Happy Tuesday! It’s that time of the week again. Hit me with your best questions below. As always, everything and anything goes. I’ll answer ‘em on Wednesday’s show. Again, try to keep them short and sweet, if possible. That increases your chances of having the question answered.
With the MMA GOAT taking on a tough test this weekend, I wanted to get your thoughts on how you think losses affect fighters legacies. So many greats stay on way too long, for example I think Anderson would be more widely considered in the GOAT convo if he retired back in 2012. But you can also make the case that losses don’t take away from your past wins and you should get props from trying (ie Volk Islam). If Jones loses this weekend, does that damage his legacy or does it not matter?
I just want to put out a couple of qualifiers before my question. I am a fan of Chael Sonnen’s and I have been for quite a long time. I’ve always enjoyed the love-hate relationship you guys share. 99% of the time it comes across as love with a little bit of teasing, but my goodness, he was in rare form, it was honestly beginning to not be funny but rather annoying.
I guess what I want to ask is, as a loyal friend like yourself, does it ever bother you a little when DC refuses to hug you but bro hugs “RC”? Does it bug you at all when Chael is just insult mode and non stop devils advocate? Lastly, was there any thing he said before or after to indicate that he was joking? Not calling for a 10-7 just curious for your genuine feelings when friends act weird like this.
What is up Airy L. Couldn’t be more excited about this Saturdays fights, mostly because of just how deep the entire card is. If you had the opportunity to only watch ONE of the Main Card bouts (excluding the Main Event, Jones x Gane) which fight would you choose and why? Which is the most intriguing and must-watch?
* Shavchenko x Grasso
* Gamrot x Turner
* Neal x Rhakmonov
* Nickal x Pickett
Would love to hear what the guys have to say as well.
As a journalist, I feel like you have to interact with books/stories a lot whether that may be through reading them or writing them. Is there a book or story that has helped you a lot throughout your career? In my profession we deal with people who fail to return their books for years at a time.
Listening to you and the boys talking about who should Jake Paul, Logan Paul, KSI, fight next got me thinking. In the grand scheme of things, does anyone actually care whatsoever about who they're fighting or where they go next. These fights are basically a money printing excersise for people who are already exorbitantly wealthy. The build up is the best thing and after the fight, every single time everyone just scratches their head and thinks, what was the point in that.
Hello hello. I have a dilemma that I'd like your guys' input on. Earlier this week my wife and I were attending a small get together with a few other couples . Nothing fancy, just a small dinner gathering at a friend's home. Apparently, their doorbell was broken and they forgot to mention it. Well, after not getting any response from 3 doorbell rings with adequate time between each ring, I finally decided to knock. I gave a firm 4 knocks just once. Our longtime friend's wife/host who we don't know very well (he recently got married and moved back into town), immediately swings open the door and says in a very annoyed tone, "No need to be so aggressive." Now, my question is, what is the proper etiquette for a knock? Is it more about the strength of the knock? The number of knocks? The intervals? If it's 7 knocks, but to the playful rhythm of Skunk In The Barnyard Pee-ewww, is that more acceptable than an aggressive single or double knock? We need answers.
1.) You cite Leon’s win over Usman as reason for being better, even though Usman was winning the fight. But nobody brings up how Usman beat Leon as well. Since they are 1-1, shouldn’t we say whoever won more rounds is technically “better”?
2.) What happens to Jon Jones if he loses to Gane? Does he retire?
Regarding the recent comments about the quality of UFC cards, the 40+ event commitment to ESPN requires some “less-marketable” cards. Simultaneously, there are complaints about events being too long. Unless you think the product is currently at perfect equilibrium, how would you best solve for this?
For context, in 2022, there were 42 events with 511 fights (~12 fights per event). Putting the ESPN deal to the side momentarily, would you rather see more events with fewer fights, have fewer events with even larger cards, or substantially trim the roster?
Put on your Heelwani Promoter Hat for us if you can!
We have obviously heard (and I quite frankly 1000% agree) your stance on the Apex shows and open scoring, but I wanted to know any other potential changes or improvements you would make to the product that the UFC is offering these days! It’s getting a bit repetitive and dull at times and it seems to be missing a bit of the flair it once had - we know Dana & the UFC brass frequently watch this show so give them a few words of wisdom on how they can capture the excitement of the audience once again.
Do you agree that is difficult to see Jones vs Pavlovich or Blaydes? Their start power isn't as relevant as Cyril Gane's or Stipe, and I don't think that jones will continue fighting any longer. Will the heavyweight division get stuck again if jones wins and chooses money fights over deserving opponents?
First of all, Mrs. “Taco” is having knee surgery this morning. Would appreciate some well wishes to cheer her up this afternoon.
As for my question, I’m curious how much thought has gone into choosing m/w from 1pm-5ish pm ET as the time slot for the MMA hour. Did you choose this time because you expect to have more live viewers in your audience at this time? Do you generally focus on the North American market?
Since we are approaching Purim, I wanted to ask you if you are a fan of Hamantash? Did you ever bring some Hamantash for New York Rick, GC and rest of the team to try?
Hey Ariel,
With the MMA GOAT taking on a tough test this weekend, I wanted to get your thoughts on how you think losses affect fighters legacies. So many greats stay on way too long, for example I think Anderson would be more widely considered in the GOAT convo if he retired back in 2012. But you can also make the case that losses don’t take away from your past wins and you should get props from trying (ie Volk Islam). If Jones loses this weekend, does that damage his legacy or does it not matter?
