Ariel Helwani: UFC Heavyweight Title ‘Being Held Hostage’ | The MMA Hour

In the latest On the Nose, Ariel Helwani discusses Tom Aspinall’s campaign to fight Jon Jones, whom Aspinall should fight next, if this is affecting Jones’ legacy, and more. The team discusses movies about wrestling, the etiquette of eating pizza, the truth of UFC pay-per-view numbers, GC’s meme game, Adesanya vs. Pereira 3 for the UFC 300 main event, whether UFC execs watch the MMA Hour, why International Fight Week got bumped up, Gaethje vs. Hollaway for the BMF title, Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz’s potential boxing match, and more.
00:01:18 Why is Aspinall going after the fighters and not the matchmakers?
00:19:14 Did you watch “The Iron Claw?” What is your favorite pro wrestling movie?
00:22:43 Pizza sharing etiquette?
00:26:02 What, if any, is a reputable source in regard to PPV buys?
00:28:59 Giving GC his flowers
00:32:06 Adesanya x Pereira 3 Fight
00:36:42 Will we be seeing a return of the royal rumble lottery game from you and the crew?
00:37:34 Update on Dillon Danis?
00:38:37 Cris Cyborg posted on X last week that Kayla Harrison declined an offer to fight her. Do you know how truthful that is?
00:40:20 How much influence do you and your show have on the UFC and making fights happen?
00:41:25 Money in the Bank will be taking place on July 6th. Do you suspect that this is the reason why International Fight Week is being moved one week earlier?
00:42:12 Do you think we’ll see Justin v Max to defend the BMF title at UFC 300?
00:47:54 In these scenarios what is most likely in 2024:
- Mcgregor to fight twice or Dustin to have his last UFC fight.
Nate Diaz to fight in the UFC or Jake Paul to fight in MMA
- Jon Jones to retire without fighting Tom Aspinall or Kayla Harrison to fight in the UFC
- Sean Stickland to go the year undefeated or Sean Strickland to have to do an apology tweet for going ‘too far’
- Ariel to watch an entire Slap fight card or Ariel’s MMA journalist of the year win streak to end.
00:49:53 Do you think there is a potential for Saudi to demand Francis Ngannou on a future UFC Saudi show which would open up the possibility of a return?
00:51:10 In the process of changing jobs and just wanted to thank you and the team.
00:51:41 I have fallen off in my fandom.
00:54:00 What tips do you have when it comes to balancing it all without dropping the ball?
00:59:31 Have you implemented a morning routine?
01:01:26 After watching Monday night’s National Title game and all of the various broadcasts that they have on ESPN, I was wondering how cool would this be if they did this for the UFC PPVs?
01:03:44 Are there any “non-mainstream” sports you’re excited to go watch, or athletes you’re looking forward to speaking with?
01:06:37 Who is the greatest Hawaiian of all time?
01:09:47 GC: With the European Championship is starting today, are you putting some bets down?
01:12:08 Can we get some of your thoughts on the Darts final?
01:13:32 MJF was removed from the AEW roster after the New Year.
01:15:48 When you’ve got these “rabbit in your hat” fights like you know about for UFC 300, do you ever tell New York Ric or GC off air?
01:16:22 Are you all happy where your NBA teams are with their trades?
01:19:45 Why no love for Toronto?
01:23:42 If UFC does not reach a deal with ESPN after 2025, what network do you see being interested in their product?
01:25:36 Who is your favorite fighter to watch interviews of
01:27:23 Which fight are you most excited for between Ngannou/Joshua, Olivera/Tsarukyan, Poirier/Saint-Denis, and Masvidal’s Boxing debut vs. Diaz?
01:28:26 What is your take on your old friend Pat McAfee’s relationship with your former employer ESPN?
01:38:22 Is Ian Garry trying to play a heel at this point or is he just out of touch?
01:46:28 Rabbit in the Hat?
01:46:41 Will ESPN re up with UFC? Monday night RAW to Amazon?
01:47:31 What percentage of the time do you know the main event or even just some of the fights of a PPV before they are announced?
01:48:48 What does bigger PPV numbers UFC 300 or AJ vs Ngannou?
01:49:53 What do you make of the UFC continuing to make fight announcements at bizarre times?
01:50:49 Which bets / props do you think give you the best chances to win?
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00:01:18 Why is Aspinall going after the fighters and not the matchmakers? 00:19:14 Did you watch “The Iron Claw?” What is your favorite pro wrestling movie? 00:22:43 Pizza sharing etiquette? 00:26:02 What, if any, is a reputable source in regard to PPV buys? 00:28:59 Giving GC his flowers 00:32:06 Adesanya x Pereira 3 Fight 00:36:42 Will we be seeing a return of the royal rumble lottery game from you and the crew? 00:37:34 Update on Dillon Danis? 00:38:37 Cris Cyborg posted on X last week that Kayla Harrison declined an offer to fight her. Do you know how truthful that is? 00:40:20 How much influence do you and your show have on the UFC and making fights happen? 00:41:25 Money in the Bank will be taking place on July 6th. Do you suspect that this is the reason why International Fight Week is being moved one week earlier? 00:42:12 Do you think we’ll see Justin v Max to defend the BMF title at UFC 300? 00:47:54 In these scenarios what is most likely in 2024: -Mcgregor to fight twice or Dustin to have his last UFC fight. Nate Diaz to fight in the UFC or Jake Paul to fight in MMA - Jon Jones to retire without fighting Tom Aspinall or Kayla Harrison to fight in the UFC - Sean Stickland to go the year undefeated or Sean Strickland to have to do an apology tweet for going ‘too far’ - Ariel to watch an entire Slap fight card or Ariel’s MMA journalist of the year win streak to end. 00:49:53 Do you think there is a potential for Saudi to demand Francis Ngannou on a future UFC Saudi show which would open up the possibility of a return? 00:51:10 In the process of changing jobs and just wanted to thank you and the team. 00:51:41 I have fallen off in my fandom. 00:54:00 What tips do you have when it comes to balancing it all without dropping the ball? 00:59:31 Have you implemented a morning routine? 01:01:26 After watching Monday night’s National Title game and all of the various broadcasts that they have on ESPN, I was wondering how cool would this be if they did this for the UFC PPVs? 01:03:44 Are there any “non-mainstream” sports you’re excited to go watch, or athletes you’re looking forward to speaking with? 01:06:37 Who is the greatest Hawaiian of all time? 01:09:47 GC: With the European Championship is starting today, are you putting some bets down? 01:12:08 Can we get some of your thoughts on the Darts final? 01:13:32 MJF was removed from the AEW roster after the New Year. 01:15:48 When you’ve got these “rabbit in your hat” fights like you know about for UFC 300, do you ever tell New York Ric or GC off air? 01:16:22 Are you all happy where your NBA teams are with their trades? 01:19:45 Why no love for Toronto? 01:23:42 If UFC does not reach a deal with ESPN after 2025, what network do you see being interested in their product? 01:25:36 Who is your favorite fighter to watch interviews of 01:27:23 Which fight are you most excited for between Ngannou/Joshua, Olivera/Tsarukyan, Poirier/Saint-Denis, and Masvidal’s Boxing debut vs. Diaz? 01:28:26 What is your take on your old friend Pat McAfee’s relationship with your former employer ESPN? 01:38:22 Is Ian Garry trying to play a heel at this point or is he just out of touch? 01:46:28 Rabbit in the Hat? 01:46:41 Will ESPN re up with UFC? Monday night RAW to Amazon? 01:47:31 What percentage of the time do you know the main event or even just some of the fights of a PPV before they are announced? 01:48:48 What does bigger PPV numbers UFC 300 or AJ vs Ngannou? 01:49:53 What do you make of the UFC continuing to make fight announcements at bizarre times? 01:50:49 Which bets / props do you think give you the best chances to win?

