00:01 Leon Edwards' rise in the 170 pound division 02:21 Jorge Masvidal's backstage confrontation with Leon Edwards. 06:42 Leon Edwards' journey from struggles to dominance in UFC 08:29 Colby Covington's unfair title shot and disregard for Leon Edwards 12:30 Leon Edwards dominated Colby Covington in UFC 296 14:28 The rise of Leon Edwards is a beautiful thing 18:33 Negative impact of UFC's marketing tactics 20:19 The victory was for everyone who truly loves MMA 24:04 Ariel Helwani criticizes UFC's handling of Leon Edwards and his potential fight 25:40 Belief that wins and losses should count for title shots 29:25 Colby Covington's poor performance at UFC 296. 31:15 Colby Covington's underwhelming performance at UFC 296 34:41 Colby Covington's character-building strategy and current career status 36:12 Colby Covington's approach is effective but lacks artfulness and charisma. 39:25 Mixed reactions to Colby Covington's and Patty Pimblett's recent performances 41:01 Covington's different approach in media interactions 44:21 Importance of hype and drama in MMA career 46:08 Drama unfolds between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis 49:16 Colby Covington's controversial persona and tactics 50:55 Downside of reveling in him losing 54:27 Dana White's preference for Colby Covington and the confusion surrounding it 56:11 Shavkat Rakhmonov's fighting style is misunderstood 59:18 Colby Covington calling out Wonderboy is a smart move 1:01:02 Fighter discussing potential matchups and title shots 1:04:30 Tony Ferguson's seven consecutive losses are tough. 1:06:13 Tony Ferguson's level of competition and value to UFC 1:09:31 Tenacious D's presence at UFC 296 generates buzz and interest. 1:11:09 Colby Covington may be viewed as a tool for political agendas 1:14:52 Potential for a Patty vs. Conor McGregor fight 1:16:33 Bryce Mitchell's knockout is a top contender for knockout of the year 1:20:03 The decline of respect and martial arts in MMA. 1:21:55 Ariel Helwani talks about the irony of not liking Colby's shtick but being a Tucker fan 1:25:33 Andre Fili received praise for his likable nature and emotional talk about his dog.

@brianrorke2275

5 ай бұрын

goat😊

@raghavkaushik9985

5 ай бұрын

Thank you GOAT

@anthonycalise

5 ай бұрын

Legend

@sinsemillao

5 ай бұрын

U da real MVP

@thedonofthsht76-58

5 ай бұрын

Damn that took some work I bet

" You don't get better at fighting by not fighting."- Chael Sonnen

@floatinggoose9197

5 ай бұрын

Nailed it

@billgalyean9140

5 ай бұрын

Uncle Chael knows. I like Ariel he puts it out there “as it is”

@IsaiYuno

5 ай бұрын

I don't believe in that. You get better at fighting by training and by learning how to fight. And at the elite level, only by training/sparring. That excuse is bs. So what if someone fought sooner than you did. You both didn't fight a week ago. Colby is just trash. Will never beat Leon if they fought 100 times

@jayt1202

5 ай бұрын

​@IsaiYuno You can make the argument Colby would have been better a year to 1.5 years ago. Ring rust is a thing and can play a part especially in your upper 30s. Plus he fought shot Twood and past prime Masvidal so not exactly top guys in the WW at the time.

@vipset87

5 ай бұрын

​@@IsaiYunosemantics. You're both right

I'll give it to Ariel: He's been on the Leon train since wayyyyy back when he was going nowhere fast.

@user-by6eb6zo7g

5 ай бұрын

he's still going no where fast saying this is his era but not willing to fight Bellal and others

@leighstorr9505

5 ай бұрын

​@@user-by6eb6zo7g He was destroying belal mate when they fought the first time before the eye poke, he will definitely fight belal he's next in line. Belal isn't a big draw for fans though especially because he was getting beat when they fought. He beat the 2 top welterweights that's been in the division the past 5 plus years what you on about?

@themarathoncontinues4211

5 ай бұрын

@@user-by6eb6zo7gsalty Colby fan. 0-3 in title fights, let it go.

I think the division has passed Colby by

@Hlife54

5 ай бұрын

Only way colby can come back in anyway is if he beats shavkat or maybe Belal.

@Blueicyyy

5 ай бұрын

Yeah the new generation of fighters are taking over

@saynomoredontask6077

5 ай бұрын

Yes and no He never fought a true ww ranked fighter So we didn't know his ranking He waits and fights old fighters who are out the door Rda lawler jorge had two back to back losses So he avoided belal for 15 months And now called out a 40 year old wonderboy who's coming off a loss. Nothing about belal rakhmanov or even sean

@irvinflores6284

5 ай бұрын

It’s funny how everybody that said Colby is overrated and would lose to other ranked fighters were all called casuals and now everybody knows Colby would lose and he’s kind of done.

