Hola Ariel! I’m holding strong onto the thought that Cody Rhodes has to be the one to finally beat Roman Reigns for the title, but I’m worried that WWE may do Roman vs The Rock at WrestleMania. That’s obviously a great match, but in my opinion, Cody’s win has to be at WM. Would it be crazy for them to have Roman hold the title until WM 41 for Cody to finally finish his story?
I started watching UFC from 2018 and since then did not miss almost a single event. and always followed ariel's work and to me he is the best interviewer in the sports world. I am a fan of OTN segment and very curious to hear Ariel's answers to different questions and I can do a great job at selecting best questions for that segment.
Indulge me for a second. What are the chances Conor, Chandler and the UFC have been playing us this whole time regarding his next fight and it lands on 300? After Dana saying Conor's not fighting in June this past week, to the UFC not acknowledging his own announcement on Instagram, etc etc, it seems like this could all be one big secret and the biggest fighter will be on the biggest card. As you know they went through great lengths to keep that Brock story quiet for a big announcement on 200, who's to say they're not doing the same with Conor and throwing people off on purpose?
Haven’t heard much about drug testing after USADA, are athletes still being tested, is it random outside of camps or are we just back to how it was Pre-USADA, cheers
Last week I was scrolling through instagram when I happened to see GCs Canadian food video. Got me pondering the man’s future could u see him taking the big seat one day when u hang up the headphones? Not that I want u gone but u have to admit the man has really hit a stride with not just the show but content around the show.
I agree with the vast majority of your opinions but your obsession with fighters’ uniforms drives me nuts, especially when talking to the likes of a Don Davis who could allow fighters to come out dressed like F1 cars again.
Your argument is usually GSP dressing up like Karate Kid or Chuck Liddel’s blue shorts gave those guys more character but even if that’s true most fighters just used their shorts as billboards for sale.
DC had DipYourCar plastered over his arse, Anderson Silva wanted us to eat Burger King and Jon Jones was an Xbox guy, apparently.
It looked cheap and tacky and almost never added any personality to the cage.
I appreciate Americans are used to being advertised at constantly but it’s jarring for the rest of us to be subjected to more eye spam, in a sport stuffed with it.
Don, if you’re listening mate. Ariel is wrong on this one. Think of the Fight Metrics!
Hello Ariel and crew, hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. A few questions for you and the crew:
1. You mentioned last week that you would one day get into the reason why you no longer attend UFC events. I'd love to hear the full story behind that.
2. I'm a college student studying journalism and I want to get into the MMA space. I read a lot about the MMA journalism world lacking behind other sports. I'd love to hear your take on what needs to be done to improve it and tips to an aspiring journalist on how to get into this world.
3. Have you ever had a scoop on a massive fight that ended up getting canceled in the days before you could talk about it? I'd love to hear the unmade fights that we've missed out on throughout the years.
4. With UFC 297 now over, I can't help but recall your scoop on Islam-Charles being proposed as the main to that event. Do you know the reason that did not happen? We've heard about Islam's injury, but I'm wondering whether there's more to it than just that. Would the UFC/Ali stoop so low as to screw Charles Oliveira out of a title fight because you reported on it?
5. It seems as though the biggest contenders to fight against Islam next are slated to fight almost too close to the June 8th date he posted about two weeks ago. Dustin/BSD in March could be a war, Arman/Charles seems poised to end in a finish and both Justin/Max are almost guaranteed to need a long layoff after that fight. Should we see ourselves in a situation where none of the three winners are in a position to be ready for June, do you think the UFC would take the risk of having Islam fight in July with the possibility of him not being ready for Abu Dhabi in October and (probably) having to find someone else to highlight the Saudi card?
6. UFC 301 in May seems to be slated for Brazil and it makes sense for Alex Pereira/Alexandre Pantoja to headline that card. Jamahal Hill has been promised a title shot next, but for everyone not named Aaron Rodgers that's usually a >1 year recovery time. Do you think the UFC would slate Pereira against Ankalaev at that event and risk losing the Izzy fight, or would they play it safe and have Pantoja defend? Additionally, if Pantoja defends in May do you have him go against the Moreno/Royval winner? He just beat both and that would be a quick turnaround from 2/24 to 5/3.
7. If Volk wins at 298, what's next for the champ? He'd have cleaned the whole of the top 4 and it seems as though the UFC doesn't want Evloev with the belt.
It has happened again so I will ask it again: Does it not make sense to change UFC scoring to a round score majority?