[@Maartun]

01:25:35 Platinum Mike Perry baby!

[@GalactusOG]

"If you on steroids you can't even talk about being one of the greats" -Katt Williams

[@GalactusOG]

@@Maartun Yes! Thanks.

[@AJclaret]

I don’t think Jon Jones should give up the title. But I do think Stipe needs to fight Tom Aspinall for the interim belt…. If Stipe doesn’t want to fight Tom then fine, but Stipe shouldn’t then get to turn down the interim champ and wait for Jon.

[@fatamericanchicken]

Completely agree but didn’t know how to put it in words. Stipe is only the challenger to Jones because Jones said so. He’s faught Francis twice and Cormier 3 times as his last 5 fights. His Ngannou fight was in 2021 and time isn’t on his side.

[@Senseijohn84]

The UFC is using Jon to diminish Francis' career. Dana will forever lay claim to having the best to ever do it. Jon's end of the bargain is to destroy Stipe then retire.

[@patricknez7258]

Spot on imo

[@ArunaVidu]

💯... That is why he was brought to the HW. And I believe Gane was paid to lose.

[@alltimehustle3307]

@@ArunaVidugane was definitely not paid to lose, it was just a tailor made matchup for Jon fighting someone with negative ground iq…

[@alltimehustle3307]

@@ArunaViduthe way gane lost to francis is proof that the fight against cyril wasn’t staged, it was just a perfect matchup for Jon jones

[@jonnydunn7377]

I have said this the whole time too. Once Jon beats stipe it will be Francis ran from Jon and he's not as good/scared

[@MeehalMyers]

How ricks mind works baffles me. Interim and undisputed should unify as soon as they are able to. You shouldnt have the interim defend and fight contenders while the champ recovers and comes back to fight a lower contender.

[@rockyevans1584]

Hes just an outright contrarion. Noticed it before they split and rejoined

[@AshleyWhatley-mh1yl]

Spot on! Waiting for a fight between two inactive fighters only devalues the belt and the division. It's very telling of just how sparse the talent pool must be perceived by the UFC.

[@thebulgarianbarbarian3752]

I’m sure barao defended the interim while Cruz was out

[@soggygooseman]

"Why should Jones have to give up his title?" - Rick Because he's not willing to defend it against the #1 contender. Period. That's the point of a champion. If he wants a money fight instead, no problem at all, but then you give up the belt.

[@JJDon5150]

Its actually better to defend an interim belt than strip the champion. Remember how everyone was saying DC was a paper champ cus he never beat Jon? The issue is that if you strip the rightful current champ, the person upgraded will never be seen as the legit champ. Kind of the way Jon is seen now because he never fought Francis. Its better to have the interim guy defend his belt and then just unify when the champion is healthy so if the interim guy wins, he can say he won it off the real champ rather than holding a fake belt he never really won. I can't think of a time when the actual champ NEVER came back and fought again either. Every one of them came back after an injury and fought.

[@sdelgado2187]

Ariel talking about people he doesn't have beef with is funny af

[@YouTubeNinga1]

No.

