Ariel Helwani criticizes Dana White for UFC 332 main event blunder
Dana White has come under fire from the MMA media for mixing up Natalia Silva's record with Wang Cong, with Ariel Helwani calling him out on social media.
Dana White has no shortage of detractors, and after botching an attempt at hyping up Wang Cong as a worthy UFC women's flyweight title challenger, the criticism has only worsened. Veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani took to social media to call out the UFC president for his lapse, which he believes is evidence of White no longer caring about the UFC.
Ariel Helwani calls attention to Dana White's blunder
Tomorrow's UFC 332 main event will be Natália Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant women's flyweight title. While Silva has been part of the division's championship conversation well before the matchup was ever booked, the same cannot be said for Wang, who has no wins over anyone in the 125-pound top five. So, whether Wang deserved a title shot was brought up to Dana White in a UFC 332 media day interview with MMA Fighting. In defense of Wang, White claimed that she earned the shot by beating the likes of Rose Namajunas, Jéssica Andrade, and Alexa Grasso.
The only problem is Wang has never fought any of those women, as White was confusing Wang's record for Silva's, who did beat Namajunas, Andrade, and Grasso. This caught Ariel Helwani's attention, who commented on it on social media, saying the following:
"When speaking to the media earlier today, Dana White is asked why Wang Cong is getting a title shot. Naturally, he runs down her résumé and starts listing notable wins. He says she beat Namajunas, Andrade, and Grasso. Problem is, though, she's NEVER fought ANY of those. Natália Silva, Cong's opponent, beat them."
In a second tweet, Helwani accused White of no longer caring about the UFC, which is an accusation that has followed the UFC president ever since the launch of Power Slap and, more prominently, Zuffa Boxing.
"I guess this is what happens when you don't follow your own product anymore?"
Silva is on a staggering 14-fight win streak, with 8 of those wins taking place in the UFC. Wang, by contrast, is on a four-fight win streak, and her highest-profile win is her recent UFC 329 unanimous decision over Tracy Cortez. Much of her hype, which factored into the UFC's decision to book her into a title fight, is her past unanimous decision kickboxing win over ex-women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, who only relinquished the belt after suffering a serious injury that will sideline her for a year. A rematch, though, can only happen if she emerges from UFC 332 victorious.
