Massive weekend recap, Robert Whittaker, Johnny Walker, Stephen Thompson, Bilal Hasan, Josh Barnett in studio, Dana White as new press secretary?, news & notes
Ariel Helwani kicks off the show by catching up with The Boys in the Back and Petesy Carroll, before diving into Dana White being offered the role as press secretary by President Trump (11:56).Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson returns to the show to preview the final fight of his UFC career, talking about how he decided it was time to walk away and being the oldest active fighter on the UFC roster, and reflecting on his illustrious career (40:40).Ariel and crew break down Dana White’s press conference after the latest Zuffa Boxing card, which featured White’s report card for the promotion, the strength of their relationship with Saudi Arabia, his rivalry with Eddie Hearn, and more (58:36).They also touch on Conor McGregor’s viral BKFC press conference, in which he spoke about his own career, his feelings on the state of the UFC in 2026, and Darren Till’s win over Yoel Romero (1:34:11).Josh Barnett is back in-studio to discuss the state of MMA and potential rules changes, including advocating for longer rounds, Dana White’s position as the face of the UFC, a potential future for Bloodsport, the global MMA landscape, the passing of musician and wrestler Andy Williams, the growth of RAF, his feelings on Power Slap, and more (1:46:42).Robert Whittaker returns to talk about finally getting to fight again in Sydney, how he landed on Bogdan Guskov as an opponent, who the Australian MMA GOAT is, the other contenders at light heavyweight, and more (2:48:54).Johnny Walker joins on the heels of his big win against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, discussing his current heavyweight run, the past criticism of his chin, his prediction for the UFC 334 main event, his complicated relationship with brother Valter, and more (3:17:47).Bilal Hasan is our final guest of the day, talking about his UFC 334 bout, the honor of fighting at Madison Square Garden, wanting to avoid Josh Hokit’s trash talk at the press conference, being a fan of UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van, some of his social media posts, and more (3:44:06).Ariel then reacts to Dana White appearing alongside President Trump during a press briefing (4:07:40).After recapping the weekend’s fights, reacting to big UFC Saudi Arabia announcements, and covering other news and notes (4:15:17), Ariel closes the show with your Super Chats (4:56:22).