[@theguvnor3880]

Here's a point that people are not mentioning. Stipe has said the UFC never offered him a fight against Aspinall. It's clear Dana and the UFC want Jones vs Stipe and nothing else.

[@ProfessuhLemon]

Which I don't understand. I get that's a big fight, but it's a one-off. They should invest in the future of the division. And jones is a big fight against any opponent.

[@walterkaiyuenpang3556]

Yep ... UFC wants Jon to demolish Stipe !!! DEFINITELY !!! Then Jon retires !!! Jon is Happy , UFC is Happy !!!

[@theguvnor3880]

@@ProfessuhLemon We've seen this type of obdurate behaviour from Dana in the past.

[@BrainFuck10]

@@ProfessuhLemonthis is Jon’s last fight, he said he only wants to fight Stipe, that’s all you need to understand, Aspinall is still young he can wait a few more months until they retire.

[@vhyles]

Stipe got a direct rematch vs DC after being KO'd, with no fight in-between. Now he got dominated and folded like a chair in his last fight, and then he conveniently took a THREE year long vacation. He's also 41 yrs old. All that taken into consideration, he does NOT deserve an immediate title shot yet again, while being 41 yrs old, after a 3 yrs long vacation, and after getting KO'd stiff in his last fight.

[@zxerk4158]

Paulo just came out of nowhere😂😂😂

[@weederkanaut6600]

17:30 :P

[@thisislilraskal]

The interim title holder means Tom gets first dibs at the champ the moment Jon Jones is ready, Tom should not have to defend his belt, all the others should be fighting each other to get a shot at whoever unifies, either Jon or Tom when that time comes

[@packedlunchbox7228]

Holy cow. He’s actually talking about MMA!

[@cristianoh97]

😅😂🤣

[@langtryvlogme]

Many of these "MMA commentators" will use a sports-related platform to give their world view, personal opinions a bit too much , leave it out of yourself let's make it about the sport at hand.

[@OkaaLv]

I think I figured it out. Jones was young and fought the legends and won. He saw first hand the passing of the torch. Now he avoids everyone who would be a problem for him, because he is now a legend and more than likely does not have what it takes to beat very top guys who have complete skill set and he want's his status to be LEGEND. Never liked Jones, hope Aspinall gets a chance to fight him.

[@cumshotchimaev]

I used to have an alarm set on my phone at 1:00 every Monday and Wednesday to tune into this show and listen to every minute of it but now it’s genuinely unwatchable. If this was Leon in this situation injured you would be making the exact opposite argument about how he shouldn’t be stripped because you meat ride Leon. but because Jon has made it clear he doesn’t like you you whine about it for the whole show because Tom is also a friend of the show. The biases have gotten all out of control and you need to stop taking victory laps for other mens’ wins like they are you own; Francis, Leon, Tom.

[@paiin808]

Amen brother, amen

[@wingerding]

For the whole show? Like 5 minutes?

[@didntgetthejobatfruitloops4449]

Dude doesn’t know what he’s talking about. An interim title holder should never have to “defend” an interim belt, that literally makes no sense. Interim belts were literally created for that waiting period until the real champ can come back. And if he can’t in a certain amount of time ex. Jon, then Tom becomes the actual title holder. Interim belts should NEVER be defended while somebody else who can’t make it to competition holds the real thing

[@rad-719]

How dare you speak facts

[@patricknez7258]

Well said

[@SupaSaiyanGoku]

His takes were pretty awful across the board

[@thebulgarianbarbarian3752]

Interim just means the guy holding it is the champ while the actual champ is out. Barao defended it when Cruz was sidelined with an injury, how is this any different?

[@evilkhamzat]

This casual has never heard of Renen Barrao 😂😂😂

[@EnigmaMaster]

How long did mcgregor hold the belt before being stripped, i dont recall ariel throwing a fit when that happened. And how you gonna call jones vs gane a fake title fight , while acting like aspinall fight was a legit title win? Tom didnt defeat the hw champ to get his belt . How is his win any more legit then jones by ur own opinion.

[@Rossyedmonds]

Conor has different rules. Him, Jones, maybe Volk now and Izzy Money talks

[@kodywalkerunfiltered]

Conor beat the actual champion. Jon Jones title should be interim since Ngannou is the legit reigning & defending UFC champ that killed Stipe 3 years ago.

[@Rossyedmonds]

@@kodywalkerunfiltered Ngannou quit UFC to become a legit boxer and sign with PFL for a side earner. He will never fight for UFC again. Maybe a good idea to understand that. He is not reigning champ of any sport currently. If you fight for the HW title it’s legit. For the record jones win over gane was farcical. So easy it didn’t seem real. Ngannou struggled against gane. Jones would mount Ngannou and choke him out in another bore fest. Would be easy win again. If he wasn’t allowed to submit and only kick box, that would be interesting. Unfortunately it’s MMA and Jones has all the tools. What did you make of Stipe win against. Ngannou first fight. ? Probably best thing to happen to Francis, he didn’t gas out ever again

[@luckyspurs]

Don't remember Conor tweeting that he'd never fight Khabib and wanted to fight BJ Penn instead. Or having just 2 minutes 4 seconds fight time in over 3 years and 11 months (it'll be 4 and a half years by the time Jon is back).

[@Rossyedmonds]

@@luckyspurs it’s not his fault gane wasn’t a long fight. Booked to fight Stipe, got injured. I’d Jones fights Tom now and wins the HW division does for a while. Of course if Tom wins it’s electric and start of a new era. From a business point of view, best to wait a year or so. As it’s exciting for once

[@navajo237]

Did Ariel say the same about Conor holding 2 divisions hostage for like what? 2 years?

