It’s Wednesday, you know what that means, right? Time for another edition of “On the Nose” on today’s episode of “The MMA Hour.” Hit me with your best questions below. Everything and anything goes. See you at 1 pm et / 10 am pt / 6 pm gmt on the MMAFighting YouTube channel!
This isn’t a question but sharing an interesting observation I made from Nick Diaz choice of walkout theme at 266. Nick walked out to Ceremony by Deftones.
Here’s a selection of the lyrics that stuck out and struck a chord with his entire situation.
The opening verse:
How can't you see this is the end?
Let's face the truth, it's obvious
A different morning, the same charade
Tell me, what's left?
And the chorus:
So I'm leaving you tonight
It's not fun here anymore
I'll be joining the parade
Of the ghosts who came before
Diaz brothers communication is often subtle on the surface but there’s a lot of meaning to be found in non-verbal.
I may be reading into it too much but with everything that came out pre and post fight, it felt ominous. Really wish last week’s guest didn’t pull out.
Hey Ariel! Currently the UFC has champions from all over the world, with Rose and Aljo being the only US born champions. A few years ago we had guys like Stipe, Jones, Woodley, Holloway, Dillashaw, DJ etc. as US born champions who held and defended their belts for years.
In 2021, we’ve had Ortega, Lewis, Masvidal, Chandler and Stipe lose in title fights. Who do you see as the next great US born UFC champion?
Hi Ariel, long time fan of your dedicated MMA journalism and ongoing efforts to help grow the sport in a positive way, thank you for returning to your show at the MMA hour, we missed you on this platform more than words can describe. I am still in awe at my countryman’s title defence this past weekend, Volkanovski was truly incredible and is finally getting the respect he deserves. However, I am extremely disappointed at the handling by the officials and Ortega’s corner at the end of round three. Herb Dean has stopped fights for way less, the doctor didn’t seem to want make an executive decison (guy had no hootspa) even though Ortega couldn’t answer the questions correctly. I also thought it could of been stopped during round 4 and his corner also had the chance. Ortega would of never spoken the words “im done” but his body language was signaling for some help out of there. I think all three parties failed him that night and it could have serious repercussions on his future health/career, not to mention how unfair this is to Volkanovski who earned that finish but was forced to dig deep and go the distance. Sure it made for a more entertaining fight, but why isn’t this being talked about more? Mark Smith and Herzog are the modern day gold standard and I guarantee you they would of stopped it. I’m a little surprised you haven’t spoken up more about this, so if you can please elaborate, and if you disagree I would be interested to hear your thoughts. I look forward to 50 more years of Heelwani, take care my friend.
Hi Ariel, I wanted to circle back to the WFL and topic of new fight promotions. In order to differentiate themselves from the UFC, many of these promotions are trying to reinvent the wheel and introduce gimmicky formats such as a playoff or league that aren’t well suited to MMA. In my opinion, these promotions instead should be focusing on establishing a niche that MMA fans would actually care about, such as having a 165 lb. division, and focusing more on fighter personalities. I also think they should start with a smaller roster and less cards, focusing on two or three weight classes before slowly expanding. Curios to hear your thoughts.
What does Zhang Weili do with a 2nd loss to Rose? Does she have a future at 125, and could you see her matching up well against Valentina? Not many other options left for Val at this point.
At this point I'm guessing you have seen Dana's rant last night after the contender series. I was just curios what your thoughts were about his opinion on Nick Diaz. Dana said he thought Nick looked great for being off for 6 years. I get the layoff will no doubt effect his performance but to me he looked like he did not want to be in there at all. As someone who was very excited to see Nick return I was disappointed quickly after he got into the cage. Is Dana only saying Nick looked great because he wants him to fight again?
Also this is really a thought instead of a question but I think its a shame how little people are talking about the real victims in the Jon Jones case. I see lots of people saying how they feel for Jon but very little people focusing on his family. The real victims here are his Fiancé and kids. At what point do people call it and just say enough is enough. I remember the Joe Rogan interview with DC and Jones where DC said Jon will never change and that was years ago. Jon's family really deserves the support over him. I find his Instagram post to be very self centered, it was all about him and how this will make him a better person. You would think he would say how sorry he is to his family. Maybe I am just a casual but it really rubs me the wrong way.
