Benoît Saint Denis, Tim Welch, Randy Brown, Corey Anderson, Ben Whittaker, and news of the week!
The MMA Hour with Ariel HelwaniShow Notes
In the latest On the Nose around (9:04), Ariel Helwani discusses UFC’s lack of fights in Chicago, the UFC weigh-in show, UFC superfights, Cody Rhodes and WrestleMania, which team needs Super Bowl win the most, Jalen Brunson, why Muhammad Mokaev won’t be on the show anymore, more live shows in the future, media day 1:1 interviews, Dana White’s recent comments about Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, and more. Randy Brown around (1:13:03) discusses his memorable finish at UFC Vegas 85, why he has struggled at times in the UFC, how the fans view him, what he wants next, his efforts to fight Michael Chiesa and the conversations they have had, his new podcast, the Bob Marley movie, UFC Apex fights, and more. Benoît Saint Denis around (1:32:17) discusses his upcoming UFC 299 clash with Dustin Poirier, why he thought he might get Beneil Dariush next, Dustin Poirier’s recent tweet, the timeline of the UFC announcement of the fight, if he was surprised Poirier accepted the fight, French MMA, his championship hopes, and more. Corey Anderson around (1:57:14) discusses PFL’s sale to Bellator, why he chose title fight over the tournament, Vadim Nemkov’s decision to vacate the belt, his previous battles with Nemkov, the nerves for his last fight against Phil Davis, hunting, why he uses a bow and arrows, facing Karl Moore, if he’s best light heavyweight in the world, Jamahal Hill’s latest comments, and more. Tim Welch, the coach of Sean O’Malley, around (2:23:24) discusses the upcoming title fight against Chito Vera, why he is so popular, his basketball injury, raw milk, the rematch, Sean O’Malley’s character after winning the title, how Chito Vera has evolved since their first fight, his durability, his fight prediction, Chito’s performance against Corey Sandhagen, what O’Malley wants next after UFC 299, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo, and more. Ben Whittaker around (2:56:26) discusses his viral performance and knockout in his last boxing fight, how his life has changed since the fight, his boxing style, winning the silver medal in the Olympics, where he ended up after going pro, trying to be the face of British boxing, how far he can go, his favorite fighters, how close he is to be a world champion, if he likes mixed martial arts, if he would ever compete in MMA, his new rap song, Shaquille O’Neal, Odell Beckham, and more. The parlay boys around (3:45:33) make their latest selection, and GC makes his picks for the upcoming weekend.
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.