Five Rounds With Brett Okamoto

On this week's show, DC & Helwani first discuss Robert Whittaker’s great win over Kelvin Gastelum this weekend, whether he has secured his spot as the top contender at 185 and whether a rematch against champion Israel Adesanya will go any differently this time around. Then, they talk about Jeremy Stephens' controversial push of Drakkar Klose at the weigh-ins and whether there should be a punishment for such actions. Later, they preview all things UFC 261, including Jorge Masvidal's chance in the rematch against Kamaru Usman. And then, they look back at the wild and wacky Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight and where both men go from here.

On this week's show, Ariel talks to Rose Namajunas about her upcoming title fight against Zhang Weili at UFC 261 next weekend. They discuss her recent broken nose, the making of the fight, her recent comments about Zhang, why she wants to be champion again and more. Then, Ariel talks to Tony Ferguson about his fight against Beneil Dariush next month at UFC 262. They discuss his recent loss, why he changed coaches, training with Freddie Roach and Georges St-Pierre. Ariel also talks to Eddie Alvarez about his last week's controversial DQ loss, potentially fighting again this month, being in talks to box Oscar De La Hoya, and more. Lastly, Ariel gives the latest on Poirier-McGregor 3 and other news and notes.

On this week’s show, DC & Helwani talk about whether Marvin Vettori deserves the next middleweight title shot, what’s at stake in the upcoming Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum fight. Also, the simmering Conor McGregor-Dustin Poirier feud, Aljamain Sterling’s next surgery, Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez’s recent losses, WrestleMania 37, DMX’s passing, and much more.

In this exclusive sit-down, Ariel talks to Jorge Masvidal just a couple weeks before his UFC welterweight title rematch against Kamaru Usman. Masvidal opens up about why the Nathan Diaz fight didn’t happen last year and also why the Colby Covington fight didn’t materialize either. They then discuss how he got the rematch with Usman, what the difference will be this time around and what went wrong when they first fought in July 2020. Later, they talk about Masvidal’s long road to UFC stardom, what would happen if he wins the belt and much more.

On this edition of The Helwani Show, Ariel first talks to Leon Edwards about his upcoming fight against Nathan Diaz at UFC 262. They discuss how the fight was made and whether he should get a title shot afterwards. They also discuss the unfortunate ending of the Belal Muhammad fight last month, why the Colby Covington fight never got made and more. Then, Ariel speaks to Kevin Holland about stepping in on short notice to fight Marvin Vettori this weekend and why he decided to take the fight considering he just lost to Derek Brunson last month. After that, Ariel speaks to UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski about his recent scary battle with COVID, having to pull out of UFC 260, getting the call to coach on TUF opposite Ortega and Max Holloway’s recent win. Finally, Ariel talks about some recent news and notes and the upcoming busy schedule in MMA.

On this week’s show, Ariel is first joined by the new UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Ngannou talks about his long journey to the title, everything he’s had to overcome and how it feels to finally realize a dream. He also talks about a potential Jon Jones fight next and his desire to compete in boxing, as well. Then, Ariel is joined by Dominick Cruz who reflects on his recent win over Casey Kenney. Cruz also talks about whether he wants to fight Sean O’Malley next, whether he wants another title shot and more. And finally, Ariel is joined by Miesha Tate to talk about her decision to come out of retirement in July and why she is in a much better place mentally this time around. In addition to all that, Ariel talks about some recent breaking news, including the Nathan Diaz vs. Leon Edwards fight at UFC 262 on May 15.

On this week’s episode, DC & Helwani discuss Francis Ngannou’s emphatic knockout of Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 and everything that comes along with it: his future as champion, the potential Jon Jones super-fight, Miocic’s fighting future, and much more. Then, they discuss where Tyron Woodley goes following his loss to Vicente Luque and Sean O’Malley’s win over Thomas Almeida. DC also describes what the star-studded “Club UFC” was like on Saturday. They end the show with some news and notes, including an update on Poirier vs. McGregor 3.

On this week’s edition of the show, Ariel talks to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic about his upcoming rematch against Francis Ngannou this Saturday at UFC 260. (5:23) They also discuss potential future fights against Jon Jones and Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Then, Tyron Woodley stops by to discuss Saturday’s fight against Vicente Luque and whether this is a do-or-die fight for him in the UFC. (30:58) And lastly, Sean O’Malley joins the join to preview his fight against Thomas Almeida this Saturday and why he still considers himself undefeated after losing to Marlon Vera last year. (57:45)

On this week’s episode, DC & Helwani celebrate the one-year anniversary of the show! They also talk about Kevin Holland’s loss to Derek Brunson on Saturday and the lessons he can learn from it. Later, they discuss Khabib Nurmagomedov officially vacating the lightweight title, the Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler title fight and Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal 2. Then, they discuss the UFC 260 heavyweight title rematch between Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou as well as Tyron Woodley’s big fight this weekend. Lastly, they celebrate their big day with a special surprise from a member of the team.