Thanks for the time and the great entertainment every Monday and Wednesday! - Zack
Any word on when Tony Ferguson will step back inside the octagon? And who do you think makes sense for him next?
It appears we have 3 title fights for UFC 269, which is fantastic, but there seems to be some big names that would like to fight by the end of the year still (Diaz, Masvidal, O'Malley). Have you heard anything on the UFC adding to this card with another big name(s)? A Diaz or Masvidal fight added could make 269 one of the most stacked cards of the year.
With such high demand surrounding the BMF Title, Who do you think should be the next BMF Title Challenger?
If Edwards accepts his BMF title shot vs Masvidal and wins, do you think he would be the next double champ in the UFC? (BMF champ and Welterweight champ)
Hey Ariel my question for you this week is in regards to my guy Kevin Holland. Being that he went to train with DC DAHN in Gilroy, are we going to see a completely new Holland?? Because some would say that the ground game is the biggest knock in this game because i believe he has the ability and to become a champion in the UFC. Love YEW HEELWANI Have a good rest of the week DAHN ER!
During your interview with Michael Chandler you mentioned how it is your understanding that the UFC athletes would receive an exemption from having to be vaccinated. In recent days we’ve heard news from the NBA that says unvaccinated players in cities like New York and San Francisco will not be getting an exemption and will not be allowed to play. Is it different for UFC athletes or do you think this is something that will change for them as well for this upcoming MSG card?
Ariel my boy Josh Mackie loves your show more than he loves his own family. Could you give him a shoutout today on his birthday, he would go absolutely bonkers. Much love as always Heelwani
It was only yesterday that I was reminded that Lima-MVP 2 is on Friday. Why is Bellator so under-promoted? This seems like it should be one of Bellator's bigger fights, yet I haven't heard even the slightest bit of buzz around it.
👃🏻
(Btw my name is pronounced like Lewis)
This isn’t a question but sharing an interesting observation I made from Nick Diaz choice of walkout theme at 266. Nick walked out to Ceremony by Deftones.
Here’s a selection of the lyrics that stuck out and struck a chord with his entire situation.
The opening verse:
How can't you see this is the end?
Let's face the truth, it's obvious
A different morning, the same charade
Tell me, what's left?
And the chorus:
So I'm leaving you tonight
It's not fun here anymore
I'll be joining the parade
Of the ghosts who came before
Diaz brothers communication is often subtle on the surface but there’s a lot of meaning to be found in non-verbal.
I may be reading into it too much but with everything that came out pre and post fight, it felt ominous. Really wish last week’s guest didn’t pull out.
Hey Ariel, with your role at BT Sport, will you be part of the coverage of Fury vs Wilder 3?
Also, would you rather fight 10 duck sized Francis Ngannous or one Francis Ngannou sized duck?
Hey Ariel! Currently the UFC has champions from all over the world, with Rose and Aljo being the only US born champions. A few years ago we had guys like Stipe, Jones, Woodley, Holloway, Dillashaw, DJ etc. as US born champions who held and defended their belts for years.
In 2021, we’ve had Ortega, Lewis, Masvidal, Chandler and Stipe lose in title fights. Who do you see as the next great US born UFC champion?
Hey Ariel.
Couple quick questions.
What’s your relationship like with Brett Oakamoto these days? I used to love your guys’ banter and chemistry on the weigh in and post fight shows
Second - would you ever consider leaving journalism for a front office job in either the UFC (obviously in a perfect world) or Bellator?
What NBA team jersey would you prefer to have 'Heelwani' embroidered with?
Hi Ariel, long time fan of your dedicated MMA journalism and ongoing efforts to help grow the sport in a positive way, thank you for returning to your show at the MMA hour, we missed you on this platform more than words can describe. I am still in awe at my countryman’s title defence this past weekend, Volkanovski was truly incredible and is finally getting the respect he deserves. However, I am extremely disappointed at the handling by the officials and Ortega’s corner at the end of round three. Herb Dean has stopped fights for way less, the doctor didn’t seem to want make an executive decison (guy had no hootspa) even though Ortega couldn’t answer the questions correctly. I also thought it could of been stopped during round 4 and his corner also had the chance. Ortega would of never spoken the words “im done” but his body language was signaling for some help out of there. I think all three parties failed him that night and it could have serious repercussions on his future health/career, not to mention how unfair this is to Volkanovski who earned that finish but was forced to dig deep and go the distance. Sure it made for a more entertaining fight, but why isn’t this being talked about more? Mark Smith and Herzog are the modern day gold standard and I guarantee you they would of stopped it. I’m a little surprised you haven’t spoken up more about this, so if you can please elaborate, and if you disagree I would be interested to hear your thoughts. I look forward to 50 more years of Heelwani, take care my friend.
