Ariel Helwani: UFC 291 Reactions, Biggest Star of Weekend | The MMA Hour

Ariel Helwani and crew discuss the star of the combat sports weekend, the future of Derrick Lewis, what’s next for Dustin Poirier, Alex Pereira's light heavyweight debut and his impressive resume, the current status of UFC 293's headliner, Tony Ferguson's future in the UFC, and more.
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[@1punch_man]

Glad I didn't miss the best boxing performance I have seen in my life. If anyone hasn't seen Crawford obliterate Spence it's a must watch. The defence and counter shots were mind blowing. Was also watching the UFC but glad I didn't miss Crawford.

[@ramonbriones4487]

You'd be a fool to miss it

[@Scheboygan8767]

Nah I’m good on watching one of the most hyped up boxing matches in recent memory that was a complete dud, you don’t find two boxers who are on the same level and will put on a show anymore. The sport is dead.

[@1punch_man]

@@Scheboygan8767 Yes the sport is utterly corrupt and has destroyed itself but I believe due to the competition of the UFC and the growth they are having and people back lashing at the robberies in boxing that they are going to be forced to step up their game.

[@krampus1094]

UFC < Boxing last Saturday

[@Scheboygan8767]

@@1punch_man no, the goal in boxing is to fight the worst guy for the most amount of money. Ufc you can’t do that, if you wanna fight the worst guys stay at the bottom of the rankings. Boxing has a serious issue and unless they can figure out better ranking system or just a way to entice the best of the best to fight each other the sport will never be fixed.

[@lowlowseesee]

this is not even a question lol. l love mma and ufc and justin but Bud put on a once in a lifetime performance. this is not even up for debate

[@hska7]

​@LucianIancu15 not really its 10 times bigger then MMA in England and Mexico, and I guarantee bud vs spence got atleast 500 thousand more ppv buys then ufc 291

[@1punch_man]

💯 percent. Buds performance was out of this world.

[@sportsfan_913]

It's sort of a sad reality Gaethje, Poirer, Jones, Stipe, McGregor are all very likely retiring within their next 3 fights if not less.

[@davidcristabel-sala5781]

Man end of an Era. I will be sad for that

[@Percnowitzki25]

UFC slowly trending downwards :(

[@PabloCruise91]

@@davidcristabel-sala5781 When Joe Rogan and Dana White leave will mark a new gen too

[@davidcristabel-sala5781]

@@PabloCruise91 I mean Dana can be a bit to much but when him and Rogan leave what will the UFC be.

[@elderassassin9673]

Lewis was the star of the night if he doesn't win that fight its over for him in the ufc He now has options "Options are good"

[@sebustian93]

I dont believe it would've been over for him. He's too entertaining to be cut after a few losses

[@ramonbriones4487]

Dana said on his last fight that he loves black beast and he's not going anywhere. So he was probably safe even on another loss. He's entertaining and the heavy weight division is stale at the moment. He brings value to the division even on a losing streak.

[@binkleyme]

Derrick did not to the Shmoney dance 😂😂😂

[@hunterbrandon8391]

Lol it definitely looked like it

[@Isiahtats]

Yeah he did

[@eliasvaltmee]

NY Rick looking healthy. Good on you, dude!

[@brennengodeen3796]

I’d much rather see Dustin and Volk fight at 145,150,155 I don’t care.

[@1punch_man]

Bud won the weekend. Not only the stakes but the performance was a generational performance.

[@rustyshaklferd1897]

They really need to completely redo the scoring system and make it very clear. It seems like not only many fans but also many fighters don’t have a clear understanding of the scoring system.

[@dennis_r3]

Spence doesn’t want no rematch he knows he can’t beat bud

[@Fitkid7672]

Yeah not much he can do..TC is just a better fighter..

[@The_Autoculturalist]

It's not even close. I bet on TC and knew he was the better fighter but damn I didn't think it would look like that. It wasn't even close.

[@edwardseavey1172]

Dude Green explained it. Fight vs match. Makachev and Leon are not the BMFs. They are the champs though. Both have had some good matches.

[@itchyrichy]

Dustin should fight dariush or fiziev, suggesting he should get a title shot if colby wins is absolutely the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard 🤣

[@user-dv7tn8sk6o]

Super video

[@myboyhasa66]

Chandler vs Colby. Winner gets Conner. Triple C champ

[@manonamissionpart2]

Derrick Lewis will take that 2M and fight Francis

[@rustyshaklferd1897]

Someone from Tony’s team and or family needs to protect him from himself. He says he’s at the beginning of his prime. That Gaetche fight was a career ender. He can’t afford to take any more damage. He’s going to wind up in a padded room.

[@Scheboygan8767]

Okay calm down buddy, he should stop fighting but let’s stop the exaggeration, do you take your own bad choices you make this seriously. Do you drink and smoke ? That will take you down and send you to the ER eventually. Should I be worried about other people so much doing that ?

