MMA journalism is often criticized for revolving around surface-level questions rather than addressing the deeper issues affecting the sport. Ariel Helwani, however, has long stood out as a voice unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths. Whether calling out Dana White for the UFC’s underwhelming UFC 322 main event announcement or questioning the long-term health of the sport under the promotion’s dominance, the Canadian journalist has consistently pushed the conversation forward.
That fearless approach came at a cost. In 2016, Helwani’s directness led to a very public falling out with the UFC, straining his relationship with the company for years. While he continued to appear at certain events afterward, the tension never fully eased. Now, nearly nine years later, there are signs that White may finally be open to burying the hatchet and repairing his fractured relationship with one of MMA’s most influential journalists.
Dana White vs. Ariel Helwani: A Feud That Redefined MMA Journalism
For context, Fox served as the UFC’s official broadcasting partner from 2011 to 2019, and Ariel Helwani played a key role during that era as the network’s MMA insider. His position naturally brought him closer to Dana White, but that relationship eventually soured in dramatic fashion.
Helwani was often first to break major stories, most notably Brock Lesnar’s shocking return at UFC 200 ahead of the company’s official announcement and Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202. Those scoops didn’t sit well with the promotion, and tensions boiled over at UFC 199, where the news was broken.
That night, Helwani was escorted out of the arena and told he would never again be credentialed for UFC events. The ban, however, lasted just 48 hours before being lifted, but the fallout left a lasting mark on his relationship with the company.
During an appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast Impaulsive, White was asked about claims from within the MMA community that the UFC is currently lacking superstars. White fired back, asking Paul who made those comments. When Paul revealed it was Ariel Helwani, fans braced themselves for the UFC CEO’s usual scathing remarks toward the journalist.
Instead, White surprised everyone. “How’s he doing?” he asked. Paul explained, “He’s upset that the relationship is what it is with the UFC,” referencing Helwani’s appearance on the show a month earlier. White responded simply, “Yeah?” before adding, “I’m upset about it too.”
He then left the door open for reconciliation. “Maybe we should figure this thing out. We should probably all get back together.”
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Dana White is finally ready to squash the beef with Ariel Helwani and Jake Paul 😂
(via @impaulsive) pic.twitter.com/qeRWQN3KRB
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 17, 2025
The UFC head honcho had a smile on his face, which made it difficult to tell if he was being sincere or just joking, but the moment sparked plenty of speculation among fans. And it is safe to say that the same doubt appeared in Helwani’s mind as well, who later addressed White’s comments, making it clear he doesn’t believe the UFC CEO was offering a genuine olive branch.
He said, “To me, it comes off as [White] saying, ‘Where is that guy? That dude fell off, he’s not relevant anymore. I don’t feel like anything that he said there was very sincere, I think it was 99.999 percent sarcastic.”
He elaborated further: “Usually when I’m brought up, he calls me all the names under the sun… This time, he just said what you just heard,” Helwani explained. “Is that because I’m so irrelevant to him? Maybe. Is that because he misses me? Maybe. I don’t think it’s the latter.”
It’s pretty clear Dana was being sarcastic in his convo with Logan and Mike. The only thing that stood out was that he didn’t revert to the name-calling (scumbag, lowlife, POS, etc.).
Trust me, I’m not holding out any hope of a reunion, but if there were an opportunity to shake… pic.twitter.com/Qt0zwLIk03
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 17, 2025
Whether this actually turns out to be the restart of their relationship will be interesting to see. However, Helwani’s journey in MMA media has been anything but ordinary. He launched The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in 2009, quickly establishing himself as one of the sport’s leading voices.
By 2011, his growing reputation landed him a spot with Fox Sports, where he became a weekly insider on UFC Tonight. As already mentioned, this was during the Fox era of the UFC, when the promotion first broke into mainstream sports television. And Helwani was right in the middle of it all.
Still, the damage was done with the UFC 200 debacle. While Helwani continued attending UFC cards all the way through UFC 248, the relationship between him and White was never the same. Many new fans mistakenly believe he’s been banned since UFC 199, but in reality, Helwani was present at nearly every major event afterward, including UFC 200, 201, 202, and beyond.
His absence from events in recent years has less to do with a ban and more to do with circumstance. The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by his move to ESPN, changed the landscape. Helwani himself has hinted that shady behind-the-scenes dealings in the UFC also played a role in keeping him away.
When his ESPN contract expired, he went independent, reviving The MMA Hour on YouTube and building one of the most influential platforms in combat sports media.
