UFC Fighter revolt? Ilia Topuria speaks, White House update, more | The Craic episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 27, 2026 · 1H 23M

UFC Fighter revolt? Ilia Topuria speaks, White House update, more | The Craic

from The Ariel Helwani Show · host Ariel Helwani

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes return as usual. First up, they take a deep dive into Zuffa Boxing’s recent $15million signing of Conor Benn and what it means for TKO’s first move into boxing (0:14). That eye-catching payday didn’t go unnoticed in the UFC. The trio explore the growing rumblings of discontent among fighters (44:51). Then, breaking news lands mid-show, as the lads react live to the announcement that Oleksandr Usyk is set to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Rico Verhoeven (53:00). From there, they get into Ilia Topuria and Jake Paul’s war of words (59:41), before discussing fighters speaking out about not wanting to compete at the UFC’s proposed White House event (1:03:20). There’s UFC action this weekend as well, with Petesy and the lads previewing Brandon Moreno vs. late-notice replacement Lone’er Kavanagh (1:12:54). They wrap things up by answering your Super Chats (1:19:06).

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes reunite to dissect the fallout from Zuffa Boxing’s shock signing of Conor Benn, examine the growing unrest within the UFC over fighter pay, and react to the breaking news of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven.

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UFC Fighter revolt? Ilia Topuria speaks, White House update, more | The Craic

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Ariel Helwani Show?

This episode is 1 hour and 23 minutes long.

When was this The Ariel Helwani Show episode published?

This episode was published on February 27, 2026.

What is this episode about?

The Craic is back! Petesy Carroll, Chuck Mindenhall, and Ben Fowlkes return as usual. First up, they take a deep dive into Zuffa Boxing’s recent $15million signing of Conor Benn and what it means for TKO’s first move into boxing (0:14). That...

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