As an example, if the three judges score round one 10-9, 10-9, 9-10, round one is officially 10-9 on the single final scorecard due to the majority vote. If it’s scored 9-10, 8-10, 8-10, it ends as an 8-10. If it’s a full three way split, go with the mean score (and maybe fire the judges).
Some recent questionable decisions from the past year that this reverses: Saturday’s Sidey v.s. Tavares, Shevchenko v.s. Grasso II, Kara-France v.s. Albazi…
It doesn’t fix everything Ariel but it takes nothing to implement, reduces the impact of a rogue judge and rids us of split decisions. NYRic, shouldn’t fights be scored the same way that we discuss and argue their winners? GC, just imagine the delicious round and fight parlay possibilities... Please boys, find a hole in this one. It seems too easy and obvious.
Can’t wait to watch you crush on CBC. Oh Canada, go Canada! 🇨🇦
Can we please talk about the blurred lines of MMA journalism and media? Nowadays we have current and former fighters, we have influencers like Nina-Marie Daniele endorsed by Dana White, and we have the traditional media. I am being overwhelmed with content, fight news, hot takes, etc. How would you suggest an MMA fan digest all the content? Do you have any opinions on Nina and Dana being in cahoots with eachother? What all should we be taking with a grain of salt?
Nina provides fun promotional entertainment as opposed to any serious journalism or anything. You can have your MMA a'la cart, consume what you like, pass on what you don't. Even with the infinite amount of MMA podcasts, just tune out those you don't like or agree with. I used to be a Bisping Podcast fan but after how he handled the Dana Slapping his wife stuff and just clearly refuses to give a critical opinion regarding UFC in a whole I tuned it out now. Don't overwhelm yourself.
Ariel and crew, long time listener, recent Q&A subscriber here! Love you guys and you make every Monday and Wednesday afternoon fly by for me at work. I love MMA, but like other great broadcasters, I could listen to you guys riff about just about anything.
I have to say, listening to Monday's discussion and critique around the DDP v Strickland fight and fans + Dana saying, "You have to take it from the champ to beat the champ" I couldn't agree more with you all. This is a particular pet peeve of mine. Scoring should be consistent regardless of the fighter, champion or not.
Where I disagree is when the comparison was made from judging to reffing & stoppages, and that there should also be no discretion given by the ref in those moments. Perhaps I'm taking the comments too literally, but surely you can agree that a ref can and should give a seasoned champion more room to get out of a bad situation than a brand new rookie. I think many other scenarios point to the benefit of referee discretion, as opposed to firm standards like in judging. Am I crazy? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Putting on my tinfoil hat for this one, do we think that Dana and the brass are stacking 299 to make it look like O'Malley is a bigger ppv draw than he actually is. Suga's fans tend to be younger and more likely to pirate the fights than pay for them. Aljo spoke about how he wishes he didn't turn around so quick after the Cejudo fight to fight Suga since he didn't make as much money from ppv points as he thought he would. Curious to know what you guys think.
PS they should simplify the downed opponent rule to make it so that if a knee is on the floor they're downed, this other technical stuff (weight bearing, palm vs fingers) is bs
With the rumors that Adesanya is coming back sooner rather than later I am curious as to what will happen with Usman. I truly believe Usman looked great in his last fight and would love to see more of him at 185 but I don’t think he’ll fight in middleweight while Izzy is active. So my question for you is what is possibly next for Usman and do you see him staying at middleweight or potentially fighting contenders at 170.
What’s up Ariel my question is what is your opinion on this Nina Drama character in the mma space and her different style of interviews?
P.S. I’m fighting on February 8th for BFL in Vancouver Canada and it would make my week if you gc Rick and frank could wish me luck I will be representing the MMA hour in there! ☝🏽
I was wondering if you could break the 4th wall for us. During your interview with Juliana I realized the guys in the back could talk to the guest if they wanted to. Has there ever been consideration to letting the guys ask a question to their favorite fighters? Example, Frank asks Jake Paul a question. Thank you for all you do.
Hola Ariel! I’m holding strong onto the thought that Cody Rhodes has to be the one to finally beat Roman Reigns for the title, but I’m worried that WWE may do Roman vs The Rock at WrestleMania. That’s obviously a great match, but in my opinion, Cody’s win has to be at WM. Would it be crazy for them to have Roman hold the title until WM 41 for Cody to finally finish his story?
I used to love the Wrestling questions. AJH does too.
Mod Ariel, Frank,
This one should be dedicated to the YouTube chat.
Hi Louis. I really like MMA HOUR. can I work remotely with them.
as on the nose moderator or any other spot
What's your pitch to moderator? There's only ever been 3 mods.
