Helwani Nose is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Happy Wednesday! You know the drill by now. Hit me with your best questions below. You know the drill. Everything and anything goes. Questions only available to paid subscribers. Sorry, them’s the rules. And try to keep them short and sweet, if possible.
First and foremost AMAZING interview on Monday with Francis Ngannou. Really shed some light into all the obstacles he had to face both inside and outside the octagon. The cojones it took to go against doctor’s recommendation and go out there and put it all on the line is just simply admirable. It peaked my curiosity that on the Tuesday before the fight, a licensed doctor would recommend a fighter to NOT fight due to injuries but would still clear him to do so.
My question is if Francis would’ve pulled out of his fight with Gane due to the knee injuries, would he potentially have been given an extension letter? Basically I want to learn if injuries count towards declining a fight and potentially being extended.
Good morning Ariel, first off I must apologize there was no handicapped hot take last week as I had covid. Now my question this week is how close are we really to seeing open scoring implemented? It seems like within the last 2 years more and more people are talking about it but are we actually close to it being a reality?
This weeks handicapped hot take for you Colby Covington is going to send Masvidal into retirement after he 50-44’s him.
Also last night I got to meet my favorite fighter of all time. Khabib was doing a speaking engagement in Detroit and I was lucky enough to go. I never in my life thought I would be able to meet him. It was truly so very special to me and he even took the time for a picture with me. I am still in shock.
Question for Nose-tradamus... We know UFC missed a golden opportunity by not having UFC 209 in Cali with the Diaz brothers. Do you think there's any chance Gamebred would still be relevant enough to headline a UFC 305 in Miami? If my math is correct that should be the last PPV of 2024.
Hey Ariel hope all is well. Hope your wife has recovered from her awful cut!
No real question but want to touch on UFC and contract management.
I was always wondering why and how the UFC have managed to have their contracts SO one sided and Francis broke it down so perfectly with perfect English may I add!
Treat us as contractors with freedom or employees with benefits like healthcare. Not the worst of both. For a man who has had a life like Francis to say he’s not free is a indictment on UFC approach to contracting.
Can you give us any more details about the mysterious text you received while you were on the air on Monday? After we found out about that cowardly and disgusting text sent to Marquel Martin on Saturday, I can’t help but wonder if there is a connection? Was it also from a 702 area code? Did this anonymous person happen to call you a “goofball” or “scumbag”?
Hola Ariel I’m a frequent listener to the podcast and a huge fan. I am Jewish like you and am wondering why there hasn’t ever been a full or half Jewish contender/champion in mma ( I mean by race not by religious preference)
Hey Ariel, do you know how many fights the initial DWCS contract is for? It blows my mind that the UFC is getting away with paying these men/women less than $10k for a professional fist fight at the highest level.
With the unhappiness at fighter pay and Dana’s very petulant responses to it, do you see a time in the future when pressure is so high that Endeavour think it’s best for him to step out of the role? And if so, do you think they’d replace him with someone or have a more faceless company?
Good Morning Ariel - Did you see jake Paul’s tweet saying you’ll be surprised on Friday? Any idea already what it is? (From sources)
My serious question: On monday ny ric felt the nft strike 50% rev share by Ufc was impressive - why so? Based on the number of cards, moments, fighters - the overall payout per fighter is still pennies while the UFC banks 50% from each single fighter. That’s possibly the minimum deal when you’re the content. Have a feeling The ufc might also position it as something generous (which it’s not) similar to bonus going from 50k to 75k.
Happy National Spouse Day - hope you’ve planned something amazing for mrs. 💯🤗
Hey Ariel, ya BOI Rahman from Atlanta back in the mix. Wanted to get your thoughts on Jake Paul/Endeavor news. I’m all for revisions on fighter pay, but the facts are his ownership shares don’t hold equal voting rights compared to Emanuel/Whitesell (20 votes each), which means his influence on this hot topic is minimal at the very least? With that being said, it’s all a money-making ploy to pretend as if he cares about the fighters just to get his name surrounded with the UFC to gather more buzz and further piss off Dana White having his name consistently in the news besides him?
What changed Tom Aspinall’s mind in taking the Volkov fight when he was already scheduled to fight Shamil? He’s always said he wants to build himself slowly and spoke of how if he’s #9 he’ll fight #8. Taking such a massive step up to headlining a card in his home country against a top 5 guy is completely the opposite of what he said he was going to do.
Also does the whole Francis situation, the knee injury/contract issues, open the door to a Stipe v Jon interim title fight during international fight week in the summer?
👋 Hola Ariel!!!
First and foremost AMAZING interview on Monday with Francis Ngannou. Really shed some light into all the obstacles he had to face both inside and outside the octagon. The cojones it took to go against doctor’s recommendation and go out there and put it all on the line is just simply admirable. It peaked my curiosity that on the Tuesday before the fight, a licensed doctor would recommend a fighter to NOT fight due to injuries but would still clear him to do so.
