Ariel Helwani's MMA Show

Ariel opens the show by speaking to MMAFighting.com's Danny Segura about the popularity of Yair Rodriguez in Mexico, if Rodriguez has something to prove in this Saturday's fight against Jeremy Stephens, as well as the state of MMA in Latin America. Then, NewYorkRic joins Ariel to explain why Justin Gaethje is not the right opponent for Conor McGregor. So instead, he throws out some names that McGregor would match up better with stylistically (23:40). They also speculate about the upcoming press conference with Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz (33:45). Lastly, former UFC fighter James Wilks discusses the motivations behind "The Game Changers," his new documentary about plant-based eating, and how switching to veganism changed his life and physical performance forever (43:02).

Ariel Helwani's MMA Show starts off with a brief UFC Vancouver recap and Ariel's thoughts on a future Justin Gaethje/Conor McGregor matchup. The show's first guest, welterweight Tristan Connelly, joins the show to discuss his big win and how he made his way onto the Vancouver card with just five days' notice (6:01). After that, "Raging" Al Iaquinta joins two weeks ahead of his UFC 243 fight against Dan Hooker in Melbourne to discuss how the bout came together, what he learned from his last fight against Donald Cerrone and also, electric cars (33:25). Then, in one of the greatest back-to-back guest bookings in the show's history, Ben Askren speculates about the state of the welterweight division, the possibility of a Kamaru Usman/Colby Covington fight, the proposed "BMF" belt and his social media beef with McGregor and Dillon Danis (53:25). Next, about a week after suffering a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi, Dustin Poirier emotionally discusses how he's taking the loss, his biggest regrets from the fight and if he's interested in fighting McGregor the next time around (1:20:18). Cat Zingano, no longer a member of the UFC, discusses her future prospects and why she and the UFC split ways (1:49:49). And then, in ways that only he can, MMA superfan Action Bronson provides his thoughts on the latest with McGregor and other storylines surrounding the sport (2:10:58). UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens, the headliner at this weekend's Fight Night in Mexico City, then tells Ariel about his Mexican roots and how he's preparing himself for his matchup against beloved Mexican fighter Jair Rodriguez (2:29:53). After that, Curtis Blaydes calls in to give an update on the health of Austin Hubbard, who suffered a nasty leg injury this past weekend in Vancouver (2:49:43). Lastly, UFC heavyweight Jeff Hughes calls in to share his side of the story concerning this past weekend's controversial fight against Todd Duffee (3:07:38).

Ariel starts off the show by giving his thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov's performance against Dustin Poirier and also by explaining how the Jorge Masvidal/Nate Diaz fight came together. Then, Irish MMA journalist Peter Carroll talks about the parallels between Conor McGregor's rise to fame in Ireland and Khabib's own ascension in the Middle East (8:03). He also sheds light on how rapidly McGregor's fame has diminished in Ireland due to his recent antics, but also explains how he can get back in to the good graces of the Irish people. Then, ahead of this upcoming weekend's card in Vancouver, Ariel welcomes Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie to look ahead to the Cowboy Cerrone/Justin Gaethje fight and some of the other notable matchups on this card (29:48). Lastly, ESPN's Marc Raimondi tells Ariel if Masvidal and Diaz fighting for the "BMF" title is the right decision for UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden (45:21). Plus, Ariel tells Marc why he hates the concept of the BMF belt before talking about a certain fear he has about Colby Covington.

Ariel Helwani's MMA Show starts off with a full recap of UFC 242. The show's first guest, Joanne Calderwood, discusses her weekend win over Andrea Lee, the difficult fighting conditions in the Abu Dhabi arena and if/when she may fight Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight belt (13:20). Next, Javier Mendez, head coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov, breaks down his pupil's win over Dustin Poirier (28:27). After that, UFC welterweight Colby Covington explain why he won't be fighting Kamaru Usman at Madison Square Garden in November (46:25). Plus, he gives his honest opinions of some of the UFC's other top fighters before telling Ariel why he'd rather fight in Washington, D.C. in December. Next, Cris Cyborg discusses her new deal with Bellator, the deterioration of her relationship with the UFC and why she's in a much happier place now (1:09:50). Then, a passionate Cain Velasquez joins Ariel in studio to preview his wrestling match at MSG this weekend as well as to discuss his uncertain MMA future (1:24:20). Next, Tony Ferguson claims Khabib fought a "lazy fight" and says he plans to expose him should the UFC grant him a shot at the undefeated lightweight champion (2:11:05). Plus, he gives Ariel a sneak peek at how he plans to do so. Todd Duffee, away from the Octagon for the last four years, then discusses his upcoming UFC Vancouver bout against Jeff Hughes and why fans haven't seen him fight in so long (2:30:20). Bellator's Ryan Bader joins (2:48:58) before Jorge Masvidal takes Ariel behind the scenes of the making of his UFC 244 bout with Nate Diaz (3:16:55). He also takes some shots at Covington.

Ariel hits the radio waves two days before the highly-anticipated UFC 242 fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. He takes calls on the fight and updates the listeners on the latest with the UFC 244 Madison Square Garden card. Plus, appearances from Chael Sonen and NewYorkRic.