race for "Fighter of the Year." Then, UFC middleweight Jarod Cannonier weighs in on who he may fight next now that Adesanya owns the title (27:42). Plus, he tells Ariel how his stone collection makes him happier and why he no longer practices religion. Next, UFC strawweight Mackenzie Dern opens up about her journey back to the Octagon, where she returns this upcoming weekend in Tampa just four months after giving birth (45:47). PFL's Mike Tyson then updates Ariel on his latest activities, like his podcast and his involvement in the marijuana industry. He also admits to Ariel that he's not proud of the person he used to be before explaining how Conor McGregor can learn from his mistakes (1:08:53). Then, from her home in Singapore, ONE Championship's Miesha Tate explains her role with the organization and why she's so excited about it (1:40:44). Plus, the always-outspoken former fighter sounds off on the BMF belt and why it's a bad look for the UFC. After that, UFC featherweight Max Holloway tells Ariel about his efforts to get a UFC event in Hawaii before responding to McGregor's August comments about him (2:00:24). Bellator's Jake Hager then discusses how Chris Jericho convinced him to join AEW and how he's balancing his wrestling and MMA careers (2:22:49). From Australia, Brad Riddell joins (2:38:24) and then lightweight Dan Hooker discusses his UFC 243 victory and why he wants Dustin Poirier next (2:54:05). And finally, Adesanya himself discusses why Saturday night felt like a title defense, when he got the idea for his wild introduction, why he wasn't nervous, how he could tell Robert Whittaker wasn't prepared to beat him and when he could fight Jon Jones (3:07:37).

In his first interview since the big launch of AEW on TNT, professional wrestling legend Chris Jericho joins Ariel in studio to discuss his initial impressions of last night, how the promotion will compete with the likes of WWE and NXT, TV ratings, TNT's influence, his career and more. Plus, he dishes on his beef with Conor McGregor and Cage Warriors lightweight Paddy Pimblett joins at the end of the show to break some news about his next fight (46:29).

The last time the UFC hosted an event in Melbourne, Ronda Rousey suffered the biggest defeat of her career, a defeat she's never quite recovered from. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, who covered Rousey extensively during her rise and fall, tells Ariel about the painful days she spent with Rousey following the devastating loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 (22:53). But before that, ESPN's Marc Raimondi talks about a huge night in professional wrestling and Jarod Cannonier's impressive performance last weekend. NewYorkRic also joins from Melbourne to talk about the upcoming UFC 243 card, the overall interest in the slate of fights headlined by Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya, and the nastiest food you've ever heard of (1:18:22).

Will the Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic rubber match happen? ESPN's Marc Raimondi opens the show by discussing that possible fight, as well as the controversial eye poke that ended last weekend's headliner in Mexico City. Plus, Marc and Ariel speculate about some of the headlining fights expected to happen in the coming months (9:30). And, just days before the debut of the UFC in Denmark, Ehsan Faizzad of the Danish newspaper, The Weekend, takes Ariel behind the growth of MMA in the country, the Danish perception of Jack Hermansson and the popularity of the "polarizing" Mark O. Madsen (22:11). Lastly, Irish journalist Sean Sheehan of SevereMMA.com digs deep into the tremendous growth of Bellator in Ireland, which begs the question...is Bellator more popular than the UFC in the Emerald Isle? (40:28) And, he discusses the next big thing in Irish MMA (55:14).