Thanks,
Connor
Good day Heelwami,
I just want to put out a couple of qualifiers before my question. I am a fan of Chael Sonnen’s and I have been for quite a long time. I’ve always enjoyed the love-hate relationship you guys share. 99% of the time it comes across as love with a little bit of teasing, but my goodness, he was in rare form, it was honestly beginning to not be funny but rather annoying.
I guess what I want to ask is, as a loyal friend like yourself, does it ever bother you a little when DC refuses to hug you but bro hugs “RC”? Does it bug you at all when Chael is just insult mode and non stop devils advocate? Lastly, was there any thing he said before or after to indicate that he was joking? Not calling for a 10-7 just curious for your genuine feelings when friends act weird like this.
Thank you, love from Kansas City, Gilbert Hill
What is up Airy L. Couldn’t be more excited about this Saturdays fights, mostly because of just how deep the entire card is. If you had the opportunity to only watch ONE of the Main Card bouts (excluding the Main Event, Jones x Gane) which fight would you choose and why? Which is the most intriguing and must-watch?
* Shavchenko x Grasso
* Gamrot x Turner
* Neal x Rhakmonov
* Nickal x Pickett
Would love to hear what the guys have to say as well.
Hey Ariel,
As a journalist, I feel like you have to interact with books/stories a lot whether that may be through reading them or writing them. Is there a book or story that has helped you a lot throughout your career? In my profession we deal with people who fail to return their books for years at a time.
Partytime is over Joyboy.
Hey Ariel
Listening to you and the boys talking about who should Jake Paul, Logan Paul, KSI, fight next got me thinking. In the grand scheme of things, does anyone actually care whatsoever about who they're fighting or where they go next. These fights are basically a money printing excersise for people who are already exorbitantly wealthy. The build up is the best thing and after the fight, every single time everyone just scratches their head and thinks, what was the point in that.
Love the show as always
Lloyd, from Suffolk, England.
Hello hello. I have a dilemma that I'd like your guys' input on. Earlier this week my wife and I were attending a small get together with a few other couples . Nothing fancy, just a small dinner gathering at a friend's home. Apparently, their doorbell was broken and they forgot to mention it. Well, after not getting any response from 3 doorbell rings with adequate time between each ring, I finally decided to knock. I gave a firm 4 knocks just once. Our longtime friend's wife/host who we don't know very well (he recently got married and moved back into town), immediately swings open the door and says in a very annoyed tone, "No need to be so aggressive." Now, my question is, what is the proper etiquette for a knock? Is it more about the strength of the knock? The number of knocks? The intervals? If it's 7 knocks, but to the playful rhythm of Skunk In The Barnyard Pee-ewww, is that more acceptable than an aggressive single or double knock? We need answers.
Good Afternoon! 2 questions.
1.) You cite Leon’s win over Usman as reason for being better, even though Usman was winning the fight. But nobody brings up how Usman beat Leon as well. Since they are 1-1, shouldn’t we say whoever won more rounds is technically “better”?
2.) What happens to Jon Jones if he loses to Gane? Does he retire?
Hello R-E-L & Crew
Regarding the recent comments about the quality of UFC cards, the 40+ event commitment to ESPN requires some “less-marketable” cards. Simultaneously, there are complaints about events being too long. Unless you think the product is currently at perfect equilibrium, how would you best solve for this?
For context, in 2022, there were 42 events with 511 fights (~12 fights per event). Putting the ESPN deal to the side momentarily, would you rather see more events with fewer fights, have fewer events with even larger cards, or substantially trim the roster?
--
King Tyler
My Dear Friend Helwani,
Put on your Heelwani Promoter Hat for us if you can!
We have obviously heard (and I quite frankly 1000% agree) your stance on the Apex shows and open scoring, but I wanted to know any other potential changes or improvements you would make to the product that the UFC is offering these days! It’s getting a bit repetitive and dull at times and it seems to be missing a bit of the flair it once had - we know Dana & the UFC brass frequently watch this show so give them a few words of wisdom on how they can capture the excitement of the audience once again.
Viva the Parlay Pals #ICANTSPAKE
Good day Ariel and crew! Getting straight to the point with 3 quick fire questions.
1. How important is it for Garbrandt to get a victory this weekend?
2. Does Venums women's fight gear need a revision?
3. This weekends card features 6 undefeated prospects, which do you believe has the most promise for their division as it stands?
The undefeated fighters is as followes. Shavkot Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Bo Nickal, Cameron Saaiman, Farid Basharat, Esteban Robovics
Thank you for your time and love the show!
Seungwoo Choi, pause cafe acai?
Greetings from Lisbon, Portugal
Do you agree that is difficult to see Jones vs Pavlovich or Blaydes? Their start power isn't as relevant as Cyril Gane's or Stipe, and I don't think that jones will continue fighting any longer. Will the heavyweight division get stuck again if jones wins and chooses money fights over deserving opponents?
Cheers!
Nuno Cruz
Buenas tardes Ariel,
First of all, Mrs. “Taco” is having knee surgery this morning. Would appreciate some well wishes to cheer her up this afternoon.
As for my question, I’m curious how much thought has gone into choosing m/w from 1pm-5ish pm ET as the time slot for the MMA hour. Did you choose this time because you expect to have more live viewers in your audience at this time? Do you generally focus on the North American market?
Much love
Hello Mr. Helwani,
The UFC Roster Watch Twitter account shared a tweet that Darren Till was removed. Is there any word on what is in his future?
Thanks,
Logan
Shalom Ariel!
Since we are approaching Purim, I wanted to ask you if you are a fan of Hamantash? Did you ever bring some Hamantash for New York Rick, GC and rest of the team to try?
What’s up Ariel? What’s the latest with Darren Till? Is it true he’s been released from the UFC roster? Thanks for all you do! 😎 🦍