• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Banned MMA Reporter Ariel Helwani was supposedly assaulted by Dana White Bodyguard

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

Norml

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
What lesson? Don't do your job? What a shitty view of the situation.
Click to expand...
Doing his job is fine,but one has to know when you're possibly stepping over the line. I mean if you were in the UFC crowd,would you be stupid enough to leak news that big when they already hate you?
 
L

Latvian Hitman

Member
Wait a second...unless my memory is failing me, (which is entirely possible) I could swear he said things didn't get physical on the Dan Patrick show today...

EDIT: Yep. He explicitly said to Dan Patrick today that nobody touched him (go to 3:21 if you're on mobile): https://youtu.be/C0upSQGY8HA?t=201

Norml said:
Doing his job is fine,but one has to know when you're possibly stepping over the line. I mean if you were in the UFC crowd,would you be stupid enough to leak news that big when they already hate you?
Click to expand...

Leaks come from within an organization, not from without. He didn't leak information, he reported it. Which is....what reporters are supposed to do.
 
F

Frozenprince

Banned
Norml said:
Doing his job is fine,but one has to know when you're possibly stepping over the line. I mean if you were in the UFC crowd,would you be stupid enough to leak news that big when they already hate you?
Click to expand...

His job is to get this information to the general public when he has it.

He's a reporter, his job is to report.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Norml said:
Doing his job is fine,but one has to know when you're possibly stepping over the line. I mean if you were in the UFC crowd,would you be stupid enough to leak news that big when they already hate you?
Click to expand...

What the fuck? Do you understand what journalists do?
 
S

saelz8

Member
Love Helwani. He's been covering it as long as I've been following it. The real deal.

I watched all of the MMA Hour and my heart aches now. He's a legit nice guy and doesn't deserve this.
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Maybe UFC should focus on tightening up their internal leaks if they want to control news stories. Ariel isn't the problem here but it's easier to bully than be competent.
 
A

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
Latvian Hitman said:
Wait a second...unless my memory is failing me, (which is entirely possible) I could swear he said things didn't get physical on the Dan Patrick show today...

EDIT: Yep. He explicitly said to Dan Patrick today that nobody touched him (go to 3:21 if you're on mobile): https://youtu.be/C0upSQGY8HA?t=201



Leaks come from within an organization, not from without. He didn't leak information, he reported it. Which is....what reporters are supposed to do.
Click to expand...

I haven't listened to the DP show, but he said it got physical months ago, not at 199.
 
Cardon

Cardon

Member
Latvian Hitman said:
Wait a second...unless my memory is failing me, (which is entirely possible) I could swear he said things didn't get physical on the Dan Patrick show today...

EDIT: Yep. He explicitly said to Dan Patrick today that nobody touched him.
Click to expand...

When I was watching Ariel's show today I believe he alluded to the physical event occurring at an earlier point in the year when some of the weird stuff was happening between him and the whole UFC & Fox gig.
 
B

Bggns

Member
I used to work on the MMA Hour Podcast back before he went to SBNation. Watching that last episode and watching just how devastated he was towards the end, hurts my heart. Of the many and many and many shows and streams I've worked on. He has always stood out as one of the most genuine and hard working people Ive had the pleasure of working with. Like THE fucking nicest person.

When he says he loves the sport, that doesn't even come to describe what I think he feels for it. I fully believe every single syllable of what Ariel said on his podcast, Its pretty clear that Dana White is in the wrong here.

I mean seriously, you're banning for life a person that has been one of the biggest advocates and promoters of the sport for doing his job. Thats just, man.. I can't even fathom just who swollen this dudes ego is.

My heart goes out to Ariel, I really do hope they change their minds.
 