@thunderdave7371

5 ай бұрын

That would imply he was ahead of the division at some point

Best thing Colby did was that gator roll to get out of the submission. It was pretty sick.

@draco2xx

5 ай бұрын

almost broke his neck if leon had a tighter grip

@Hlife54

5 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Azoria4

5 ай бұрын

you know you’ve done awful when your highlight is escaping a chokehold

@calvincameron354

5 ай бұрын

He's a real Florida man😂😂

@jonbonesmahomes7472

5 ай бұрын

​@@draco2xxyeah..i was thinking about that..😢

Wonderful detailed breakdown of Leon’s UFC journey 👏👏👏 thank you.

“That’s why this was a victory for everyone who truly loves MMA” ✊

@etherealentity7675

5 ай бұрын

Pure ☯️

@marioeid930

5 ай бұрын

True and a reminder, I was going for Leon and knew he would win, but he owned Colby, the Mc Gregor era really warpped the fan base of MMA, you would rarely see disrespect before and people used to truly watch for the skill. Hope Leon brings some of that back. He reminded me again thats for sure

@deepaknambisan3251

5 ай бұрын

@@marioeid930 that ship has sailed and ain't coming back. I share your hope btw 🙏🏾

19:00 this why I love Ariel. Old school MMA fans like myself remember the respect martial artists would show each other. Yes, there was beef at times, but now Conor has created a class of clowns, and it's disgusting.

@zahidzehan3046

5 ай бұрын

Ariel talks like he knows martial art...weasel cannot even spell martial art...mma is fun now....coblys character is a bit weird

@NW801

5 ай бұрын

​@zahidzehan3046 ok Conor D rider. Certain lines shouldn't be crossed and a true martial artists will let their performance speak for itself. We watched GSP and Anderson Silva because of their skills, not their trash talk.

@khall187

5 ай бұрын

You guys are missing that it's the STORY that sells. Not the skill.

@ahsanamir3491

5 ай бұрын

And never mentions the 2 fighters who are the most respectful humans forget fighters, Islam and khabib. It's either because they are Muslim or because they are managed by Ali but any of the 2 reasons it's very childish of him

@alexjost9890

5 ай бұрын

@@ahsanamir3491 i wouldn't say that given how constantly dismissive both of them are

This is so well put about Leon. I would love to hear Leons story from Leons own perspective. Fingers crossed he writes a biography one day.

@IamnotJokic

5 ай бұрын

Not really. This is a misremembering and rewriting of Leon’s journey. Nate v. Leon got matched up because Leon turned down all top contenders and Dana wanted to feed Nate to someone else. Dana was hoping that Leon brutalized Nate (similar intentions to matching him up with Khamzat) so that he could build Leon up. But what happened instead? Leon couldn’t put Nate away and instead Nate’s stock rose. Leon has always been given the opportunity to showcase his skills but he’s too measured of a fighter. It’s always a decision.

@IamnotJokic

5 ай бұрын

@jla-pr5wc no, what Khabib did in his decision wins is impressive. What Leon and Izzy tend to do is stay on the outside and point strike/counterstrike with no risk. They’re just looking to point fight.

Colby rank-squatted for years. He convinced casual fans he was better than he was, but real ones knew that none of his wins over washed Woodley, Masvidal and Lawler were meaningful. He was exposed Saturday night. Now he's trying for another easy W against washed Wonderboy smh.

@canongram6582

5 ай бұрын

was good fights against Kamaru I thought..... he just got off the sauce... not as shredded looked smaller and chubby... obv needed the micro dose EPO.. this was like chito fight against sandhagen.

@SinkMMA

5 ай бұрын

Assuming Colby would walk through Wonderboy is a pretty casual take tbh

@DannyLynch123

5 ай бұрын

Washed? Colby is more washed than Wonderboy 😅

@President_Shin

5 ай бұрын

Facts

@Ashanty02

5 ай бұрын

Leon foghtt Diaz to get his shot so cut the crap

Seeing Leon and Volk at the top. It's why I watch this sport. Hard work, skill and earning it. No short cuts, no jumping the queue. With all the spectacle of Colby and DDP/Sean in the crowd, the sport is back sliding if that continues. The years of proving this was a sport, and now they want this to sell....

@usernamehere6061

5 ай бұрын

The fighters never tried proving this was a sport. Fighters fight. Stop being a softy

@benthompson9835

5 ай бұрын

@@usernamehere6061 you entirely missed the point of this comment

@consciouslykonnected

5 ай бұрын

@ibDeman agreed 💯!!

@animateddream1035

5 ай бұрын

@benthompson9838 don't worry. He's just a troll. But you're right. I hate the energy in the UFC at the moment. It was really dirty. It didn't feel like I was watching professional competition at the time. It felt like I was watching... Idk street beefs but without the charm. Just horrible energy, man.