[@MINI.ANIMALIST]

Err bum. You do realized that Conor FW belt was stripped immediately when he went off to fight Mayweather right?

[@navajo237]

@MNANMLST You do realize he held both titles for about 2 years each before he was stripped, right? And did Ariel call for him to be stripped at any point during those times? Nope, not once. My point still stands.

[@MINI.ANIMALIST]

@@navajo237 here’s from mmafighting: “the notorious was stripped of his featherweight title less than a year after he won it. He was stripped of the lightweight title 15 months after he won it in Nov”. Neither of us are truly factually right.

[@navajo237]

@MNANMLST He held the lightweight belt from November 2016 to April 2018. When khabib beat iaquinta for the vacant title. Well, over a year with no defenses, no injuries, nothing. Even then, Ariel never called for him to be stripped.

[@MINI.ANIMALIST]

@@navajo237 dude. Fair enough. Damn you Ariel. Why can’t you be consistent. Wheres your energy you have for Jones, back then 🫤

[@FedorEmelianenko452]

When Ariel talks about fighters you know immediately who wants to come on his show and who doesn’t. Jon doesn’t like Ariel and here we are. When Conor held belts, Ariel never cried about it.

[@MSOTV-ug4ln]

Exactly

[@pete276]

small hat trouble maker

[@casillasscorer]

That being said, he’s right that the ufc should strip Jon.

[@Sphynxxx719]

Lmao this rhetoric saying Ariel bashes on people just cuz they don't come on the show is so tired and played out. He stated nothing but indisputable facts. As usual. Welcome to MMA

[@Fat_black_cat]

Big difference is Conor wasn’t afraid to fight anybody, Jon is!!

[@RIZONMUSIC]

there's no genuflecting with NY Ric. Gotta respect him. Again, a necessary voice of reason and balance on this show

[@gambleezzzy916]

Long time listener seldom commenter but yes I’ll stop by to give the bro gc his props absolutely top tier dude funny, got style , knows his stuff , and I absolutely love and haven’t missed his live streams on ppv and his reactions lol shoutout no free shoutout gc

[@Naksu..]

Jon Jones is scared of fighting Aspinall.

[@JDP000109]

Insane to say Jon Jones is “scared” of anybody. I wish he would fight Tom instead of stipe, but Jon has a lot of fair points. Calling Jon Jones of all people “scared” is insane lol

[@seenasoltani1808]

He’s “scared” of losing to Aspinall. Same as he was with Ngannou

[@robertwilliams5618]

​@@JDP000109Jon's always ducked people.

[@duck8997]

You must be new to this sport lol

[@AGEZZA71]

ALSO STIPE JUST SAID HE WAS NEVER OFFERED ASPINALL AND ARIEL LYING SAYING HE TURNED IT DOWN IS WILD

[@jasonstuart2815]

UFC stated that Stipe turned it down, weather or not ufc was lying, thats the official word bro chill with the caps

[@AGEZZA71]

@@jasonstuart2815 that’s not true Dana said he wouldn’t even offer an interim to Stipe and Stipe said he wasn’t offered . Look it up

[@jasonstuart2815]

​@@AGEZZA71what did you look up to find this

[@sonicman52]

@@jasonstuart2815Dana said it in a press conference. he said he didn’t call Stipe for the interim cus it would be disrespectful

[@samdrye6958]

Fighting for a belt without winning in 4 years. What a joke.

[@benprescott1415]

That’s absolutely fair. I think one year is the cutoff. If you cannot compete, the division moves on.

[@madmonkey6621]

tom needs to be grateful he even got a chance for the interim title. he wasnt even booked until jon got hurt

[@AaronSowellDJWIDEBODY]

i def agree with that , i really getting sick and tired off all the dam talking yeah i get it but , its saturated with trash talk like i've never seen before , take it to the octagon , truth is this is jones last fight , Aspinall is just gonna have to wait until after Stipe fight to try and unify , but mark my words he will never fight Jones , he wants one more fight , i never believed jones was gonna stay around once he transitioned to heavyweight , he wanted to capture the title and fight a well known heavyweight beat him to give that title some validity and ride into the sunset ,,,, and i dont blame him lol

[@Qsel97]

paulo costa at 17:30 lmfao

[@langtryvlogme]

Juice daddy back at it

[@paddycrackhead]

Rick with a bad take for that first question

[@jbortiz98]

How many times are y’all gonna ask Ariel about work/life balance? Come on frank or who ever vets the questions, he’s answered that one so many times

[@iamjacquesbarjon]

This whole heavyweight thing is all about greed vs fairness. The UFC, Jon, and Stipe are all being greedy and booking what they think will make them the most money. Jon pretty clearly said he wants what’s best for his legacy and then he’s done. Tom wants what is fair and right. What’s fair is that Jon should be stripped of his title, Stipe shouldn’t sniff a title fight until he gets another win in the division, and Tom should fight the next contender (Jailton or Curtis) or Jon if he’s healthy and can return. This heavyweight division is a mess because of these “champs” that fight once a year or once every three years while guys underneath them have to sit and wait to get their shot. If you’re not healthy and you don’t fight for a year, you get stripped. Simple. Keep it moving.

[@kodywalkerunfiltered]

Jon Jones beating Cereal Gone for the Heavyweight Title is an absolute JOKE! Thats not even as good as the Interim Title Tom Aspinall has. Anyone who says different is delusional. Cereal is not a champion & 2-2. Cereal definitely doesnt deserve to fight Tom.

