Happy Wednesday! You know the drill by now. Hit me with your best questions below. 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. That increases your chances of having the question answered.
Greetings once again from London, Ontario, Canada. My girlfriend and I are at a crossroads, and so I was hoping to get your input. Despite her best efforts, my girlfriend is a horrible storyteller. Whenever she attempts to tell a story about her day-to-day life that involves multiple people or plot points, she inevitably mixes up characters and goes on numerous tangents. This makes her stories impossible to follow. To save us both time, as soon as I recognize that a story she is telling might be too complex for her storytelling abilities, I have tried interrupting her to ask if she would be willing to simply skip to the end. Although I think this approach saves us both a significant amount of time, she generally does not seem to appreciate it. Given your substantial expertise in listening to and re-directing peoples’ stories as an interviewer, I thought I would reach out to ask: what is the best way to deal with a bad storyteller? As always, appreciate your valuable insights.
I really enjoyed your interview with shaved head Dustin on Monday. He was fired up and ready to fight someone! Out of all the names mentioned as possible opponents, I personally want to see Poirier vs Chandler since they’re both in title contention at 155 and there seems to be some legit animosity between them, plus the buildup and the fight would be incredible.
How do you think this all plays out and who is next for Dustin and when?
I have another MASSIVE confession to make! In case you don’t remember me, I’m one-half of the duo that accidentally influenced the TKO loss of our dear friend, Dan “Hangman” Hooker. The other half being yourself of course, as you promoted Dan’s $20 cameo specials on fight week, and I, of course, requested and received mine on fight night eve. But thankfully, we healed out loud together last month and it’s water under the bridge now.
HOWEVER. Last week I was at my local mall, checking out the latest studded belt collection at hot topic. On my way out, I passed the food court and guess who I saw, sitting at a table by himself enjoying a Nathan’s hot dog …. NEW YORK RIC! I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned. I debated as to whether or not to say hi before I decided to approach our dear friend Richard.
HERE’S WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING. As I approached New York Ric, I noticed something unusual in his behavior, something that really upset me personally. Ric was sitting at his table, enjoying his Nathan’s foot long with a FORK AND KNIFE! I immediately froze. What should I do? I think we might have made eye contact, after all, he’s probably not used to fans approaching him or recognizing him at all. But the very notion that someone could sit down, order America’s oldest hot dog, and then eat it with a fork and knife truly caused me to panic. I mean.. it’s why the hot dog bun was invented, Ric! So that you could enjoy your foot long without the risk of getting schmutz on your loafers. I quickly turned around and walked away, never to be seen through the eyes of Ric again.
Ariel.. please help. Am I out of line to share this with you? I must admit the guilt and shame of potentially exposing Ric’s eating habits live on air to thousands of people is a bit concerning, but we’re talking about the holy grail of hot dogs here. And what Ric did that day could be considered, dare I say, treason.
Would love your thoughts. Thanks I’ll hang up and listen.
With yesterday’s back and forth on social media between Khabib & Tony, it seems as though the idea that El Cucuy brought up on Monday’s interview of coaching opposite of Khabib in an upcoming season of TUF is at least a possibility. This spawned five questions that I’m hoping you can run through real quick.
1. On a scale of 0-100 what’s the likeliness of this actually coming into fruition?
2. If you were an upcoming fighter on the show, who’s team would you like to be drafted to?
3. What would the assistant coaches look like on both sides?
4. If you can choose the coaches challenge what would it be?
5. Would you be tuning in LIVE to watch every episode as it premiers?
Ariel, instead of reporters asking Dana “Is there anything in the works for Poirier or Nate” why don’t they ask “WHY CANT YOU GET A DEAL DONE BETWEEN TWO OF YOUR BIGGEST NAMES THAT WANT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER”. Enough with the soft ball questions to Dana! Gahleee!
Hey Ariel, at 32 I don't really put much emphasis on my birthday, so my wife surprised me with a full surprise party over the weekend with a very special surprise Cameo from none of than the man himself. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, it put me on cloud nine and was one of the best surprises I've ever received. Thank you for connecting with your fans the way that you do, I will be listening to that clip every birthday from here on.
As for my question; do you have a favorite birthday or birthday gift? Or maybe a least favorite? Something that has lived on in your memories forever?
You’ve already answered all my doubts and questions MMA related so really just need a favor.
My person and dearest friend has just celebrated his birthday. Going through changes and beautiful growth in his life, it’s only fitting he gets a special Helwani shoutout.
His name is Ali Tiger. He’s been through a lot good and bad and deserves the world. He’s the best person I know. Can we get a GOLLIE bday message to him from you.
Good day!! Re-asking part of my question that you didnt have time to answer:
Who in your opinion can sell a ppv on name value only and do good numbers??
Also, even if poirier v. Diaz were to get booked for the Dallas card, they likely wouldn't headline as their is 2 title fights, which title fight WOULD headline if both happen that is???