[@DmDaPDm]

Lol New York Rick, usually has takes i agree with, this Colby vs Dustin, i think is a terrible idea BUT I also think NYR likes Dustin, so i have a feeling...he truly thinks Dustin could surprise Colby. I can't lie...THAT would be a great way to go out, finishing Colby, but i still think its a hard ask.

[@RealMattKiefer]

Colby takes DP down & keeps him there. Im a huge DP supporter but that’s how that fight ends up. Looks just like the Colby Masvidal fight

[@monstanick9722]

I feel like Justin was the highlight of the weekend.. boxing is just dead I feel

[@ubong1293]

Took only 5:33 for Ariel to mention Francis

[@lillagahnavich7700]

well i mean its pertinent to Black Beasts future...he could totally go to PFL bc hes a Free Agent but if youre just tryna be a hater then hate away its a free country

[@dcatura1]

Wrong. It was 5:32

[@Alberthoward3right9up]

Best fight dustin can get is justin wins the belt and they do the trilogy. I reckon that could beat conor cards if they pack it with other decent fights.

[@Alberthoward3right9up]

If Colby wants dustin why doesnt he cut to 155. Colbe is the fool that states he never cuts weight.

[@brennengodeen3796]

Or find a catch weight at 160?

[@ramonbriones4487]

​@@brennengodeen3796yea cause dana loves the idea of 160

[@globoyflemming]

How do you submit a question to the show? Been wondering forever

[@gaeloconnor707]

Man that was like a 7 minute story all to just say you met chance the rapper twice

[@yeetmayne5751]

Ariel is the best in the business

[@madface_case8660]

It’s the inter-continental championship belt of the ufc …… 2nd place champ 🤙

[@creep_bb]

Colby is too big for Dustin, he looked smallish even next to Gaethje. It would be a mauling.

[@robot9071]

Dustin walks around heavier than Colby.

[@nikhils6703]

Did Ariel thank Bapa for all the gigs he’s been getting as of late

[@scattystormborn]

I think Leech would have retired Tony if the musical chairs event didn’t happen the way it did

[@theguvnor3880]

It was Crawford's weekend, it might be Crawford's era too.

[@matthewanthony4606]

I think it is his era, we haven’t seen a boxer put a beating like that on a top 5 p4p fighter since Floyd retired, plus he’s a 2 division undisputed champion which is unheard of. Crawford is the baddest man on the planet right now

[@Laughing_Buddha_Tattoo]

Agreed

[@pedrot4814]

So many good fights for him but who the hell is going to call him out. Deathwish!

[@jimmurray8483]

​@@pedrot4814Boots Ennis wants all the smoke

[@Scheboygan8767]

@@pedrot4814boxing is dead, there is not so many fights to make😭 he will fight a can nobody has heard of for a ppv 100k people will buy next 🤣 that’s boxing bud

[@itchyrichy]

If Oliviera beats Islam it’s gonna be a rematch…Gathje should hope that Islam wins

[@JayYoungMusic519]

By far Terrence Bud Crawford. He just destroyed another undefeated all time great .

[@eaglewinnings8003]

Derrick Lewis literally hit the lottery on Saturday. Had he lost Saturday UFC would’ve low balled him with some $100K+$100K offer. Now, that’s simply not going to happen. Is the UFC prepared to match say $2M (at least) that the PFL will offer just for 1 Ngannou fight (I’m sure PFL’s offer will be something like $2M for the Francis fight plus maybe 4 more fights at $200-300K each + a smaller win bonus). BTW this is an absolute GIFT situation for the PFL. Their heavyweight roster is full of people nobody knows. What better way to debut Francis vs 1 of his rare losses vs another knockout artist people love. Fans will pay to see that. The PFL will make a lot of money in that situation. This is fascinating to see how it goes down but this might be another 10-7 for Francis vs Dana.

[@forever1909]

Tc puts Omaha on the lb per lb map. All Nebraska on the world map.

[@bossmancries1741]

Tony needs to retire

[@unclejunior2668]

He straight up got murdered.. he was getting tagged bad on the feet, ate so many vicious hammerfists on the ground, and the way his legs were flopping before he got choked dead.. smh

[@Nick94-]

Am I the only one thinking that Kamaru Usman came and helped him and he got knocked out by the same thing from Leon a few months ago lol (ironic)

[@einfachpaz310]

no, you are not. Thats why the cut both headkicks side by side in the ppv. 🤓

[@jeremymac2344]

Ali, an absolute idiot would say Francis and Luis sells. It was literally the worst by in MMA history.

[@Ruminator]

Is New York Ric losing weight?