On this week’s episode, Ariel talks to Israel Adesanya in his first interview since his loss to Jan Blachowicz two weeks ago. (6:48) They discuss went wrong at UFC 259, his regrets from the fight, whether he’ll move up in weight classes ever again, who will be next for him at 185 and more. Then, the legendary Georges St-Pierre stops by to talk about McGregor and Adesanya’s recent losses, talk that Kamaru Usman is the best welterweight champion of all-time, his relationship with Nick Diaz and joining Karate Combat. (41:01) Then, Junior dos Santos, in his first interview since leaving the UFC, discusses how he’s doing since parting ways with the company. (1:12:46) Ariel also talks about a couple big news stories that broke this week.

On this week's episode, DC & Helwani discuss the unfortunate ending to Saturday night's Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad main event, whether MMA gloves can be fixed, and the difference between a no contest and a disqualification. They also discuss what should be next for Edwards and Muhammad coming off the fight and the rest of the welterweight division. Later, DC discusses his matchmaking prowess and the guys try to make sense of the lightweight division. They also discuss Julianna Peña's fiery promo on Amanda Nunes, Aljamain Sterling's recent comments, this weekend's Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland main event, Ben Askren training with Freddie Roach, and much more.

We kick things off this week with UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. (5:33) Blachowicz talks about his big win over Israel Adesanya, what surprised him about the fight, fighting Glover Teixeira next and more. Then, Darren Till stops by to talk about Adesanya’s loss, his upcoming fight against Marvin Vettori and more. (24:55) And then, Julianna Peña cuts one of the all-time great promos in the history of the show. Seriously. Legendary stuff on Amanda Nunes. (50:29)

On this week's episode, DC & Helwani dive deep into everything that happened at UFC 259 this weekend and the aftermath: Jan Blachowicz's big win, what went wrong for Israel Adesanya, can anyone beat Amanda Nunes, the future of the women's featherweight division, everything surrounding the Petr Yan DQ, how Aljamain Sterling behaved in the aftermath, Islam Makhachev’s flawless performance, Dominick Cruz's win, and more. They also discuss Leon Edwards-Belal Muhammad this weekend, the UFC parting ways with Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, the end of one of the sport's best rivarlies, and much more. 

On this week's Helwani Show, Ariel talks to the two men who will be headlining UFC 259 on Saturday night: Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. First up, Blachowicz joins the show to discuss Adesanya's weight on fight night, life as a new father and champion and whether he feels like he's being disrespected leading up the title fight by the oddsmakers and fans. (3:59) Then, in a wide-ranging interview with Adesanaya, "The Last Style Bender" talks about why he's moving up to light heavyweight now, his future at 185, why he's coming in so light for this fight, Jon Jones, and much more. (19:48)

DC & Helwani kick off this week’s show discussing the criticism Cyril Gane received after his win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik on Saturday night. Was it warranted? Where does he go from here? Then, the guys talk about a slew of title fights that were booked last week and what the bookings might mean for Poirier-McGregor 3, as well as Usman-Masvidal 2. After that, it’s UFC 259 talk, as the guys preview Saturday’s loaded pay-per-view card featuring three title fights -- headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title -- and a plethora of interesting names.

A month after putting on a boxing clinic against Calvin Kattar, UFC featherweight star Max Holloway joins Ariel to discuss the win, why he loved fighting on ABC, if he’ll fight at 155 pounds again and much more. Then, former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz talks about fighting Casey Kenney on the UFC 259 prelims (29:21), lightweight Dan Hooker joins from his extended quarantine (42:55) and ONE Championship’s Sage Northcutt reflects on his short time in the UFC (55:36). Plus, TST says goodbye (1:03:31).

After Derrick Lewis’ impressive KO of Curtis Blaydes on Saturday, DC & Helwani discuss where “The Black Beast” fits into this exciting time for the UFC’s heavyweight division that includes Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou next month and Jon Jones’ impending heavyweight debut. Plus, the guys discuss the latest wrinkle in the potential Kamaru Usman-Jorge Masvidal rematch (39:42), Leon Edwards agreeing to fight Belal Muhammad and how Colby Covington must approach 2021 (47:53).

Top UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards delivers a very strong message to Colby Covington after “Rocky” tells Ariel about his feelings regarding yet another canceled Khamzat Chimaev fight. Then, ahead of Saturday’s big heavyweight bout with Derrick Lewis, a brutally honest Curtis Blaydes discusses the stakes of the fight, why he doesn’t enjoy Lewis’ humor and his respect for teammate Cory Sandhagen (24:54).

Another dominant welterweight title defense for Kamaru Usman leaves DC & Helwani wondering where “The Nigerian Nightmare” ranks among the greatest fighters of past and present. Plus, the guys discuss the “gift” Usman gave Jorge Masvidal postfight (16:18), who Leon Edwards must fight next month (39:44), Alexa Grasso’s boxing and what’s at stake for Saturday’s Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis bout (49:37).    

In his first interview since late 2019, UFC fan favorite Nathan Diaz tells Ariel how Conor McGregor messed up at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier. Plus, he says who he hopes to fight next and how often he hopes to fight in 2021. Then, bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen discusses his viral flying knee, his plans to take over the division and..."the art of war.”