[@jesusdapnkmusic]

Lol paulo coming out was hilarious

[@quentinhoward8866]

New york rick is 100% right pertaining to the heavyweight title situation

[@joshs4158]

Where can we submit questions??

[@mattrousseau1889]

Jon Jones did nothing for 3 years , comes back to 1 easy fight now he's the champion ? What about these guys that have been grindin that whole time ? This is becoming Hollywood WWE smh

[@SDigga]

Jon has 14 times the amount of title fights wins then Tom has wins over top 5 ranked HWs lol Gane was ranked #1 and “the next big thing” when Jon made him look “easy” lol

[@happywednesday6741]

​@@SDigga Cute stat lol, Jon Jones is still running from and refusing to fight Aspinall...So in the world of fighting that means your man a 🐱 and Aspinall has already won. Aspinall could walk out the pub and KO every single one of those 14 title wins Jones beat, you give me the name of the man Jon beat that would be a favourite against Aspinall...Chael Sonnen? Domonick Reyes? Vitor Belfort? 🙄

[@SDigga]

@@happywednesday6741 Please tell me what win on Toms record is worth mentioning besides Sergei and Volkov? I think the prime DC jon beat twice gives Tom problems 🤷🏻‍♂️, you gotta understand everybody Jon beat was in Toms position rn when he beat them lol, the only name Tom has like that is Sergei, even Gane gives your boy Tom problems 🤷🏻‍♂️, weight classes exist for a reason hmu when Tom has 2 top 5 wins instead of being a can crusher😂🤫

[@Onamorata]

How was Ciryl gane an easy fight? I mean yeah Bones made it look easy because he’s a killer but Gane isn’t an easy fight for anybody

[@arjunmustaine1761]

Since ufc 279

[@happywednesday6741]

@13:40 NY Rick forgetting the most important stakeholder of them all...THE FAN/CUSTOMER wants Aspinall to be the champion, because he wants to fight!!

[@JaneDoe-sv1mk]

I've actually started gravitating towards other MMA shows. I only come and watch when there is a specific fighter on. Aerials takes are what seems to be based 100 percent on grudges and emotion. I didn't dislike him over the past decade, but as of late I find it hard to watch his shows or his takes. It's like the hyper propaganda main stream regular news media.... its just gross and disingenuous. It started for me with this parading around anti UFC while going full pro Ngannu acting as if Ngannu's hard work and the former champions robbed win against Gypsey Man is part of Aerials own doing or that because he said "Believe in him" that he gets to throw that in people's face and continues to say, "Look at me..... look at what I said.... I was RIGHT! I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU". As I type this out, I am having flashbacks of being in my 5th grade cafeteria wishing I was anywhere else in the world.... is just wack and the overall takes of his as of late is 100 percent biased and elementary. I hope everyone enjoys the show and all but Tom's whining about the title stuff is such a tittybaby move. I personally went from being interested in Titty Tom ASS'n'all, to literally having absolutely disgust for the whining on social media. FIENDING FOR THE JONES FIGHT WHEN JONES IS entering the end of his career as is Stipe. It's pathetic and it doesn't taint Stipe or Jon Jones legacy for not fighting Tom. If they do fight.... great, if they don't.... the writings on the wall.... good lord people need to calm down and stop the cheer leading for the flavor of the current title and coddling these men being so non factual and having completely emotional takes without any reason. I haven't been on the channel in months and it'll be awhile before I come back. One Love and God Bless.

[@scottbutler5421]

How do I send my questions???

[@romanargirov1910]

Rick is so wrong!

[@JGAbstract]

They NEED to make a weekly mma KZbin show with Ariel, GC, Mike Heck, and Shaun. This is the first time since the golden era ended that they have a line up of people up to par from the mma beat days.

[@UniqueSnoop]

Thats not up to par without Luke Thomas and Chuck.

[@Bewar3them00n]

John Jones, has had 1 fight at HW, he hasn’t earned it! Tom Aspinall has taken every fight, never turned down a fight, fought the guy no one wanted to fight, on short notice, with a back injury! Aspinall is the no.1 HW in the world right now, he not only wins fights, but he’s box office, he’s had 6 out 8 fight of the night bonuses.

[@m.o.e4102]

We need that izzy for Strickland cuz we all still confused from the first fight 😅

[@andrew-jv7iv]

Jones has been a heavyweight fighter for less than a year.

[@burtmoney395]

Well no, Tom vs. Sergei should’ve been #1 contender, not interim champion. Now it’s all weird.

[@luckyspurs]

That would make even less sense. You can't defend a number 1 contender position multiple times.

[@hwsjshxhsj]

​@@luckyspursbut we would have this IC belt nonsense.

[@joeclips23]

Has tom done enough though he only beat one top guy yet

[@MeehalMyers]

Yeah? He flattened him in 1 round on 10 days notice and saved the card. He's smoked all the HWs he beat. Not close decisions, not wars but finishes. Submissions and kos to the top and now Jones is arguing merit and wants to fight a 41 former champ off a ko loss and 2.5 year layoff who's not training full time and working at a fire station Stipe is already out the door he's said he has 1 more fight left.