My question is if Francis would’ve pulled out of his fight with Gane due to the knee injuries, would he potentially have been given an extension letter? Basically I want to learn if injuries count towards declining a fight and potentially being extended.
Viva Heelwani 🦹🏻♂️
Good morning Ariel, first off I must apologize there was no handicapped hot take last week as I had covid. Now my question this week is how close are we really to seeing open scoring implemented? It seems like within the last 2 years more and more people are talking about it but are we actually close to it being a reality?
This weeks handicapped hot take for you Colby Covington is going to send Masvidal into retirement after he 50-44’s him.
Also last night I got to meet my favorite fighter of all time. Khabib was doing a speaking engagement in Detroit and I was lucky enough to go. I never in my life thought I would be able to meet him. It was truly so very special to me and he even took the time for a picture with me. I am still in shock.
Much love - Zack
Question for Nose-tradamus... We know UFC missed a golden opportunity by not having UFC 209 in Cali with the Diaz brothers. Do you think there's any chance Gamebred would still be relevant enough to headline a UFC 305 in Miami? If my math is correct that should be the last PPV of 2024.
My man, good afternoon Lord H 👃
I want to pull a term I heard from a high spot you delivered on another podcast:
'Niches get riches'
Taking this forward into 2022, can you foresee or predict any niches that will grow this year in the combat sports media space?
I hope the fugazi NFT stuff is one that peaks and troughs very quickly.
Much love, and as always stay energized ❤
Hey Ariel hope all is well. Hope your wife has recovered from her awful cut!
No real question but want to touch on UFC and contract management.
I was always wondering why and how the UFC have managed to have their contracts SO one sided and Francis broke it down so perfectly with perfect English may I add!
Treat us as contractors with freedom or employees with benefits like healthcare. Not the worst of both. For a man who has had a life like Francis to say he’s not free is a indictment on UFC approach to contracting.
PS UFC London card is absolute 🔥
Hey Ariel!
What is the latest on Zabit? It seems like he may be one of the biggest “what could have been” stories in recent Memory in the UFC
Hello Ariel.
Can you give us any more details about the mysterious text you received while you were on the air on Monday? After we found out about that cowardly and disgusting text sent to Marquel Martin on Saturday, I can’t help but wonder if there is a connection? Was it also from a 702 area code? Did this anonymous person happen to call you a “goofball” or “scumbag”?
Hola Ariel I’m a frequent listener to the podcast and a huge fan. I am Jewish like you and am wondering why there hasn’t ever been a full or half Jewish contender/champion in mma ( I mean by race not by religious preference)
Hey Ariel, do you know how many fights the initial DWCS contract is for? It blows my mind that the UFC is getting away with paying these men/women less than $10k for a professional fist fight at the highest level.
With the unhappiness at fighter pay and Dana’s very petulant responses to it, do you see a time in the future when pressure is so high that Endeavour think it’s best for him to step out of the role? And if so, do you think they’d replace him with someone or have a more faceless company?
Is Moreno/Figgy 4 a big enough fight to headline a ppv card in 🇲🇽?
Any prediction on who wins the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches? Who are you looking to interview in St. Louis?
Good Morning Ariel - Did you see jake Paul’s tweet saying you’ll be surprised on Friday? Any idea already what it is? (From sources)
My serious question: On monday ny ric felt the nft strike 50% rev share by Ufc was impressive - why so? Based on the number of cards, moments, fighters - the overall payout per fighter is still pennies while the UFC banks 50% from each single fighter. That’s possibly the minimum deal when you’re the content. Have a feeling The ufc might also position it as something generous (which it’s not) similar to bonus going from 50k to 75k.
Happy National Spouse Day - hope you’ve planned something amazing for mrs. 💯🤗
Hey Ariel, ya BOI Rahman from Atlanta back in the mix. Wanted to get your thoughts on Jake Paul/Endeavor news. I’m all for revisions on fighter pay, but the facts are his ownership shares don’t hold equal voting rights compared to Emanuel/Whitesell (20 votes each), which means his influence on this hot topic is minimal at the very least? With that being said, it’s all a money-making ploy to pretend as if he cares about the fighters just to get his name surrounded with the UFC to gather more buzz and further piss off Dana White having his name consistently in the news besides him?
I have one that I have wondered for a while: What is your process of booking guests for Mon/Wed when there is a fight Saturday?
Do you have certain people ready to go and depending on how the fights go, you determine who to ask?
Hey Ariel,
What changed Tom Aspinall’s mind in taking the Volkov fight when he was already scheduled to fight Shamil? He’s always said he wants to build himself slowly and spoke of how if he’s #9 he’ll fight #8. Taking such a massive step up to headlining a card in his home country against a top 5 guy is completely the opposite of what he said he was going to do.
Also does the whole Francis situation, the knee injury/contract issues, open the door to a Stipe v Jon interim title fight during international fight week in the summer?