Hi Ariel, I wanted to circle back to the WFL and topic of new fight promotions. In order to differentiate themselves from the UFC, many of these promotions are trying to reinvent the wheel and introduce gimmicky formats such as a playoff or league that aren’t well suited to MMA. In my opinion, these promotions instead should be focusing on establishing a niche that MMA fans would actually care about, such as having a 165 lb. division, and focusing more on fighter personalities. I also think they should start with a smaller roster and less cards, focusing on two or three weight classes before slowly expanding. Curios to hear your thoughts.
What does Zhang Weili do with a 2nd loss to Rose? Does she have a future at 125, and could you see her matching up well against Valentina? Not many other options left for Val at this point.
Ariel,
At this point I'm guessing you have seen Dana's rant last night after the contender series. I was just curios what your thoughts were about his opinion on Nick Diaz. Dana said he thought Nick looked great for being off for 6 years. I get the layoff will no doubt effect his performance but to me he looked like he did not want to be in there at all. As someone who was very excited to see Nick return I was disappointed quickly after he got into the cage. Is Dana only saying Nick looked great because he wants him to fight again?
Also this is really a thought instead of a question but I think its a shame how little people are talking about the real victims in the Jon Jones case. I see lots of people saying how they feel for Jon but very little people focusing on his family. The real victims here are his Fiancé and kids. At what point do people call it and just say enough is enough. I remember the Joe Rogan interview with DC and Jones where DC said Jon will never change and that was years ago. Jon's family really deserves the support over him. I find his Instagram post to be very self centered, it was all about him and how this will make him a better person. You would think he would say how sorry he is to his family. Maybe I am just a casual but it really rubs me the wrong way.
Thanks for the time and the great entertainment every Monday and Wednesday! - Zack
Any word on when Tony Ferguson will step back inside the octagon? And who do you think makes sense for him next?
It appears we have 3 title fights for UFC 269, which is fantastic, but there seems to be some big names that would like to fight by the end of the year still (Diaz, Masvidal, O'Malley). Have you heard anything on the UFC adding to this card with another big name(s)? A Diaz or Masvidal fight added could make 269 one of the most stacked cards of the year.
Thanks. Keep up the great work.
Ariel,
With such high demand surrounding the BMF Title, Who do you think should be the next BMF Title Challenger?
If Edwards accepts his BMF title shot vs Masvidal and wins, do you think he would be the next double champ in the UFC? (BMF champ and Welterweight champ)
This weeks episode of "Where the hell is?! Hey Ariel where the hell is Gunner Nelson?! I wanna know where Gunner Nelson is at
Hey Ariel my question for you this week is in regards to my guy Kevin Holland. Being that he went to train with DC DAHN in Gilroy, are we going to see a completely new Holland?? Because some would say that the ground game is the biggest knock in this game because i believe he has the ability and to become a champion in the UFC. Love YEW HEELWANI Have a good rest of the week DAHN ER!
During your interview with Michael Chandler you mentioned how it is your understanding that the UFC athletes would receive an exemption from having to be vaccinated. In recent days we’ve heard news from the NBA that says unvaccinated players in cities like New York and San Francisco will not be getting an exemption and will not be allowed to play. Is it different for UFC athletes or do you think this is something that will change for them as well for this upcoming MSG card?
Ariel my boy Josh Mackie loves your show more than he loves his own family. Could you give him a shoutout today on his birthday, he would go absolutely bonkers. Much love as always Heelwani
It was only yesterday that I was reminded that Lima-MVP 2 is on Friday. Why is Bellator so under-promoted? This seems like it should be one of Bellator's bigger fights, yet I haven't heard even the slightest bit of buzz around it.