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.
Beyond just fighters in the octagon, Helwani has had a long-running feud with Dana White. The pair have gone back and forth several times over the years, but there’s now a new chapter in the rivalry.
During a recent edition of Chatting Pony, Paddy Pimblett attacked the veteran journalist. Alongside White, who was clearly giddy with excitement, ‘The Baddy’ stated:
“I hate all these journalists, especially the ones what earn off us. Ariel Helwani, in particular, loves earning money off fighters. Every decent job he’s had, he’s been sacked from. And now he’s just a bias content creator,” Pimblett said, with the agreement of White. “He hates on you, hates on the UFC, and he even hates on me now. It proper annoys me.
He continued, “He uses fighters for clicks, uses fighters to make money, and then has the audacity to talk about the UFC and yourself, saying that they don’t pay the fighters enough. Get your dough out Ariel.”
For his part, Ariel Helwani has now hit back at those comments. On The MMA Hour, the combat sports reporter stated that he doesn’t do interviews for the money. He also hit back at Pimblett specifically, given that the lightweight recently reached out to him for an interview.
However, once Helwani contacted the Brit’s manager, he was informed he would have to pay for the interview. As a result, the reporter turned the interview down.
Ariel Helwani Responds To Paddy Pimblett:
"I ain't paying for shit!"@arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/ptJetpR0IY— No Context Ariel Helwani (@NoContextAriel) December 7, 2022
UNREAL!
Paddy Pimblett Sends a message to Ariel begging for an Interview… then asks for a Payment… @arielhelwani pic.twitter.com/7sejpsxR7T— No Context Ariel Helwani (@NoContextAriel) December 7, 2022
Ariel Helwani responds to Paddy Pimblett ahead of UFC 282
“I ain’t paying for s*it,” stated Helwani in response to Pimblett telling him to pay for guests that appear on The MMA Hour. “That’s not how this works, you don’t pay for coverage. That’s not how this works, does Joe Rogan pay his guests? Does Oprah pay her guests? Did Larry King pay his guests? No, that’s not how this works. If you’re upset about the fact that you come on this show and I get paid to do this show, I can say the same thing. ‘Oh I’m upset I have to go to your fights and you get paid more than me when you fight’.
He continued, “It’s stupid, I would never say that because that’s ridiculous. We all have a job, we all have a purpose in all of this. I don’t get a single extra dollar off of [interviews]. Pay? The moment I start paying people to come on shows, or even paying for their transportation, cut me off. Throw me in the back.”
Helwani concluded by showing a recent voice message from Pimblett asking to appear on his program. The reporter added: “They reached out to me. I didn’t reach out to them, they reached out to me. In retrospect, I think [they were thinking] ‘Hey, let’s see if Ariel will pay us for an interview’.”
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