Conor McGregor update, Arman Tsarukyan, Curtis Blaydes, Michael Chiesa, David Feldman breaks news with RIZIN prez Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Savannah Marshall, OTN
The MMA Hour with Ariel HelwaniShow Notes
Ariel Helwani around (6:04) gives an update on the status of Conor McGregor and the UFC 303 main event. Michael Chiesa around (30:31) discusses the drama surrounding UFC 303, McGregor vs. Chandler, his upcoming fight against Tony Ferguson, his previous scheduled fight against Ferguson, whether retirement is in his head, his MMA journey, the Chiesa curse, and more Arman Tsarukyan around (1:01:53) discusses Islam Makhachev’s win over Dustin Poirier, why the Makhachev who showed up to UFC 302 would be an easy fight, Makhachev calling for a welterweight title shot, wanting to fight at Madison Square Garden, a timeline for the matchup, private jets, choking out alligators, and more. Savannah Marshall around (1:33:05) discusses her MMA debut against Mirela Vargas at Saturday’s PFL Europe event, how the opportunity came about, why the transition has been much harder than she expected, training with Tom Aspinall, having the full Aspinall family in her corner, the chances she never boxing again, and more. Curtis Blaydes around (2:01:25) discusses his UFC 304 interim title challenge against Tom Aspinall, Ciryl Gane turning down the opportunity, why Jon Jones isn’t a real heavyweight champion, why Aspinall is the most skilled heavyweight in the world, why he’s going to be a vampire for a week in Manchester, and more. The Parlay Boys around (2:21:16) make their latest sections for the combat sports weekend. On the latest edition of On the Nose around (2:41:14), Ariel Helwani and crew discuss the UFC’s all-in embrace of Donald Trump, how relationships with MMA managers work, the possibility of Max Holloway vs. Michael Chandler, the coverage of women in MMA compared to the recent WNBA controversies, the history of pound-for-pound, whether Islam Makhachev gets enough credit, MMA Mt. Rushmores, casting an MMA version of ‘Inside the NBA,’ and more. Dave Feldman and Nobuyuki Sakakibara around (3:30:06) announce a new partnership between BKFC and RIZIN, what the partnership means, how it came together, Dana White, the possibility of Robbie Lawler joining BKFC, the status of Kyoji Horiguchi, and more.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customers only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani
With Ariel Helwani at the Olympics around (5:07), Eric Jackman and Conner Burks discuss the return of Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg on the PFL pay-per-view and what kind of impact it will have. In the latest On The Nose around (25:06), they discuss skateboarding, McGregor vs. Chandler, fishing, UFC 307, UFC Vegas 95, Tony Ferguson vs. Nick Diaz, best Olympics moments, fast food restaurants, UFC subscriptions, friend advice, UFC 305 main event, and more. The parlay pals around (2:07:15) make their latest selections, and GC makes his picks.
Ariel, GC and NewYorkRic recap a busy weekend in combat sports, featuring UFC Abu Dhabi and Crawford vs. Madrimov. Then they discuss what’s next for the big winners, including Umar Nurmagomedov, Deiveson Figueiredo and Terence Crawford. Next they react to the announcements for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway. Finally, Ariel checks in with the Parlay Boys and GC recaps his picks.
Aljamain Sterling around (5:52) discusses his Karate Combat debut, the new MMA rules, a birthday social post by Movsar Evloev, Evloev’s popularity around (49:09), what’s at stake for the fight at UFC 307, the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, the first staredown between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, Jake Paul vs. Alex Pereira, Muhammad Mokaev’s issues with the UFC, and more. GC and NYRic then around (1:03:18) take a closer look at UFC Abu Dhabi, the main event, if Tony Ferguson will end his skid, and other top storylines on Saturday’s card. They then around (1:15:43) turn their attention to Terence Crawford’s clash in Los Angeles and the latest PFL card Friday night. In the latest edition of On the Nose around (1;21:06), they discuss Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall, Muhammad Mokaev’s UFC issues, Ben Roethlisberger’s third down miscues, MMA trades, which UFC fighter should do The Challenge, best hamburgers, best walkout entrances, and more. The parlay pals around (2:42:07) make their latest selection, and GC names his picks for the upcoming weekend.
Ariel kicks things off with a recap of his time so far in Paris for the Olympics. Then GC and NewYorkRic join to react to UFC 304, an early morning in Manchester that featured big wins by Tom Aspinall, Belal Muhammad and Paddy Pimblett, as well as the bizarre situation with Muhammad Mokaev. The trio also discusses the title fights announced for Noche UFC. Finally, Ariel finds out how the Parlay Boys did and GC recaps his picks. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/ PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customers only. Min. $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With Ariel Helwani in Paris for the Olympics, Eric Jackman and Conner Burks host the show. After kicking it off, Ariel around (5:06) calls in to discuss the Olympics and UFC 304. They chat about Belal Muhammad’s recent comments and Leon Edwards’ viral soccer clip. GC and Eric then around (38:43) take a closer look at UFC 304, discussing what’s next for the winner in the UFC 304 main event, the heavyweight division and the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett vs. King Green, and more. In the latest On the Nose around (1:26:49), GC and NYRic discuss future UFC event host sites, the first time they saw a fight, best jerseys, man vs. animal fights, advice for attending UFC events, favorite TV shows and movies, custom shorts, PB&J sandwiches, and more. The parlay pals around (2:55:17) make their latest selection, and GC makes his picks for UFC 304.