What’s up Ariel, I was browsing YouTube and came across a sit down conversation between Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in 2017, the two hadn’t spoke to each other in over 25 years because Magic accused Isiah of spreading rumors about his sexuality after his HIV diagnosis, they were very emotional at the end and both crying settling there differences and moving forward; Shortly after I watched the same sort of interview with Kobe and Shaq. That got me thinking what 2 athletes in MMA do you think could benefit from this sort of sit down in the future. My choice would be DC and Jon Jones. Is there any possibility of you and Dana doing this sort of thing or has that ship sailed way too far, cause he literally hates you and I’m pretty sure you share similar feelings towards him.
I'm 28 years old and have been in sales for 6 years. I trained at Luis Claudio Combat team in Chicago before moving to Milwaukee and training at Roufusport the last 2 years. In that time, I've come to the conclusion that all I want to do is represent the fighters and get them the most for themselves and their families. Negotiations are no issue for me and nothing would make me happier than going to bat for my coaches who fight, or the fighters currently on the pro team. Genuinely think it's criminal how much they sacrifice inside and outside the cage versus their financial compensation. Any advice on what steps to take to begin the journey? Should I go back to school for law like NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB agents? Any advice would be appreciated.
Ariel my friend, great to finally be a part of this community….
I want to know if after all these years of covering MMA, you still enjoy the fights as much as you did when you were a young super fan, or if most of them feel more like a work assignment.
I ask because after ten years of covering soccer, I now watch most games in work mode and can’t find nearly the same enjoyment as I did when I was a pimply teenager.
So I was watching one of Chael's videos and he was having one of his outrageous takes asking why won't Rose and Carla have an immediate rematch and you could not bring up the match as a reason.
So I came up with a question from that. If Rose were to lose to Carla a third time be it in a championship fight or a number one contenders match. Do you believe that public perception of her as a fighter would not change no matter what happens after? And do you think the UFC may intentionally avoid this matchup in the future for this reason?
Hey Ariel Great interview with Dustin, the other day. My question is: Dustin has verbally accepted the fight with Colby. In order for Colby to take the fight with Dustin wouldn't he also have to drop the lawsuit against Jorge?
Dear Ariel,
Greetings once again from London, Ontario, Canada. My girlfriend and I are at a crossroads, and so I was hoping to get your input. Despite her best efforts, my girlfriend is a horrible storyteller. Whenever she attempts to tell a story about her day-to-day life that involves multiple people or plot points, she inevitably mixes up characters and goes on numerous tangents. This makes her stories impossible to follow. To save us both time, as soon as I recognize that a story she is telling might be too complex for her storytelling abilities, I have tried interrupting her to ask if she would be willing to simply skip to the end. Although I think this approach saves us both a significant amount of time, she generally does not seem to appreciate it. Given your substantial expertise in listening to and re-directing peoples’ stories as an interviewer, I thought I would reach out to ask: what is the best way to deal with a bad storyteller? As always, appreciate your valuable insights.
Sincerely,
Adrian
Hello Ariel!
I really enjoyed your interview with shaved head Dustin on Monday. He was fired up and ready to fight someone! Out of all the names mentioned as possible opponents, I personally want to see Poirier vs Chandler since they’re both in title contention at 155 and there seems to be some legit animosity between them, plus the buildup and the fight would be incredible.
How do you think this all plays out and who is next for Dustin and when?
Ahoy, Ariel!
I have another MASSIVE confession to make! In case you don’t remember me, I’m one-half of the duo that accidentally influenced the TKO loss of our dear friend, Dan “Hangman” Hooker. The other half being yourself of course, as you promoted Dan’s $20 cameo specials on fight week, and I, of course, requested and received mine on fight night eve. But thankfully, we healed out loud together last month and it’s water under the bridge now.
HOWEVER. Last week I was at my local mall, checking out the latest studded belt collection at hot topic. On my way out, I passed the food court and guess who I saw, sitting at a table by himself enjoying a Nathan’s hot dog …. NEW YORK RIC! I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned. I debated as to whether or not to say hi before I decided to approach our dear friend Richard.
HERE’S WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING. As I approached New York Ric, I noticed something unusual in his behavior, something that really upset me personally. Ric was sitting at his table, enjoying his Nathan’s foot long with a FORK AND KNIFE! I immediately froze. What should I do? I think we might have made eye contact, after all, he’s probably not used to fans approaching him or recognizing him at all. But the very notion that someone could sit down, order America’s oldest hot dog, and then eat it with a fork and knife truly caused me to panic. I mean.. it’s why the hot dog bun was invented, Ric! So that you could enjoy your foot long without the risk of getting schmutz on your loafers. I quickly turned around and walked away, never to be seen through the eyes of Ric again.
Ariel.. please help. Am I out of line to share this with you? I must admit the guilt and shame of potentially exposing Ric’s eating habits live on air to thousands of people is a bit concerning, but we’re talking about the holy grail of hot dogs here. And what Ric did that day could be considered, dare I say, treason.