[@joeclips23]

@@MeehalMyers I'm not saying tom doesn't deserve the title but if destroying one top guy makes him legit JJ has been doing it for a decade as a champion so why does he gotta vacate

[@sonicman52]

@@joeclips23exactly

[@JJDon5150]

@@MeehalMyers Tom's resume is actually worse than Pavlovich or Curtis Blaydes on paper. Tom also lost just a year and a half ago to Blaydes. I lol'd at how people were all hyping up Pavlovich, and now that Tom beat him, now Tom is supposed to be the next HW GOAT. After Pavlovich, Tom's best wins are Volkov and Tybura who have both lost to the top of the division.

[@antw9770]

Everyone’s bias is really showing in this situation. Nobody had a problem when GSP came back 4 years after his worst performance and got a title shot up a division when Whittaker was the interim champ. Mind you Bisping had sat out over a year and refused to fight Whittaker, Romero, Jacare, Mousasi, or Rockhold in a rematch to make sure he got that fight. Guys like Ariel and all the people in outrage over the Aspinall situation didn’t say a word then. The only reason people care at all is they really want to see someone beat Jon Jones.

[@joebutton9244]

Yeah but Jon is holding up a division for almost a year and is just gonna fight a 42 year old that got koed and hasn’t fought in 3 years. Then he will retire. This will tarnish his legacy

[@derekmortensen85]

I really don’t understand what people are upset about. Jon and Stipe were scheduled to fight and Jon got hurt in training. There’s no reason for anyone to be punished for that. If there has been a tactical error here it has been on Tom’s part knowing that he was going to have to wait on that fight and not mapping out a realistic timeline for when he’d fight again. There’s been plenty of champs sit out for over a year for no good reason at all and no one complained. Also anyone underestimating Stipe to any degree is setting up for potential huge failure. His last fight with Francis was under very bad circumstances right around the time his dad died. He was under weight and from what I understand hadn’t been training to the degree he would have liked and considering Francis can knock out an elephant the end result of that fight isn’t surprising. Jones and Stipe is very likely going to be a great and hard fight for both guys.

[@antw9770]

@@joebutton9244 is Bisping’s legacy tarnished for not fighting Whittaker, Romero, Jacare, or Mousasi and instead fighting 46 year old Dan Henderson and an old GSP who was out for 4 years? No. People have over exaggerated this whole situation. Tom vs Jon has never been in the UFC’s plans. The plan was Jon vs Stipe at MSG. Both were gonna retire. Then they were gonna do Tom vs Pavlovich for vacant. The order of events got switched up but it everything is still gonna go to plan. Tom could be getting PPV points right now making 5x more than he ever made and can literally choose who he fights next. Instead he’s wasting time calling out someone he’ll never fight and possibly hurting his relationship with the UFC.

[@Sphynxxx719]

Clearly you weren't actually around then. Because plenty of people had alot to say about that. Just like they are now

[@antw9770]

@@Sphynxxx719 plenty of people weren’t saying that. You won’t find any video of anyone saying “Bisping needs to give up the belt” “who cares about old man GSP”. People were excited about that fight and it was a great night for mma. And people were excited for Jones vs Stipe. Jones vs Stipe at MSG drew a huge gate. All those tickets were sold before Jones got hurt.

[@healthwithmarcus]

This video has no sound

[@Maartun]

17:22 wtf was that 😂

[@garethpowell9665]

Just getting to the end, JJ would look better if he gave up the belt (as should) then say I'll be coming for what's truly mine. Legacy done

[@brownk1976]

I agree with Rick's take 100%.

[@phidalelopez3233]

Ariel’s inflections 😂 😂 😂

[@kingstone9516]

W pod this one Ariel !!!! 🍻

[@taylorcuch8870]

The way New York ric sends a wrecking ball thru ariels Jon Jones argument was hot af.

[@mmareality6956]

😂

[@E1R9i9K2]

I want to watch but no sound

[@yaseenmuwwakkil9907]

This podcast was great all the way through. And I hate having to touch all over the food when breaking it off. I let the other person grab a piece and try to gracefully get the bigger part. Lol

[@barcaragu]

Everyone talks about the missed potential fight between Ngannou and Jones but no one wants to talk about missed potential fight between Aspinall and Ngannou . Imagine two heavy hitters going at it. Earthquake guaranteed

[@patricknez7258]

I would love to see Jon v Francis or Tom v Francis 🔥

[@Maartun]

1:25:36 Platinum Mike Perry!

[@kasparmensahsabah7538]

I'm with Rick. Injury is no reason to strip somebody of the title. It is the exact moments interims were made for. If he doesn't defend it against a relevant contender after the Miocic fight, then they should strip him.

[@jordanhousley3544]

So yeah don't strip him, but by making an interim title then literally the next person the injured champ has to fight is the interim champ, having Stipe just hold a number #1 contenders spot when the original fight date has now been cancelled (due to Jon Jones injury) you now either compete for the interim or lose that spot to the people who do. If Stipe wants this spot he should have to fight Aspinall.

[@m.j.e.5245]

@@jordanhousley3544 That is not always the case, we have seen several interim champion defend their belts and even be stripped before the champion comes back, its a placeholder title with no prestige except PPV points

[@Sphynxxx719]

The division deserves to keep moving. Dude has 1 fight against a dude who had no real claim to another title shot. Then wants to defend against a washed 42 Year old Stipe coming off a knock out and almost 4 year lay off. He should be stripped just like everyone else who's taken an extended layoff due to injury

[@jordanhousley3544]

@@m.j.e.5245 Still makes zero sense for Stipe to sit out while Jones is injured. Aspinall called for Stipe after Jons injury and Stipe is basically saying no which to me says that if one guy is willing anf the other isn't, then the one who would do both fights deserves the main match not the guy happy sitting on the bench for 4 years now coming off a loss. Jon is bold calling Aspinalls interim a 'fake belt' when he won it from a guy who lost to the former champion, hasn't even beaten a heavyweight champion and claims he has the real belt it is crazy

[@dillpickledrums2173]

39:39 *Sauron whispers indistinctly.