@mystermont2019

5 ай бұрын

There's no such thing as jumping the queue. You either challenge yourself by taking only high ranked opponents, the highest you can which in turn allows you quickly climb the ranks, or you play the long game and slowly go up the ranks by fighting mostly lower ranked opponents slowly working your way up to the higher ranked opponents. Also another factor is if you can finish a high ranked opponent.

“Seventh layer of hair” 😂😂😂

As a Jamaican, I’ll stan Leon til the wheels fall off. I understand his backstory. There are so many cases like his and he made it out.

@MaNiX_x8x_M.M.A.

5 ай бұрын

God bless Bro.. You should be extremely proud.. I know I am 💯🇯🇲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@maedchenausjamrock

5 ай бұрын

@@MaNiX_x8x_M.M.A. I’m a woman but agreed 😁

@MaNiX_x8x_M.M.A.

5 ай бұрын

@@maedchenausjamrock My apologies 😇

@gststg64849

5 ай бұрын

Leon abandoned your country and never returned. All your heroes abandoned you.

@weeeeee374

5 ай бұрын

​@@dismembathink he'd be screwed if he grew up there now.

It’s insane how many people Colby had wrapped around his finger. I hope they see him for what he really is…a sad, scared bully.

@kuryanthomas1438

5 ай бұрын

its all good, he had me too but now i think we can safely say we will never hear from colby in a main event ever again.

@ryanpaul7534

5 ай бұрын

​@@kuryanthomas1438nah Colby vs Wonderboy is a main event fight easily

@evanpeteryt

5 ай бұрын

I wouldn't say scared tbh

@chrishaswell4405

5 ай бұрын

​@@alfredosanchez76Colby is an elite specimen of a human? At what? Lol

@anthonybeltran6144

5 ай бұрын

@@ryanpaul7534 Fight night main event at best and Colby's last fight. He will join Nate, Michael, Tony and Conor in the "retire soon" list.

True Brits & true MMA fan have never booed this man. He’s an incredible martial artist & the UFC needs to start respecting the guy.

@123basedddd

5 ай бұрын

True Brits know Leon isnt a Brit

@tomsea6017

5 ай бұрын

I was about to call you out on these types of claims and true to character we got a minion make the comment about him not being British. It is not uncommon for Brits to treat thisr they don't consider "true Brits" shitty until they're at the very top. Even then, they're only celebrated if there's no other Brit these types consider "real Brits" on top because they'll hate on them still. So no, his treatment prior to being champion is very British and unfortunately no amount of rewriting these stories will wash.

@123basedddd

5 ай бұрын

@@tomsea6017 He was born in Jamaica and he's black so he's objectively not British... idk what you're on about

@tomsea6017

5 ай бұрын

@@123basedddd Imagine not knowing the difference between nationality and race. There's nothing objective about the rubbish you wrote.

@themarathoncontinues4211

5 ай бұрын

⁠@@123baseddddso what was the issue about Adesanya and usman saying Dricus isn’t a true African? You guys can’t make your mind up 💀

Don’t tell me about no one supported him, I’m from handsworth Birmingham, literally just up the road from leon and I always supported him and lots of people supported him that night, yes there were boos from Darren till fan boys but it was of an indifference I felt as nobody really knew leon. I always loved him and genuinely believed he would be up there with kamaru, I wasn’t sure if he could handle the wrestling but I hoped he would. I agree with what you said about the way mma fighters and boxers talk now, it’s sad but I love people not playing up to a character, leon is real and I’ve done Muay Thai over 27 years and respect leon so much for what he’s been through and that he hasn’t changed up, don’t get it twisted He’s a beast, but a gentleman too. I’m telling u that I really believe he will beat gsps record in title defences. He’s just getting warmed up.

@thevoice246

5 ай бұрын

B21 🔥👊🏾

@aankwenti

5 ай бұрын

Funny that. I was in Birmingham for the rematch vs Usman and struggled to find a bar to watch it. And even when we found one, there were very few people interested in it. Assumed they'd all gone off to London instead lol.

Ariel, you're absolutely spot on with this. Once again proving why you're the best MMA journalist in the game.

Leon typifies the average Brummie as far as I’m concerned: down-to-earth, hard-working, and as sound as they come. To watch his rise against all the odds, especially when you consider the love Till had from most of the UK, is wonderful to see. Also great to see Ariel once again showing how much he’s backed Rocky more than anyone else for the past 5+ years here. When no one else spoken about him, Ariel consistently gave him his due.

@Colby_0-3_IRL_and_title_fights

5 ай бұрын

Average Brummie is illiterate

@Scott0121

5 ай бұрын

@@Colby_0-3_IRL_and_title_fights Alright, big man; cheers for the input.

@gststg64849

5 ай бұрын

Average Bummie is Muslim and looks like khabib

New York Rick contradicting himself out of his original argument 2 times in 5 minutes is hilarious.

Very good video Ariel! So good how you reminded everyone the path Leon had to go through

@MrMASH50

5 ай бұрын

Well it's a lot of made up story telling but sure good job I guess.

