Ariel Helwani News
Ariel Helwani claims Dana White and company “have a rabbit in their hat” for UFC 300
Susan Cox - January 4, 2024
Ariel Helwani is claiming that Dana White and company ‘have a rabbit in their hat’ for UFC 300. The historic UFC 300 will take place on Saturday, April 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chael Sonnen shares his side of Ariel Helwani fiasco: "His opening line to me was a lie"
Zain Bando - November 8, 2023
Chael Sonnen has responded to Ariel Helwani after the pair argued over the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou pay-per-view numbers. For context, Sonnen, the former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger came on a recent episode of “The MMA Hour” to discuss Ngannou’s near-victory against the WBC heavyweight champion, plus whether or not Ngannou was the rightful winner in the entire saga.
Ariel Helwani responds to recent criticism from former UFC champion Jamahal Hill: “I am not going anywhere”
Josh Evanoff - November 6, 2023
Longtime MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has responded to former UFC champion Jamahal Hill. Over the weekend, ‘Sweet Dreams’ put out a video slamming Ariel Helwani. The video itself took aim at the journalist’s recent interview with Chael Sonnen on The MMA Hour. ‘The Bad Guy’ got into it with him over Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, as well as the pay-per-view numbers accompanying it.
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones sounds off on "backstabbing" MMA journalist Ariel Helwani
Chris Taylor - November 4, 2023
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones had some choice words for “backstabbing” MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. Jones (27-1 MMA) was recently forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC 295 main event title fight with Stipe Miocic after suffering a torn pectoral tendon in training.
Ariel Helwani responds to recent criticism from former UFC champion Jamahal Hill: “I come here with love in my heart”
Harry Kettle - August 3, 2023
Ariel Helwani has responded to Jamahal Hill after being called out by the former UFC champion recently. Throughout the course of his career, Ariel Helwani has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. In equal measure, he’s also been the benchmark for MMA journalism in the eyes of many. He’s certainly a divisive figure and in recent years, that has also extended to the fighters themselves.
Jamahal Hill takes aim at Ariel Helwani for the “dirty, sneaky tactics that he likes to use” to get over on fighters
Susan Cox - August 2, 2023
Jamahal Hill is taking aim at Ariel Helwani for the ‘dirty, sneaky tactics that he likes to use’ to get over on fighters. Hill is making it known that he was less than thrilled about a recent conversation Ariel Helwani had with Jiří Procházka.
Bellator gets some serious props from Ariel Helwani: “There is no other promotion, outside of the UFC, that has a collection of champions like that”
Zain Bando - June 22, 2023
Ariel Helwani shares his thoughts about Bellator’s roster Long-time MMA journalist Ariel Helwani always gives credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to the sport as a whole. Last Friday showcased Bellator 297, which featured two world title fights. Bellator light heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov, took on Yoel Romero in the main event, while Sergio Pettis fought Patricio Pitbull for the bantamweight strep in the co-main.
Ariel Helwani takes aim at Dana White for his “bullsh*t way of framing” former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
Harry Kettle - May 23, 2023
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has taken a shot at Dana White for the way in which he framed Francis Ngannou’s UFC departure. It’s safe to say that the relationship between Dana White and Francis Ngannou isn’t the best right now. In fact, you could probably go a step further and claim that it’s broken for good. Following his exit from the UFC, Ngannou was slandered by White in a variety of ways – and the president kept that going during last weekend’s post-fight press conference.
Paddy Pimblett snubs idea of rekindling friendship with Ariel Helwani: "He tried to ruin my career"
Lewis Simpson - April 24, 2023
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett snubbed the idea of rekindling a relationship with mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani, stating the Canadian “tried to ruin” his career prior to his UFC 282 fight with Jared Gordon. Before his UFC 282 clash with Gordon back in December last year, Pimblett’s stock was rising significantly. The lively Scouser joined the UFC in 2021 and quickly became a mainstream name, finishing his first three opponents under the UFC’s lights.