Would love your thoughts. Thanks I’ll hang up and listen.
👋 Hola Ariel!!!
With yesterday’s back and forth on social media between Khabib & Tony, it seems as though the idea that El Cucuy brought up on Monday’s interview of coaching opposite of Khabib in an upcoming season of TUF is at least a possibility. This spawned five questions that I’m hoping you can run through real quick.
1. On a scale of 0-100 what’s the likeliness of this actually coming into fruition?
2. If you were an upcoming fighter on the show, who’s team would you like to be drafted to?
3. What would the assistant coaches look like on both sides?
4. If you can choose the coaches challenge what would it be?
5. Would you be tuning in LIVE to watch every episode as it premiers?
Viva Heelwani 🦹🏻♂️
Ariel, instead of reporters asking Dana “Is there anything in the works for Poirier or Nate” why don’t they ask “WHY CANT YOU GET A DEAL DONE BETWEEN TWO OF YOUR BIGGEST NAMES THAT WANT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER”. Enough with the soft ball questions to Dana! Gahleee!
Suppppppp. Why has there been 0 movement on Jon Jones/Stipe😳😳😳😳
Hey Ariel, at 32 I don't really put much emphasis on my birthday, so my wife surprised me with a full surprise party over the weekend with a very special surprise Cameo from none of than the man himself. Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, it put me on cloud nine and was one of the best surprises I've ever received. Thank you for connecting with your fans the way that you do, I will be listening to that clip every birthday from here on.
As for my question; do you have a favorite birthday or birthday gift? Or maybe a least favorite? Something that has lived on in your memories forever?
Salam wu lakem Ariel! Cheers from Dubai:)
You’ve already answered all my doubts and questions MMA related so really just need a favor.
My person and dearest friend has just celebrated his birthday. Going through changes and beautiful growth in his life, it’s only fitting he gets a special Helwani shoutout.
His name is Ali Tiger. He’s been through a lot good and bad and deserves the world. He’s the best person I know. Can we get a GOLLIE bday message to him from you.
Also, hey Frank!
Lots of love,
Rasha
Eff Marry Kill: Dana White, Dillon Danis, Jake Shields ;)
Good day!! Re-asking part of my question that you didnt have time to answer:
Who in your opinion can sell a ppv on name value only and do good numbers??
Also, even if poirier v. Diaz were to get booked for the Dallas card, they likely wouldn't headline as their is 2 title fights, which title fight WOULD headline if both happen that is???
What’s up Ariel, I was browsing YouTube and came across a sit down conversation between Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in 2017, the two hadn’t spoke to each other in over 25 years because Magic accused Isiah of spreading rumors about his sexuality after his HIV diagnosis, they were very emotional at the end and both crying settling there differences and moving forward; Shortly after I watched the same sort of interview with Kobe and Shaq. That got me thinking what 2 athletes in MMA do you think could benefit from this sort of sit down in the future. My choice would be DC and Jon Jones. Is there any possibility of you and Dana doing this sort of thing or has that ship sailed way too far, cause he literally hates you and I’m pretty sure you share similar feelings towards him.
Greetings Nose,
I'm 28 years old and have been in sales for 6 years. I trained at Luis Claudio Combat team in Chicago before moving to Milwaukee and training at Roufusport the last 2 years. In that time, I've come to the conclusion that all I want to do is represent the fighters and get them the most for themselves and their families. Negotiations are no issue for me and nothing would make me happier than going to bat for my coaches who fight, or the fighters currently on the pro team. Genuinely think it's criminal how much they sacrifice inside and outside the cage versus their financial compensation. Any advice on what steps to take to begin the journey? Should I go back to school for law like NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB agents? Any advice would be appreciated.
Ariel my friend, great to finally be a part of this community….
I want to know if after all these years of covering MMA, you still enjoy the fights as much as you did when you were a young super fan, or if most of them feel more like a work assignment.
I ask because after ten years of covering soccer, I now watch most games in work mode and can’t find nearly the same enjoyment as I did when I was a pimply teenager.
All the best
Some questions for the whole team:
Waffles or pancakes?
Favorite sauce?
Boxers, briefs, or commando?
Hey Ariel!
So I was watching one of Chael's videos and he was having one of his outrageous takes asking why won't Rose and Carla have an immediate rematch and you could not bring up the match as a reason.
So I came up with a question from that. If Rose were to lose to Carla a third time be it in a championship fight or a number one contenders match. Do you believe that public perception of her as a fighter would not change no matter what happens after? And do you think the UFC may intentionally avoid this matchup in the future for this reason?
Thank you!
Luna
Hey Ariel Great interview with Dustin, the other day. My question is: Dustin has verbally accepted the fight with Colby. In order for Colby to take the fight with Dustin wouldn't he also have to drop the lawsuit against Jorge?