@tomsea6017

5 ай бұрын

​@@MrMASH50There's always a person like you in KZread comment sections trying to be contrarian on positive stories about fighters like Leon. Pathetic is the best compliment I can give you.

Leon's now on a 13 fight win streak, going back over 8 years. Tied GSP for the longest win streak ever at Welterweight.

@alltimehustle3307

5 ай бұрын

Longest unbeaten streak, a no contest is not a win, but I think he smokes Belal anyway so il lowe it

If Wonderboy was smart, he would stay miles away from a Colby fight. If Wonderboy fights Colby, he would in public call Wonderboy a "pedo". Colby would say "why does Wonderboy spend so much time with kids, etc". He would ruin Wonderboy's student karate programs.

@DylnGonzo

5 ай бұрын

Colby's words are starting to lose weight. His stock went down a lot Saturday night.

@peteasarisi2536

5 ай бұрын

Yea only window licking re-re's think Tombstone teeth means what he says

@anthonybeltran6144

5 ай бұрын

Colby's only and last fight is Wonderboy and after that, he joins Tony, Nate, Michael and Conor on the "just call it quits" list.

@user-ko5to4us8e

5 ай бұрын

If you believe a word that comes out of his mouth than I’d be worried for myself. On the other hand, there’s wonder boy. I would sign my kids up asap

Thanks for verbalising so eloquently a popular opinion (among my friends) and sticking up for the nice guys! Much love for Leon

Balal is the Leon of 3 years ago. Same situation

@nme_mma

5 ай бұрын

Exactly 💯 and to see Leon treat Balal the same way now? Love Leon but he really needs to be a better champion as in fight the real top contenders. Make UFC legitimate.

@lusthateenvy

5 ай бұрын

@@nme_mma Leon had no say in who he was fighting. Dana shoved Colby down his throat and gave him no other choice.

@JPerez-cw1tb

5 ай бұрын

I think this why his nickname is "remember the name" 🤣

Maybe Leon is that good that he made him scared of ko, shut down most of the takedowns with leg kicks and changing stance .

@nawa240

5 ай бұрын

Leon is very good and Colby got scared in there and had no plan b

Leon has become one of my favourites just from his last few performances. People say a fight is boring cuz they just wanna see KO’s all the time, that’s what the prelims and undercards are for. Leon fought the perfect fight Saturday night.

@ultimatefighttalk5525

5 ай бұрын

Agree Leon is becoming better each fight. Problem is he is boring, If you like MMA you can appreciate his fight IQ but for the masses who watch for entertainment they want to see a show. Leon has had one good post fight speak and that's it. There is nothing else about him that is enticing and makes people want to back or watch him. Leon out wrestled and outworked Colby who is the biggest trash talker in the UFC and didn't take advantage. He could have said so many things to Colby after that performance and he wasted it by just saying nothing, this could have built his fan base but he wasted it. There is NO way he gets to headline UFC 300 as people just don't support him.

@sportinguista09

5 ай бұрын

1 round of the women’s fight had more strikes than 5 rounds in the main event, stop it

@Matthew-ud3yh

5 ай бұрын

I loved the fight , nothing boring ! These are elite fighters , it just take one mistake and you can lose . I love soccer to and you dont alway have a game with many goals when both teams are elite. Sometimes you take a different tactic to win .Its easy to complain about a fight when sitting on the couch and never fought a fight .

@themarathoncontinues4211

5 ай бұрын

@@ultimatefighttalk5525he’s not going to sell his soul and act out of character, that’s also fine. The other truth is when you talk a lot you can set yourself up to be the villain, ie usman and Adesanya.

@ultimatefighttalk5525

5 ай бұрын

@@themarathoncontinues4211 I didnt say he had too. My reply was to agree that he is boring and unfortunately the first part of what you said he true. He is noting going to sell.

His fans are reason why we can’t have good things as a society…

@nabil706

5 ай бұрын

Real talk‼️nearly ALL colby “fans“ switched up on him, says a lot about their character…

@aaronerickson8878

5 ай бұрын

His fans are likely taxpaying productive members of society, even though you don't like their politics.

@nazariohernandez5018

5 ай бұрын

@@nabil706people change their mind all the time tho

@standardFifa

5 ай бұрын

Colby fans are now belal/shavkat fans aha

2024 has the potential to have ground breaking cards,fights,events. Cant wait

7:32 " something in my throat" Yeh.... Leons dyck😂 Joke we love you Ariel lol

@BlueBARv5

5 ай бұрын

🤣...☠

love ariel’s passion on his free segments… rarely ever agree with him on those but he’s the goat mma reporter oat and love his interviews

What makes the UFC special is that you can speak freely in it as a fighter. Dana is doing great.