[@brandonbey8878]

Lol Ol Tommy Boy just need to wait until the Goat is done with Stipe. Sour grapes to your boy 😂

[@MeehalMyers]

Goat at LHW duck at HW. Ducked francis while he was champ but the second he left oh Jon's back what timing and is also ducking tom two legit threats. Arguing about why he's fighting stipe and not tom when one's washed, hasn't won in years and is coming off a ko loss and the other came off the couch injured to save the card on 10 days notice and smoked the scariest contender in a minute. Jon is scared of ol tommy boy

[@michaelrb9837]

He’s not the goat he’s a steroid cheat and Tom would smoke Jones easy

[@brandonbey8878]

@@michaelrb9837 lol in your dreams Michael in your dreams!!

[@michaelrb9837]

@@brandonbey8878 No it’s just what would happen Jones is untested at HW has been popped for steroids and all his resume id full of washed up old bums who came up from middleweight Tom ends his life 🤫

[@JaredTheOne]

Jon vs Stipe for heavyweight title main event Izzy vs potan 3 for light heavyweight title co main Justin vs Max for Bmf to open the show That’s how they turn ufc 300 all the way around and sell 1 million

[@kalonwright7906]

Rick is spot on here.

[@Supersix669]

Ready to rumble

[@rad-719]

Much respect to Ariel for saying he didnt beat the real heavy weight champ, Francis, facts

[@patricknez7258]

Francis is best HW in world imo

[@HighlevelMMA300]

Literally calls Jon vs Cyril a fake heavyweight title fight but somehow Tom’s is real. Tom should fight 2-3 more times before the Jon stipe fight & prove to Jon or stipe that he’s deserving. Not talk smack to an injured man who’s already got a fight booked. I love Tom and he’s absolutely the future but Ariel bummed me out today

[@cjross1997]

😂😂🤡🤡

[@TopShelfFandomVids]

Audio is badly off like by 4-5 frames

[@KaiCean]

This situation makes me curious. What if francis was still a part of the ufc?

[@SaveUsMarku]

How was Uberreem not mentioned for mythical fighters?

[@APena-lt2qd]

Right now we want Jones vs Tom like Canelo vs Benavides

[@micmeraz]

Ready To Rumble! "I will rule you! I will reign supreme! As soon as I finish these here beers"

[@johneldon7060]

Ariel we all know the match to make is Aspinal Vs Blades. No one forgot about that...

[@zeebone1931]

Best thing for Tom to do is to fight and defend his belt, make it the real belt and then when Jones is ready he will be hard to ignore

[@E1R9i9K2]

Nooo sound

[@markanthonycabiles7927]

Heres the thing, the ufc did this to themselves. They didnt need the aspinall vs pavlovic fight to be an interim title fight, should’ve been a number 1 contender

[@deadpool8340]

Rick being a Helmet

[@PBandy89]

I think what you’re missing about Jones aspinal is Jones just wants one more with a big resume and he’s done.. if he fought Tom and Tom won Jon hands him his entire resume on a golden platter we all know it’s winner take all in fighting, whereas if he beats Tom everyone just says yea he was supposed to he wins absolutely nothing. And if he wins there will be someone else everyone is saying all the same things about jailton almeida or some other up and comer and saying Jon is scared of him… people act like he doesn’t understand this… also if they say they’re moving on Jon just doesn’t come back, and u heard how much they sold those Jones stipe tickets for, come on man use your noggin

[@worldwolf9909]

What will Tom do in the meantime? Out of the three fighters he's the only one that has the option of keeping the division moving..

[@UAPReportingCenter]

Best wrestling documentary is easily wrestling with shadows about Brett Hart and the screw job!

[@phidalelopez3233]

Ariel : Jon holding up the division and everyone’s dreams. Sounds like Ariel’s dream is to see Jon down in the dumps. It what happens when sports reporters never played any sports 😅

[@evilkhamzat]

So many people have become mma fans in the last 5 years and never heard of Renen Barrao 😂😂😂 that’s literally who Tom Aspinal is atm just defend your IC against Gane or Jailton.

[@thepancakemann]

@@Ronycoolman00 In defense of those who have become MMA fans in the last 5 years, I've been an MMA fan for over a decade and forgot that I watched Barao v Faber back in 2012 because Bantamweight is just that boring.

[@michaelcarrig627]

They are gonna do Poatan vs Tom.

[@garethpowell9665]

First time I agree with you A,H.

[@YOUNGERsr4]

JJ saying its a legacy fight 😂 fighting somone that aint had a fight in 4 years and his last fight got smashed by Francis .... hes been a weight bully all his career fighting middleweights at light heavyweight ...then him thinking beating the most one dimensional fighter at heavyweight makes him a heavyweight goat 😂

[@CarsonThomas24]

Where was this energy when francis held it hostage?

[@ldoom405]

The only reason why I agree that Jon should be stripped because Tom fighting and defending the interim doesn’t do anything for his legacy technically either. The interim defenses don’t count with ur undisputed belt. So if Tom defended 3x or even 2x and goes on a great run. Falls short 2 fights from a record run. That’s not fair

[@AfroViking300]

17:53 Jon wasnt saying toms resume wasnt good enough he was basically telling tom hes not calling any shots 💀 dont see how hard that is to understand, tom needs ti defend his belt and stop worrying about jon and stipe. Plain and simple

[@brandonspeed87]

If that's the case, Khabib held the title hostage fighting once a year.