O

Oscar

Member
I remember back in 2007-2008 watching his low production value vids on YouTube. He did go through a shitty phase when he stirred drama/beef between fighters, I remember when Nick Diaz called him out on that lol. Regardless, he was always my favorite MMA journalist. You could tell he's a genuine fan of the sport and was dedicated to this shit. Ariel is the GOAT journalist for MMA.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Bggns said:
I used to work on the MMA Hour back before he went to SBNation. Watching that last episode and watching just how devastated he was towards the end, hurts my heart. Of the many and many and many shows and streams I've worked on. He has always stood out as one of the most genuine and hard working people Ive had the pleasure of working with. Like THE fucking nicest person.

When he says he loves the sport, that doesn't even come to describe what I think he feels for it. I fully believe every single syllable of what Ariel said on his podcast, Its pretty clear that Dana White is in the wrong here.

I mean seriously, you're banning for life a person that has been one of the biggest advocates and promoters of the sport for doing his job. Thats just, man.. I can't even fathom just who swollen this dudes ego is.

My heart goes out to Ariel, I really do hope they change their minds.
Click to expand...

What Ariel does creates buzz for the UFC. Him leaking the Brock thing did absolutely nothing to take away from the UFC's announcement, if anything it heightened the anticipation for it. People were on social media debating if it was true or not. Unfortunately Dana is too stupid to see the forest for the trees.


Norml said:
I think there's a give and take to his situation and Ariel didn't give any,but did take.
Click to expand...

What in the fuck are you even talking about? What was Ariel supposed to "give"? Run his story by the UFC first? That's not how these things work.
 
A

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
Ninja Scooter said:
What Ariel does creates buzz for the UFC. Him leaking the Brock thing did absolutely nothing to take away from the UFC's announcement, if anything it heightened the anticipation for it. People were on social media debating if it was true or not. Unfortunately Dana is too stupid to see the forest for the trees.
Click to expand...

Listening to Ariel, it seems the Fertittas are the ones who hate him the most. Dana is their puppet, so he goes along.
 
L

Latvian Hitman

Member
alr1ght said:
I haven't listened to the DP show, but he said it got physical months ago, not at 199.
Click to expand...

Cardon said:
When I was watching Ariel's show today I believe he alluded to the physical event occurring at an earlier point in the year when some of the weird stuff was happening between him and the whole UFC & Fox gig.
Click to expand...

Aaaaahh. Makes much more sense. I knew something wasn't right (meaning probably me!).
 
daemissary

daemissary

Member
Norml said:
I think there's a give and take to his situation and Ariel didn't give any,but did take.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? Ariel has been reporting on MMA for years and years and years. All of that reporting is essentially free advertising for the UFC.
 
R

RecRoulette

Member
Was there something earlier today about Helwani accepting money or something? Or was that just bs. Either way, this story keeps getting insane
 
P

parrotbeak

Member
Norml said:
I think there's a give and take to his situation and Ariel didn't give any,but did take.
Click to expand...
He didn't work for the UFC. He's supposed to cover news about the sport. He owes UFC fairness in coverage, he doesn't need to ask their permission to run with a story.

I've never seen him unfairly give one perspective without trying to get other perspectives or admitting that he was only able to get one side.

Gorilla Shark said:
I will never buy another UFC PPV.

Neither should you.
Click to expand...
Yup, me too. Imagine the economic impact we'd have if all of UFC GAF stopped buying PPVs.
 
M

mujun

Member
These guys are so fucking petty. He's independent media and his job is to report whatever info he can get his hands on. That's how he makes his living. Shut down the leaks or do whatever it takes to keep your news secure. Don't take it out on a journalist.
 
L

Latvian Hitman

Member
parrotbeak said:
Yup, me too. Imagine the economic impact we'd have if all of UFC GAF stopped buying PPVs.
Click to expand...

Imagine the impact it would have if all the major media outlets banded together and refused to cover UFC 200 as a reaction to the way Ariel's been treated. Not that it would ever happen, but...
 
O

Oscar

Member
I can imagine Dana/TheFertittas going tryhard Mafioso mode with this decision.

Like, they were so butthurt about not finding out who's snitching, they thought "Okay, we'll just ruin your friend Ariel's career then, snitch" as a way to get back at the snitch. They're warning any other potential leak reporters in the process.