I'm really disappointed with Colby. He looked so confident during the walk out just to completely waste away his last title shot, he can no longer say he walks the walk. I can't see where he's improved since he went to MMA MASTERS

@jakaskoberne5215

5 ай бұрын

Colby looked so nervous at the walk out…

@Shooooooop

5 ай бұрын

@@jakaskoberne5215 I dunno man, to me he looked good. He’s always puffing his cheeks taking deep breaths, look at the masvidal walk out

@jakaskoberne5215

5 ай бұрын

@@Shooooooop that’s true. Either way it’s disappointing to see a fighter talking so much crap and delivering that performance. And even being so delusional after the fight that it could go either way is crazy. Leon dominated the whole fight

@jayslice4371

5 ай бұрын

I actually thought he looked like he was crying before walking out. From what I remember, his eyes were red and watery

@Shooooooop

5 ай бұрын

@@jakaskoberne5215 100% & I think that's turned a lot of fans off him, you can't talk that much during the build up to give that performance

I miss Ariel at the press conferences, he was the only one to challenge Dana. Looking into it I know Covington is a ppv draw, but after 2 losses to Usman this is the most undeserving title fight from a Rankings stand point.

Woow never thought Ariel can talk sense man. Everything was so beautifully put forth, it was an awesome episode.

Love this take from you Ariel, when you’ve often not got the respect you deserve. This is one of your best takes yet. Much respect brother

@PremiumPR_01

5 ай бұрын

He’s soft and a liar

@PremiumPR_01

5 ай бұрын

@@Ronycoolman00right like come on bro Ariel is so phony

@MrJC-pl8mf

5 ай бұрын

@@PremiumPR_01what did he say here that was wrong?

@USFCpresident

5 ай бұрын

​@MrJC-pl8mf he said UFC is the only place where rivalries go this far, while ignoring the fact he was apart of one of the worst fight promotions courtesy of Dillon Danis and Logan Paul.

I was team Colby for both Usman fights and the masvidal fight never felt more let down by a fighter

@dariusmarcu-mp1qv

5 ай бұрын

Same

@williamjktkd

5 ай бұрын

youre the problem...

@helloneighbor915

5 ай бұрын

@@williamjktkd your comment doesn't make sense

@rondoughhowell6442

5 ай бұрын

Good

It amazes me how anyone doesn’t like Ariel Helwani. Great reporter, great interviewer, great show. Treats everyone with respect. Very passionate about what he does and knows so much about ALL fighters. Keep up the great work Ariel and happy holidays!

@mattnation1290

5 ай бұрын

I like him, but he is definitely overly emotional and in his feelings everyday (felt he was about to cry talking about Leon). Which some people don’t like

@Supermoney97

5 ай бұрын

unfortunately it's become really easy to not like him, he dunks on UFC but promotes Jake Paul types. Cries about the ufc shenanigans but applauds Jake Paul when he attacked Woodley. It's a sad situation but he's extremely effected by what Dana did to him

@himalayanhealthhut6656

5 ай бұрын

He was good in this take but don’t kid yourself he has another side to him where he can go full weasel.

@AndersonSilvaMMA

5 ай бұрын

You must be new here

@desean3402

5 ай бұрын

I like him, but sometimes he does things that are slick for bait

I've been watching your videos for a while Ariel. I've never really left many comments but I did want to leave one this time because I applaud you for standing up for Leon all these years.

For months Everyone was saying Colby was gonna whip Leon .

@unclejunior2668

5 ай бұрын

and he did… Colby dominated Leon Scott 50-45.. one of Colby’s easiest fights to date…. Absolute perfection by Trumps favorite fighter and new welterweight champion of the world..

@nabil706

5 ай бұрын

@@unclejunior2668L troll

@user-by6eb6zo7g

5 ай бұрын

No they did not lol. Most were saying he's a fraud, washed up and overrated. The betting line would agree

I think Leon fighting Tom Aspinal next makes the most amount of sense

@techniquephysique

5 ай бұрын

😂😅

@deleqtronica8733

5 ай бұрын

They can be the co-main for McGregor vs Hasbulla

@deepaknambisan3251

5 ай бұрын

@@deleqtronica8733 who would your $$$ be on, ngl I am worried about the height advantage lol 😆

@kingkong4885

5 ай бұрын

Leon's physisue to much for Aspinals fat belly

@bluejay9235

5 ай бұрын

They're more likely to make that fight than give Belal a title shot! 😂

I think Colby overplayed the character, the long layoffs don’t help him either. That’s why he keeps saying political nonsense, cause he can’t let his character die, it’s the only thing keeping him in.

Ariel calling out someone else for glazing while he spends over an hour glazing Leon is crazy

Leon didn’t say he won’t fight belal, he said after that he will fight anyone

@beejj6190

5 ай бұрын

?? He's already said he feels there are better options than Belal... he certainly isn't keen.