I started watching UFC from 2018 and since then did not miss almost a single event. and always followed ariel's work and to me he is the best interviewer in the sports world. I am a fan of OTN segment and very curious to hear Ariel's answers to different questions and I can do a great job at selecting best questions for that segment.
I agree with the timing. It will more than likely be a triple threat match I think.
Hello Ariel! Big fan! Over / Under 3.5 title fights at UFC 300?
Ariel, Danny from Charlotte here!
I need to hear your prediction for this year’s Royal Rumble winners and how the results will lead towards the Big Daddy of them all in Philly!
CM Punk v Seth?
Cody v Rock v Roman?
Brock returns to get retribution on Seth for the greatest heist?!
Too many options, need your expertise!
Thanks a lot!
Hey Ariel,
Indulge me for a second. What are the chances Conor, Chandler and the UFC have been playing us this whole time regarding his next fight and it lands on 300? After Dana saying Conor's not fighting in June this past week, to the UFC not acknowledging his own announcement on Instagram, etc etc, it seems like this could all be one big secret and the biggest fighter will be on the biggest card. As you know they went through great lengths to keep that Brock story quiet for a big announcement on 200, who's to say they're not doing the same with Conor and throwing people off on purpose?
Hello ariel! Was the news of Kayla Harrison vs holly holm the Golden nugget you teased several weeks ago?
Hey Ariel and crew,
Haven’t heard much about drug testing after USADA, are athletes still being tested, is it random outside of camps or are we just back to how it was Pre-USADA, cheers
Mr Helwani,
Last week I was scrolling through instagram when I happened to see GCs Canadian food video. Got me pondering the man’s future could u see him taking the big seat one day when u hang up the headphones? Not that I want u gone but u have to admit the man has really hit a stride with not just the show but content around the show.
GC is amazing but no one can do interviews like Ariel
The GC and Frank show was magic.
Ariel,
I agree with the vast majority of your opinions but your obsession with fighters’ uniforms drives me nuts, especially when talking to the likes of a Don Davis who could allow fighters to come out dressed like F1 cars again.
Your argument is usually GSP dressing up like Karate Kid or Chuck Liddel’s blue shorts gave those guys more character but even if that’s true most fighters just used their shorts as billboards for sale.
DC had DipYourCar plastered over his arse, Anderson Silva wanted us to eat Burger King and Jon Jones was an Xbox guy, apparently.
It looked cheap and tacky and almost never added any personality to the cage.
I appreciate Americans are used to being advertised at constantly but it’s jarring for the rest of us to be subjected to more eye spam, in a sport stuffed with it.
Don, if you’re listening mate. Ariel is wrong on this one. Think of the Fight Metrics!
Cheers guy, and keep up the top work.
Gav
GAVVVVV
Hello Ariel and crew, hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. A few questions for you and the crew:
1. You mentioned last week that you would one day get into the reason why you no longer attend UFC events. I'd love to hear the full story behind that.
2. I'm a college student studying journalism and I want to get into the MMA space. I read a lot about the MMA journalism world lacking behind other sports. I'd love to hear your take on what needs to be done to improve it and tips to an aspiring journalist on how to get into this world.
3. Have you ever had a scoop on a massive fight that ended up getting canceled in the days before you could talk about it? I'd love to hear the unmade fights that we've missed out on throughout the years.
4. With UFC 297 now over, I can't help but recall your scoop on Islam-Charles being proposed as the main to that event. Do you know the reason that did not happen? We've heard about Islam's injury, but I'm wondering whether there's more to it than just that. Would the UFC/Ali stoop so low as to screw Charles Oliveira out of a title fight because you reported on it?
5. It seems as though the biggest contenders to fight against Islam next are slated to fight almost too close to the June 8th date he posted about two weeks ago. Dustin/BSD in March could be a war, Arman/Charles seems poised to end in a finish and both Justin/Max are almost guaranteed to need a long layoff after that fight. Should we see ourselves in a situation where none of the three winners are in a position to be ready for June, do you think the UFC would take the risk of having Islam fight in July with the possibility of him not being ready for Abu Dhabi in October and (probably) having to find someone else to highlight the Saudi card?
6. UFC 301 in May seems to be slated for Brazil and it makes sense for Alex Pereira/Alexandre Pantoja to headline that card. Jamahal Hill has been promised a title shot next, but for everyone not named Aaron Rodgers that's usually a >1 year recovery time. Do you think the UFC would slate Pereira against Ankalaev at that event and risk losing the Izzy fight, or would they play it safe and have Pantoja defend? Additionally, if Pantoja defends in May do you have him go against the Moreno/Royval winner? He just beat both and that would be a quick turnaround from 2/24 to 5/3.