[@libertarianpunk8558]

Dustin and Nate 170

[@brandonrothsman2665]

ARIEL YOU SNAKE RESPOND TO JAMAL HILL

[@cinephobiac]

You honestly think Dustin gets a title shot after a loss? What the hell? Do you think he's Chael P Sonnen or something?

[@colbylandwehr3334]

1. Crawford 2. Lewis 3. Gaethje Thats the only correct answer, in order

[@dannymcguire3623]

Agreed.

[@Scheboygan8767]

Nobody cares about boxing lil bro, got outsold by a fake ufc belt. Gaetje #1 for the #1 combat sport in the world right now. Two undefeated best of the best guys meet and can’t even break 1 million buys ?😂 dead sport

[@DeanTheGuillotine]

Dustin vs Colby sounds just dreadful. A cringe uncomfortable lead up to a more than likely one sided mauling.

[@alcottdevalte7440]

Dustin is better than Masvidal who got Colby hurt but didn't pull the trigger. Colby isn't invincible...

[@jgreen802]

Not even a mauling because Colby doesn't really throw strikes on the ground. He would just take Dustin down and hold him there for 5 rounds.

[@saucegotti9416]

GET LEWIS ON THE SHOW NOW

[@brandonrothsman2665]

ARIEL RESPOND TO JAMAL HILL

[@user-db7ol3ok2e]

👍👍👍

[@TexasASF]

Everybody laughed and called me crazy when I told them Crawford was going to knock out spent to make it look easy. I mean, I'm born and raised in Dallas, I'm a big Earl Spence fan, but the fact that Crawford is an MMA fan and used to be a state champ in wrestling.. make me feel like Crawford was going to be so much more stronger than Spence and it really showed

[@Scheboygan8767]

Crawford has been around longer when boxing wasn’t just about fighting cans for the most money. Y’all hyped up this fight like it’s two goats Spence isn’t good

[@TexasASF]

@@Scheboygan8767 that's something casual would say, because obviously you don't understand how many fighters suck. Is literally only about 10 people in different weight classes that are actually good. Other than that no one's paying attention to boxing

[@_KaiRos-11]

The BMF belt ain’t gotta be a joke. It’s like a lot of these fighters try and discredit it but it’s a real thing and they get real PPV points off of it!

[@commandercody8511]

Do they? I thought Dana came out saying that they would not get ppv points

[@user-tv7lg4no3v]

@@commandercody8511he said only winner gets ppv points

[@luckyspurs]

Beyond anything else, Terence Crawford gained 21,000 twitter followers in 3 days. Justin Gaethje 8,000. It's was Crawford. What he did was otherworldly and as New York Rick or Jed Meshew or whoever it was said, a big boxing fight is always bigger than a big UFC fight.

[@rconn4501]

UFC ALWAYS beats boxing ppv except for like once every 4-5 years, literally! Bud/Spence broke 700k, a fake UFC title fought broke 750k 😂 Biggest winner: BUD

[@Tyrantula1]

Boxing is only bigger in that the top guys get a bigger slice of the pie. Two generational talents in their prime didn’t even crack 1 mill buys here.

[@Scheboygan8767]

Gaetje still has double the followers on Twitter😭 you ever think maybe since his followers were so low that’s a reason ? 😂 nah that would assume your brain works. If we’re going off Twitter numbers to tell who’s popular he’s go 300k more😭

[@Scheboygan8767]

@@Tyrantula1yeah boxing fan boys jump at any chance they have to get a one up on the ufc, but they know their sport sucks and their hasn’t been a meaningful good match in a long long time not involving fury

[@Scheboygan8767]

@@Tyrantula1they hyped up Garcia tank, absolute dud that sucked. They hyped up crawford Spence, absolute dud that sucked. I don’t think they broke 1 million for either, like you said ufc is pulling more for a fake belt 😂

[@kylehess5685]

Volk fight topuria after he heals up, then drop the belt and go up for good. Get the title fight after olivera and Justin. No more gimmes/tries, he had his chance and he lost Basically I don’t want volk to have another shot unless he gives up the 145 belt

[@Mosryt]

BMF 3!!! Conor McGregor vs Colby chaos Covington if Covington wins Leon Edwards !?!?

[@johnrich4953]

No way chandler is bigger name than justin

[@Mosryt]

Will someone defend the BMF title ever ?!

[@brennengodeen3796]

Bo Nickal can and will take down and middleweight class with ease. K*mshot and Bobby bones can wrestle but the UFC has seen a wrestler this good Khabib and Nickal is much, much better.

[@jakeshreds420]

14:40 so soy😭😭

[@zxcvbnmmasdfghjkl]

It’s real simple, you give Conor a fight he can win. If he loses there no point in watching. But if he wins it sets up the next fight after winning one fight in like 8 years lol

[@martysmith2851]

Conor looks more like Ray Winstone these days. He washed up, finished! Bet the house on whoever Conor's opponent is and you'll make some money

[@TheFireStarter1215]

Dustin should fight Volk as contenders at LW Or Rematch Justin if he loses title fight Or The Diaz fight Dustin could make Welterweight, but he lacks height to go up against the top 5 of the division. Colby... Nah, not a fight I care for. Colby has a boring style to put Dustin up against.