@thialhoinj1971

5 ай бұрын

Because belal is boring​@@beejj6190

@Jaysbee1

5 ай бұрын

I think Belal deserves the next shot and Leon will gladly take it in his stride - both fighters are better now than when the NC took place and although we don't know how the fight would've played out, Leon looked very comfortable until the eye poke

I remember Ariel was campaigning for jorge to get a title shot because he assaulted Leon backstage. How is that different from UFC showing what happened between strickland and ddp lol. You’re encouraging it

Colby is just older and slower and his confidence has never been the same after the first Usman fight. Everybody remembers the last three rounds of the Usman rematch but for the first two rounds of that rematch he fought exactly the same as he did against Edwards. Back foot and scared to pull the trigger. It wasn't until Usman dropped him twice and nearly finished him that he finally felt backed into a wall enough to go for broke in a brawl. But Edwards doesn't invite that option as easily, and Colby is even older and slower now. Even in stylistic layups like edge of retirement Woodley and Masvidal Colby did not push the same pace he had against Maia, RDA, Lawler, and Usman 1. He also got kicked out of ATT which was a great gym for a fighter with Colby's style. Nothing against MMA masters but they don't have the accolades of ATT nor do they produce the kind of fighters who fight like Colby did. Colby wasn't even listening to them in his corner. The dude burned a ton of bridges professionally and personally. I hope the pay bump was worth it because he never got PPV points. He made a career out of being obnoxious and fighting over the hill guys. Ends his career without a single win over an elite WW in their prime and a 0-3 record in title fights, getting booed by the same people who cheered him on the way in. It's fitting that his fan support is as fraudulent as he is.

@maxsanders3043

5 ай бұрын

Chill out bud. He had 1 bad performance

@AshleySmyth1212

5 ай бұрын

Hyperbolic, he had one bad performance

@AshleySmyth1212

5 ай бұрын

And he is 35, not 45.

@themarathoncontinues4211

5 ай бұрын

@@maxsanders30431? He’s 0-3 in title fights. What are you saying? This guy is one of only ppl who gets credit for losing💀

@Awesomeguy614

5 ай бұрын

@@themarathoncontinues4211 The last time he beat a ranked fighter under 35 was in 2018 against RDA. One of the most overrated contenders of the last decade.

23:05 Ariel calling someone a glazer is crazy to me

Interesting how Ariel says this now but doesn't call out the absolutley vile comments from Adesanya of that someone can't be African if they're not black.

Well said, my man!

My only pushback is that Colby is 1-3 in title fights and not 0-3. If the interim championship doesn’t mean anything then we can’t consider Tom Aspinal a champ either can’t be this weird double standard

Colby was shut down physically and mentally by the far superior fighter. Joe rogans commentary was terrible.

@Notmintvr

5 ай бұрын

Lol not at all, They were meat riding Edwards hard, Colby out grappled Edwards and would of won if he used his normal pace

@jokerswild8706

5 ай бұрын

Maybe that's because everybody was hyping up the "Headshot Dead" meme and Leon didn't even drop Colby.

14:33 Old man really said "glow up" 😂

Clip where Leon was at the club, Volk behind him having a blast Sean attacks DDP, Volk behind him having a blast There were like 5 videos i saw of 296 where Volk was just popping his head up everywhere

dana disowned him so quickly lol

Why's Ariel talking like he wasn't all on Jorge's nuts when the 3 piece and a soda moment happened. Bro you slept on Leon then too

@jedibrooks7235

5 ай бұрын

Quote him, show ur receipts

I loved the press conferences..it was hilarious 😂😅😅

@nrsolja1022

5 ай бұрын

I know right. He said he loves fights with real drama. Both press conferences had real drama. They're going to fist fight. They don't need to be friendly.

A huge excuse no one has pointed out is when Colby said the stance switching threw him off... That's a huge part of Leon's game to not prepare an answer to. Not preparring for that for 18 months is a testament to how much Colby isn't at the top of the sport. Leon has been around a while, but he's at the tip of the new wave at age 32. Shavkat, Brady, Garry, Jack & Leon are the current era of UFC Welterweight MMA.

Another example of Diaz being the whole sports Daddy. He made the Jorge star & put the fuel in the Leon train & gave him his props. Nate the real Champ. Congrats Leon that's real epic story of perseverance

@BranTheBald

5 ай бұрын

Yes sir, will forever be missed

@Pooki2024

5 ай бұрын

Nate’s the champ of fk all, just a big name because he smokes weed

@etherealentity7675

5 ай бұрын

WAR DIAZZZZZZZZZZZ, Dosnt lose, he runs out of time.

God, I love this show so much! You gave this brother his just due. I love what you've said here in this particular show. You're a good man, Ariel.

@jellybaby9630

5 ай бұрын

God Bless

@jellybaby9630

5 ай бұрын

Free Palestine

@leonhughes9014

5 ай бұрын

GIVE HIM HIS FLOWERS!!! THANKYOU ARIEL

You are so right about Leon. He deserved his success the hard way and I hope he will realm for awhile. And I hope Leon watches this speech too.