Ariel Helwani explains why the UFC should avoid giving “deserving” Valentina Shevchenko an immediate rematch with Alexa Grasso
Zain Bando - March 8, 2023
Alexa Grasso shook up the UFC flyweight division with a fourth-round submission victory over Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 in the night’s co-main event. While the upset arguably changed the trajectory of the division, it begged the question from many fight fans about whether the March 4 title fight should be run back right away. Shevchenko was arguably ahead entering round four before the tables turned, which led to the eventual outcome. The victory earned Grasso the new and distinct title of becoming the first female Mexican-born UFC champion.
Ariel Helwani shares theory as to why Ali Abdelaziz deleted IV-related tweet suggesting he would “expose everybody”
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2023
Ariel Helwani has given his thoughts on why Ali Abdelaziz deleted his tweet in relation to recent IV allegations. While Islam Makhachev did manage to defeat Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, there’s been a bit of controversy since then. It stems from a tweet by Dan Hooker that suggests Islam illegally used an IV before the fight in order to make weight.
Ariel Helwani believes USADA’s reputation is at stake following latest accusations from Dan Hooker: “We need to figure this out”
Susan Cox - February 15, 2023
Ariel Helwani believes that USADA’s reputation is at stake following the latest accusations from Dan Hooker. It was this past weekend at UFC 284 that Dan Hooker was in attendance at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia to witness and cheer for Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) taking on Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA) for the lightweight title. The result was a unanimous decision win for Makhachev.
Ariel Helwani responds to criticism from UFC commentator Joe Rogan: “Especially rich coming from the guy who was pushing false narratives”
Susan Cox - February 2, 2023
Ariel Helwani is responding to criticism from UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The two very popular YouTube podcasters, Ariel Helwani on ‘The MMA Hour’ and Joe Rogan on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ are apparently coming to heads.
Ariel Helwani was left dissatisfied with the UFC's lack of hype on Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman 3 announcement
Lewis Simpson - January 23, 2023
Ariel Helwani was left dissatisfied with the UFC’s way of announcing the trilogy between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Following UFC Vegas 67, UFC President Dana White took to the post-fight press conference to make some massive announcements. The most surprising was the departure of Francis Ngannou. The Cameroon native was stripped from his heavyweight title and released from the company.
Ariel Helwani reacts to Dana White's New Years' Eve altercation with wife: "What are your kids going to say about you?"
Josh Evanoff - January 4, 2023
Ariel Helwani has chimed in on Dana White’s New Years’ Eve altercation with his wife. Over the weekend, the UFC president was in Cabo, Mexico, alongside his wife, Anna. In a video caught by TMZ, White was slapped by his wife in the midst of an argument. He then slapped her several times, prompting onlookers to break up the incident.
Ariel Helwani shares suggestions for next year’s 30-year anniversary UFC event
Zain Bando - December 19, 2022
Ariel Helwani teased some interesting ideas about what direction the UFC might take for its 30-year anniversary event, scheduled for Nov. 2023. The UFC has just completed its 282nd pay-per-view event Dec. 10 with 11-13 additional events to occur in 2023, inching much closer to another triple-extravaganza with UFC 300 in 2024.
Ariel Helwani hits back at Paddy Pimblett and Dana White after recent comments: "They reached out to me!"
Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2022
Ariel Helwani has responded to Paddy Pimblett and Dana White’s recent comments. The longtime host of The MMA Hour and one of the most recognizable faces in the game, the journalist is a controversial figure. While Helwani is commonly respected among several fans and media members, he’s not well-liked by several UFC fighters.
Ariel Helwani and Darren Till have heated exchange on social media: “I’m just jealous you have as many wins as Dillon Danis since 2018 mate”
Harry Kettle - June 24, 2022
Ariel Helwani and Darren Till’s relationship seems to have deteriorated based on their recent Twitter exchange. In recent years we’ve seen some amusing interactions between Ariel Helwani and Darren Till over social media, largely due to the fact that they’re both fun personalities within the mixed martial arts sphere. As we know, Helwani is the most notable journalist in the sport, whereas Till has an entertaining personality that fans enjoy regardless of whether he wins or loses.