Cant wait for that Chinese company to buy them.
 
D

Dmented

Banned
Latvian Hitman said:
Imagine the impact it would have if all the major media outlets banded together and refused to cover UFC 200 as a reaction to the way Ariel's been treated. Not that it would ever happen, but...
Click to expand...

That would be nice but yeah, not gonna happen sadly.

Oh well, Dana and co. probably on IDGAF mode until they get bought out. They need to fuck off tbh.
 
A

adamsappel

Member
Norml said:
Doing his job is fine,but one has to know when you're possibly stepping over the line. I mean if you were in the UFC crowd,would you be stupid enough to leak news that big when they already hate you?
Click to expand...

I bet you have some interesting views about videogame journalism, too.
 
N

Norml

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
What Ariel does creates buzz for the UFC. Him leaking the Brock thing did absolutely nothing to take away from the UFC's announcement, if anything it heightened the anticipation for it. People were on social media debating if it was true or not. Unfortunately Dana is too stupid to see the forest for the trees.




What in the fuck are you even talking about? What was Ariel supposed to "give"? Run his story by the UFC first? That's not how these things work.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure he says he wishes he did that in the video.
 
A

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
Here's their statement.

Following a conversation with the editorial team at SB Nation, UFC will not prevent MMAFighting.com from receiving media credentials to cover live UFC events. We respect the role the media plays in our sport and beyond, including MMAFighting’s ability to report news. However, in our opinion, we believe the recurring tactics used by its lead reporter extended beyond the purpose of journalism. We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.

UFC’s goal as the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion is to cultivate interest in its world-class athletes and events, and deliver for the fans. We will continue to introduce this sport and its athletes to new fans across the world, and we will do so by working alongside media across all platforms.
Click to expand...

Blame Ariel.
 
S

serenewarfare

Banned
The UFC's statement still sounds like shit. They are basically admitting this was a scare tactic.

We respect the role the media plays in our sport and beyond, including MMAFighting’s ability to report news. However, in our opinion, we believe the recurring tactics used by its lead reporter extended beyond the purpose of journalism. We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.
Click to expand...
 
F

FUME5

Member
We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.

"Run all stories past us first or you'll be banned again"
 
S

serenewarfare

Banned
JK-Money said:
what was the cause for his ban exactly?
Click to expand...

He was reporting news on fights being made before UFC could announce them. And he reported that Brock was coming back. Basically he was scooping them. And before you say "that sounds really petty and not at all a realistic reason to ban someone", you should know that the guys who run the UFC are petty and unrealistic.
 
M

maxiell

Member
I think Ariel is a great guy and solid reporter.

But I really don't understand The MMA Hour. Is it really worth getting upset over the whole thing when UFC is probably months from getting sold? He'll never have to deal with these morally bereft billionaires again.
 
S

serenewarfare

Banned
NYR said:
ha, they caved because of the pressure, they looked like pure idiots on this one.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and the thing now is that he basically has free reign now to report whatever he wants. Irrelevant of what their statement says, this just proves that they can't just "get rid" of journalists they don't like. After the backlash they received here, they wouldn't dare try this shit again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

WWE and Endeavor (UFC) announce 21 billion dollar deal.
40
3K
thefool replied
MMA Reporter Ariel Helwani Says UFC Booted Him From McGregor-Mayweather Press Tour
15
2K
TheGreatMightyPoo replied
The State of Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks: A breakdown of all the Confirmed Projects, Leaks, and Rumors
Opinion News Rumor 2
84
11K
Ozriel replied
  • Locked
Awful Accouncing: UFC REPORTEDLY BANS ARIEL HELWANI FOR LIFE AFTER DOING HIS JOB
2 3
120
19K
Discotheque replied
Kotaku & Vice Collude To Trash Mortal Kombat 11 & Ronda Rousey?
Clickbait 2 3
112
11K
MagnesG replied
Top Bottom