Leon brought out the rasclot ONE time. It changed his whole imagine: “Ya rude boys all counted me out. Look at me now!”

Thank you Ariel, couldn’t have been said any better than that…

He did show up. Leon just neutralized him like Sean neutralized izzy. It's not that difficult to breakdown.

@canelooverrated

5 ай бұрын

Nah like Sean actually dominated and walked Izzy down and actually landed. Leon controlled the fight but didn't walk Colby down and barely landed any strikes at all.

@trentonwalker8602

5 ай бұрын

Sean dominated izzy. What a horrible comparison

@davidcastro1570

5 ай бұрын

colby didn’t fight like he usually does, that’s why we say that he didn’t show up. izzy showed up and tried but couldn’t do anything.

@gupstaa

5 ай бұрын

@@canelooverratedbro what fight were you watching?? Colby had his back against the cage for most of the fight…it was all Leon

@williamjktkd

5 ай бұрын

youre absolutely right,m style makes fight but this was a complete neutralization of someone's skills because they have fear in there heart.

A great summary of Leon… Ariel….👏🏻👏🏻👍

Some of your best stuff yet Ariel and couldn’t agree more. Leon deserves it all and more at this point.

Ariel hits the points bang on! 💪🏽🙏🏽

@PremiumPR_01

5 ай бұрын

He’s so phony 😂

McGregor did all the things you are giving Colby a hard time for and more but I have not seen you come down on him like this

@anthonybeltran6144

5 ай бұрын

Far from. Conor held a higher standard and backed it. He talked a lot but he also was a champ in two divisions. Lost it and made a comeback. Conor McGregor was accomplished and levels above what Colby Covington only tried.

@anthonywilliams3606

5 ай бұрын

Conor became a joke because of all his brutal trash talk but could no longer back it up, threatening peoples lives and commiting actual crimes outside the cage, he's 💯 worse than colby playing his cringy character while he's building the fight

@moneymay6324

5 ай бұрын

All of them are the same this is why karma knocked all of them Conor insulted khabib religion you forget about that ?

@__D-B__

5 ай бұрын

​@@moneymay6324All religions deserve to be mocked.

@eight2101

5 ай бұрын

He brought up conor and said he crossed the line. N he had said that right after the conor Khabib presser too… how about we start listening to videos properly and in full before running to comment sections

34:32 I’m pretty sure I remember Ariel thinking it was so awesome when Izzy used Undertakers theme song but what do I know🤷‍♂️

I was born in birmingham (where leon is from) and it's kinda cool to have someone from ther thats done something this good in sport... maybe other than jude Bellingham for real madrid.

I feel Colby didn’t want to take a lot of risks and potentially get beat to smithereens or knocked out after bespeaking the praises of the Donald. DT doesn’t want to be associated with losers ( even though he’s the biggest one) because he believes it reflects poorly on him. That’s why he left and didn’t give 2 %@/cks during Colby’s speech.

Ask dana if they made more money cause of colby's comment or not. He himself said the ppv buys went up 25%. Now ask dana do you prefer that or not. What u think he gonna say. Dana playing blackjack, and he's up.. respect

@lovefist86

5 ай бұрын

Dana never lies 😏

Funny thing is, Leon is doing to Belal the same thing the champs did for him. Leon wants a "super fight" 😂😂😂

Nobody would care about this fight if it wasn't for Colby.

Hat off to Ariel for this MMA HOUR MMA needs a guy like you to separate the fake Conor Mcgregors from true MMA professionals who respect the sport.

25:17 Ariel deserves so much respect by this

How one of the guys said the pace was too much for Colby was just stupid. It wasn't the pace - it was Leon's kicks, stance -switching, length and skill level compared to a non fight -fresh 'cautious' Covington.

I saw the photos of Leon in the club. And homie in the back doing a bump ❄️❄️❄️

According to Ariel everything is off limits

@MikeySkywalker

5 ай бұрын

When has he ever said that. And why are you a member of you hate the guy?

@lovefist86

5 ай бұрын

No

@alanortiz4088

5 ай бұрын

lol and he be talking the most

@kingdavid5932

5 ай бұрын

15:35 It sounds pretty reasonable to me

@Richnba1990

5 ай бұрын

Unless it's his boy Conor then he glosses over it because he doesn't want to lose that money interview.

Ariel is waay too biased against people he doesn't like (Colby, Dana).

@allgood2go

5 ай бұрын

Incorrect. He pulls up BS & nonsense.

27:52 great horse impression

You are absolutely right on everything you said about Leon and the trash talk that happens in MMA . Nice job Helwani well said bro

I think Masvidal knocked Colby out in the car park last year and now Colby doesn't trust his chin anymore, its the only real reason that explains why he was scared to engage.