7. If Volk wins at 298, what's next for the champ? He'd have cleaned the whole of the top 4 and it seems as though the UFC doesn't want Evloev with the belt.
Thank you, and love the show!
TR
Dear Lord Jacobs,
It has happened again so I will ask it again: Does it not make sense to change UFC scoring to a round score majority?
As an example, if the three judges score round one 10-9, 10-9, 9-10, round one is officially 10-9 on the single final scorecard due to the majority vote. If it’s scored 9-10, 8-10, 8-10, it ends as an 8-10. If it’s a full three way split, go with the mean score (and maybe fire the judges).
Some recent questionable decisions from the past year that this reverses: Saturday’s Sidey v.s. Tavares, Shevchenko v.s. Grasso II, Kara-France v.s. Albazi…
It doesn’t fix everything Ariel but it takes nothing to implement, reduces the impact of a rogue judge and rids us of split decisions. NYRic, shouldn’t fights be scored the same way that we discuss and argue their winners? GC, just imagine the delicious round and fight parlay possibilities... Please boys, find a hole in this one. It seems too easy and obvious.
Can’t wait to watch you crush on CBC. Oh Canada, go Canada! 🇨🇦
Habibi Ariel,
Can we please talk about the blurred lines of MMA journalism and media? Nowadays we have current and former fighters, we have influencers like Nina-Marie Daniele endorsed by Dana White, and we have the traditional media. I am being overwhelmed with content, fight news, hot takes, etc. How would you suggest an MMA fan digest all the content? Do you have any opinions on Nina and Dana being in cahoots with eachother? What all should we be taking with a grain of salt?
Nina provides fun promotional entertainment as opposed to any serious journalism or anything. You can have your MMA a'la cart, consume what you like, pass on what you don't. Even with the infinite amount of MMA podcasts, just tune out those you don't like or agree with. I used to be a Bisping Podcast fan but after how he handled the Dana Slapping his wife stuff and just clearly refuses to give a critical opinion regarding UFC in a whole I tuned it out now. Don't overwhelm yourself.
Ariel and crew, long time listener, recent Q&A subscriber here! Love you guys and you make every Monday and Wednesday afternoon fly by for me at work. I love MMA, but like other great broadcasters, I could listen to you guys riff about just about anything.
I have to say, listening to Monday's discussion and critique around the DDP v Strickland fight and fans + Dana saying, "You have to take it from the champ to beat the champ" I couldn't agree more with you all. This is a particular pet peeve of mine. Scoring should be consistent regardless of the fighter, champion or not.
Where I disagree is when the comparison was made from judging to reffing & stoppages, and that there should also be no discretion given by the ref in those moments. Perhaps I'm taking the comments too literally, but surely you can agree that a ref can and should give a seasoned champion more room to get out of a bad situation than a brand new rookie. I think many other scenarios point to the benefit of referee discretion, as opposed to firm standards like in judging. Am I crazy? Would love to hear your thoughts.
-Shane from Massachusetts
Hey gang,
Putting on my tinfoil hat for this one, do we think that Dana and the brass are stacking 299 to make it look like O'Malley is a bigger ppv draw than he actually is. Suga's fans tend to be younger and more likely to pirate the fights than pay for them. Aljo spoke about how he wishes he didn't turn around so quick after the Cejudo fight to fight Suga since he didn't make as much money from ppv points as he thought he would. Curious to know what you guys think.
PS they should simplify the downed opponent rule to make it so that if a knee is on the floor they're downed, this other technical stuff (weight bearing, palm vs fingers) is bs
Hey Ariel!
With the rumors that Adesanya is coming back sooner rather than later I am curious as to what will happen with Usman. I truly believe Usman looked great in his last fight and would love to see more of him at 185 but I don’t think he’ll fight in middleweight while Izzy is active. So my question for you is what is possibly next for Usman and do you see him staying at middleweight or potentially fighting contenders at 170.
Thank you as always!
Luna
Usman x Shavkat @ 170 for #1 contender while Leon fights Belal.
What’s up Ariel my question is what is your opinion on this Nina Drama character in the mma space and her different style of interviews?
P.S. I’m fighting on February 8th for BFL in Vancouver Canada and it would make my week if you gc Rick and frank could wish me luck I will be representing the MMA hour in there! ☝🏽
Hello Ariel,
I was wondering if you could break the 4th wall for us. During your interview with Juliana I realized the guys in the back could talk to the guest if they wanted to. Has there ever been consideration to letting the guys ask a question to their favorite fighters? Example, Frank asks Jake Paul a question. Thank you for all you do.
Andrew