[@Da_Publick]

Like we forgot Conor, holding the belt hostage, and the bus incident. Maybe you forgot, but Da Publick (much like Pepperidge Farms) remembers! 😂

[@Da_Publick]

Like we forgot Conor holding the belt hostage, and the bus incident. Maybe you forgot, but Da Publick (much like Pepperidge Farms) remembers! 😂

[@theguvnor3880]

You're conveniently leaving out an important distinction. Khabib had every intention of defending the title against the next contenders. Jones has no intention of doing this.

[@ProtomanButCallMeBlues]

@@theguvnor3880 Khabib should've been stripped after the 2nd interim title for his weight cutting shenanigans. Conor should've also been stripped. Jones should be stripped now.

[@pushed8591]

Khabib was overrated

[@ethancookfilms]

Rick is so wrong about Aspinall defending the interim belt, no PPV pay and imagine he gets hurt, or loses. Then he pushes himself back in the line

[@TheeMMADude]

Rick is 100% right

[@KingSum1]

Jon would kick out toms leg,asspinall couldn’t even beat Curtis blades.jones smokes him up like crack rocks

[@yuhanna2]

Ariel is 100% right, JJ needs to catch up with the current situation , UFC spoils JJ which is not necessarily …

[@alcottdevalte7440]

Conor was allowed to keep both belts as a hostage for 2 years after 0 title defenses and Ariel didn't say anything about it. The interim belt is only sock worthy in both MMA and boxing. Jon and the UFC doesn't care about Aspinall or any other opinion, so Aspinall should just move on or attack Jon in a strip club or trash talk if he really wants it so bad...

[@cloudmamba5416]

This 👆

[@kodywalkerunfiltered]

Conor actually KOd both actually Current UFC champions in spectacular fashion. Jon Jones beat some guy who will never be an undisputed UFC Champion. Then Jon wants to fight a 45 year old that got brutally KOd in his last fight that was 3 year ago. Tom is the true current Heavyweight Champion.

[@cloudmamba5416]

@@kodywalkerunfiltered 🤣 Tom is literally paper champ his resume isn't shyt compared to stipe or jon

[@peacefrog64]

@@cloudmamba5416Tom’s hw career is more impressive than Jones’.

[@cloudmamba5416]

@peacefrog64 riiight he has 60k followers on Twitter. No one's buying his fights just give up

[@7FortyAce]

That dude is arguing stipe deserves a title shot over someone who just won the interim title 😂 when was stipes last fight? Bro clearly has a crush

[@kurstone04]

who is GC?

[@lsthree6996]

No audio

[@lsthree6996]

Audio fixed

[@DT-gn4qw]

So John Jones can just hold the belt indefinitely? is that what the guy was saying? just because Tom has an interim belt means jones can just wait and hold? Since when has this been the process?

[@JJDon5150]

LOL, Ariel's logic is messed up here. If the UFC strips Jon and gives the belt to Tom, then Tom is just that...a paper champ. He's even more of a paper champ than DC was to Jon at LHW because Tom would not have beaten either Jon or Ngannou. I think NewYorkRic is right. People need to slow down on Aspinall. Let him fight someone else and defend the interim belt. If Jon ends up not coming back and his belt gets upgraded to the official title, at least he will be seen as less of a paper champion. But if Jon comes back, fights Aspinall, and beats Aspinall, it does nothing for Jon's legacy because people will say Tom was never that good to begin with and got luck with Pavlovich. And then Jon's fight with Stipe may be almost 5 years after Stipe last fought, which makes it even more irrelevant. The best thing for the division is actually if Tom fights someone else to pad his record, which honestly is less impressive than Pavlovich's or Curtis Blaydes who beat him and then Jon fights Stipe. If Jon gets past Stipe, then any potential fight between Jon and Aspinall would be even bigger. Chances are though, Jon will likely just retire after beating Stipe though, and then Aspinall (or whoever beats him) will get handed the official title.

[@undisputedchamp2675]

Aspinal vs stipe with jones fighting the winner,if stipe is confident and backs himself then sure he’ll not be a pu$$y and take the fight, and then get his legend fight with jones after,most exciting division in the ufc is being held up by one guy who thinks he’s bigger than the entire sport,if he gets towards the end of his injury and gets injured again then all this holding up the division will have been all for nothing.

[@adrianaragon5474]

Ariel you’re wrong dude no wonder Dana hates you

[@Freebandzz187]

The Wrestler with w Mickey Rourke best wrestling movie ever u can’t be serious

[@optiwlk]

I’m OK with John Jones holding onto the belt and TOM Aspinal defending the term for the meantime. But when John Jones returns, you have to fight for the unification belt or give up the title.

[@kubeshangovender7679]

13:03 why because what happens if Tom loses, then what next interim champ or that winner doesn’t get a belt, it becomes another title, nope strip then if he doesn’t want to fight Tom okay no problem

[@martyfromnebraska4890]

Rick really has no idea what he’s talking about, it is more rare that the Interim Champ has to defend his belt rather than the interim champ unifying the belt

[@Ge0ffTheRed]

Sorry, can’t move past the PED failure. Jones is undoubtedly one of the greats but there will always be an asterix next to his name because of the failed USADA test. GSP has a clean record and so is more deserving of the GOAT title than Jones.