[@realeyesrealizereallies6828]

Conor is not fighting anyone...Get real...Conor had to sign some kind of contract, if he doesn't fight Chandler, he should never fight again.And don't want to see Dustin at 170..Crazy as fu**...

[@DannyTobia]

You need a “3” hat for the studio now….

[@davidpaine4298]

Aww the white guy is a KU fan?! I see you and your “beware of the phog” quote there! Lol

[@JayJenas-ge2tn]

They all white bruh lol

[@davidpaine4298]

@@JayJenas-ge2tn lol the other two have darker skin tone lol

[@trolllife7450]

Ngannou vs Stipe, after miocic beats the shyt out of roid jones

[@onepumppeter2902]

😂 sure

[@elderassassin9673]

Lewis beat Frances let him fight Jones after he beats stipe.

[@IvanildoNascimento-yo5gf]

I believe Gaethje has matured to the point he would be able to beat Islam today.

[@GeraldGruenigMedia1]

That's because you're clueless

[@IvanildoNascimento-yo5gf]

@@GeraldGruenigMedia1 do you understand English? Lol

[@bigtoneshome_]

So good. The boys are the best part of the show. Interviews are boring

[@ToDaMaxxx]

Can we relax on the Lewis talk. He was losing because he was fighting Top 5 people. Now he is lower in the ranks. Let him prove himself to be better than ever. Not on some quick knockout.

[@Human-ll5yv]

Tony would annihilate Paddy 😂😂😂 paddy is so bad

[@jimmurray8483]

Sadly I don't think Tony is beating even Paddy

[@ianconnolly4184]

Jake Paul owned da judges owned da night he a champion boxer beating MMA fighters 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bryanfrombuffalo7685]

Ufc keeps lewis...there roster is too thin...no pun intended...theres not that much depth

[@brennengodeen3796]

Kolby and K*mshot

[@jasonmacphail8596]

Jones vs pavlovich is the big ppv fight to mk, not stipe

[@timothylash8678]

No it's not. I don't doubt Pav is possibly the future, but arguable all time GOAT vs arguable HW GOAT is the fight to make. Draws way more interest in general.

[@nicholaswatts3169]

If dustin won the belt ariel would be hyping it up so much hes such a slithering snake man

[@albertjimenez7605]

Dp kills Diaz

[@martysmith2851]

I thought the Pereira should have been a draw, he was completely dominated for the whole of the 1st round fighting of rear naked chokes too. That surely cannot be seen a 10-9, that falls in the 10-8 category for me, so it should have been 28-28 IMO

[@mcdonaldsburgers7113]

nah i disagree. Jan had 2 sub attemps and Pereira had 1. Plus he mostly huged him in my opinion dint land any hard shot for it to be an 10-8

[@itchyrichy]

No way it’s a 10-8, pereira had the guillotine attempt and Jan didn’t do enough to warrant a 10-8 no way jose

[@Laughing_Buddha_Tattoo]

Talk more boxing!

[@dannymcguire3623]

More boxing…less WWE.

[@bllxy8226]

How much soy you drink today?

[@bryanfrombuffalo7685]

Francis n lewis wont happen...unless its on street beefs

[@pulproman6892]

Run the trilogy. After Oliveira, Volk is next. Tired of Justin and Dustin getting endless title shots. They are literally the male Holly Holm.

[@hunterchapman4091]

All ufc haters talking 3 virgins

[@DGillian6406]

Ariel always hating on the UFC…. Company he makes his career off of!!

[@TB-hw1dr]

Nobody’s better than mcgregor

[@oz20582]

Nobody watched ufc it’s a clown show I am so glad I was a boxing fan first

[@Milesg9924]

Ariel is such a weasel he's happy to be public doing it.

[@dennis3224]

They need to start a new show if they wanna talk boxing.

[@The_Autoculturalist]

They barely talked about it....

[@Laughing_Buddha_Tattoo]

Na I don’t agree at all.

[@ttaayylloorrmmtt]

Let’s see what everyone’s least favorite jewwwbie have to say about this

[@Ben-cl2co]

might be an unpopular opinion but i dont think derrick lewis is funny...

[@ThePEFREAK]

Isn't izzi from China, how is Australia closed to home

[@rustyshaklferd1897]

What? All the steroids Conor can’t make 155. He probably can’t make 170. Let Conor fight Izzy, Periera, or Khamzat at 185. Gaetche and Benny have the best chance of beating Islam, but Gaetche has maybe a 5-10% chance and Benny has maybe a 20-30% chance against Islam.