@Basichomelife

5 ай бұрын

I agree I think he really may have brain damage no joke

@tenacminotauro9541

5 ай бұрын

Colby admitted Leon's constant stance switches tripped him up.

@Pooki2024

5 ай бұрын

He didn’t get knocked out. Jorge just side swiped his jaw and broke a tooth and that’s it, why do you make things up ?

@ranenekubia5351

5 ай бұрын

@@Pooki2024 he litteraly said “I was seeing stars” - have you ever been hit that hard you are seeing stars? Trust me his chin is gone…also do you know how hard you have to hit to knock a tooth out?

@Pooki2024

5 ай бұрын

@@ranenekubia5351 Jorges and colbys charge sheet and statement was released and neither of them said. “He was knocked out” or “I was knocked out” Seeing stars isn’t knocked out

If Khamzat and Leon didn’t get canceled, Leon would have never been champ. Khamzat would have eventually become champ.

@thomasyates616

5 ай бұрын

Based on what exactly!🙄

@lusthateenvy

5 ай бұрын

@@thomasyates616 based on Khamzat is a monster

@standardFifa

5 ай бұрын

L take. He couldnt even beat usman on 2 weeks notice

@lusthateenvy

5 ай бұрын

@@standardFifa hey man. he beat him. and he broke his hand in the 1st round.

12:56 "He's hardly breaking a sweat" 🤔 Leon was covered in sweat one round in. Lol. He was glistening like he jumped in a pool.

Leon didn't show as well kicked Colbys legs and didn't engage. Leon fought like a coward for someone who wanted to kill Colby for saying some mean words

@scottkidd1080

5 ай бұрын

Fought smart and got the job done, clearly you'd let Colby words affect you and play right into him.... smh lol

@ariestiger12

5 ай бұрын

One of the worst takes I've ever seen, fighting with emotion only harms your chances. He dominated Colby and only wrestled and took him down to humiliate the 'so called wrestler'. He made Colby look like a gimp who can't back up his own words and booed by the whole crowd, there's nothing sweeter than that

@IsthisMike

5 ай бұрын

Keep crying. Love it!

I understand that Leon won convincingly, but that’s a fight where the opponent wins 9 times out of 10 if they put on any volume whatsoever. He got 13 more strikes across 25 minutes of fighting, and Helwani is talking like we just saw Fury Wilder 2. Weird how his opinions on fighters are directly correlated with whether or not they will come on his show (except Danis)

@sonnycusa

5 ай бұрын

Exactly!! All of the 'casuals' don't see that!

@sonnycusa

5 ай бұрын

Exactly!! All of the 'casuals' don't see that!

@thelevelbeyondhuman

5 ай бұрын

Cope more Colby fan

@antman2960

5 ай бұрын

@@thelevelbeyondhuman I understand he lost bro. It was a humiliation, but it was far more a result of Colby’s failure than it was Leon’s success. If you land 63 significant strikes across 5 rounds, with no ground control, thats a loss almost every time.

@thomasyates616

5 ай бұрын

😂😂😂🤡🤡🤡

They can do shavkat vs usman & belal fights leon next for the title. winner of shavkat vs usman fights for the title after belal.

How i loveee lovee love Ariel Helwani he is a outstanding class act mma journalist

Absolutely the last round of conment from DC and Joe is hilarious!!!

How did Leon beat Colby if Colby never showed up?

Ariel..the voice for the voiceless ..the supporter of every underdog..Ariel's act is as tired as Colby's..your for you and you only..

Tim Duncun of the UFC is a great comp for Leon. laser focused, perfect fundamentals

Dana literally said once he made the comment, pay per views went up 25 %

@ 20:00 I agree with Ariel, after listening to Colby, I just wanted to see him getting beat by Leon, Same as Conor talking about Khabib`s dad, and he got smeshed haha

@phoenixmodellingphotography

5 ай бұрын

Eh, Khabib started it

@deepaknambisan3251

5 ай бұрын

@@phoenixmodellingphotography brudder, khabib smesh. that is all, brudder. smesh. den smesh just in case, brudder.

I love this take. I don't need the smack talk to sell me the fight.

belal vs leon would be a snoozefest but hes earned his shot

Spot on Ariel!!! Thank you for your words and using your platform wisely man.

So disrespectful to leon beats usman twice now colby and gets credit for none of them both they said looked old and didn't turn up absolute rubbish he just made colby freeze

Leon fought safe and boring and finished the fight on his back in a losing round. Far from dominant. Now we all have to watch Belal vs Leon unless the UFC lets shavkat skip ahead and give us someone who wants to finish fights. Leon has had one exciting win vs Usman. A fight he was losing until that kick. Colby was rusty and slow and was also never in danger.

The Askren fight was a very tricky fight for Msavidal... he was a huge boogemonster... lets give Jorge his props for that sensational KO

Leon Edwards strikes me as someone who has channeled his demons and a lifetimes pain into the medium of MMA