Hello and welcome to Is This Good, the show are we boldly, conclusively, and scientifically decide what things in this big wide world are good?

I'm at Austin, and with me as always is production powerhouse Jason Doyle. Hello. Hi, JD. And today's guest is an

internationally renowned sports journalist. He hosts the MMA Hour for Vox, a podcast for the Ringer. He

covers the WWE for BT Sport. He hosts boxing events for DeZone. He's a correspondent for

HBO's Real Sports. And he has a basketball podcast on Showtime Sports. No, I'm not describing

multiple people. This is all one person. Yes, it's kind of annoying. The pride of Hertzile

St. Laurent. Stay out of this, Hurts Snowden. You didn't do anything. It's the Barbara Walters of mixed martial arts. Ariel, Hualani, Ariel, welcome to Is This Good. Wow, what an intro. I love a good intro. That was a fantastic intro. Truth be told, I went to Hurt Snowden and Sinald, how about that? I was one of the very few, three years and one, two years and the other. So I got love for both. Man, we just did like a whole 10-minute, like Jewish geography thing before we went on air. You and I, both from Montreal. How rare is this? Two Montrealers living in America, living the podcast dream. I should have probably saved that for the pod. But nevertheless, great to be here with you guys. I feel like I should say,

hey, oh, or something, or guys, or so I feel like I need to say something. Or boing.

Yeah, something. Auga. Much love, much love, guys. Thank you. Yeah, it's crazy. I did not know I lived around the corner from your wife. We went on the same trip to Poland and Israel in the 11th grade. We know some people in common. And now we're on the same podcast. So this is the closest we've ever been. Even though, actually, we probably were in the same room at some point. Yeah, we're on the same bus. Like you say, we were on a trip called the March of the Living together. And either you didn't talk to me or I didn't talk to you, or maybe we did talk to each other and don't look the same. But that is a crazy thing. I think you big-time me. Yeah, that was probably it. That was probably it. All right. Well, thanks for coming on now. We're going to get to some MMA stuff in a bit. But weirdly, this is why I was so interested to have you on, Ariel.

So back in August on this show, we asked... the some MMA stuff in a bit. But weirdly, this is why I was so interested to have you on,

Ariel. So back in August on this show, we asked the question, wearing shoes in someone's

house when they're hosting a party or a dinner party, is this good? And then about a month ago,

my friend, J. E. Skeets, alerted me to a clip you posted from the MMA hour where you were discussing

the very same topic. And in this clip, you said, and I'm quoting here, if you come to my house

and you don't take off your shoes, you might as well never come back. And then you commented,

there's no way this is controversial. If you disagree, you're nuts. Well, I must look

like a goddamn cashew to you, okay, Ariel? Because I have a different opinion. Wow.

Even though we're from the same place where we grew up not wearing shoes. Now, Montreal, snowy,

slushy, sleety. Everyone knows you don't wear shoes in someone's house, right?

Right.

100%.

Okay.

...