The battle, such as it might become, between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and journalism took another step forward Monday when Ariel Helwani of the SB Nation website MMAFighting.com spoke at length on the radio in the U.S. and UFC president Dana White spoke briefly with TMZ.
The background: Helwani, covering UFC 199 in Las Vegas on Saturday night, broke two stories before the event began. First, he reported that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz were close to putting their cancelled UFC 196 bout back together for a main event slot at UFC 202. Then, he reported that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar would return from World Wrestling Entertainment for an MMA fight at UFC 200.
UFC formally announced both items during the 199 show.
Prior to the main event on Saturday, Helwani said he was pulled into a back room by UFC staff and was told by UFC president Dana White that his credentials for the night were being revoked immediately and that he would never be granted access again. The removal of Helwani looked like payback for not towing the line. Helwani reported UFC’s move against him on Twitter, where he received wide support from fans, fellow journalists and even some MMA fighters and managers.
Through Sunday, the only voice from inside the the narrative had been Helwani’s.
On Monday, TMZ wrote a six-paragraph story confirming the ban from White. TMZ also said: “A UFC rep explained the organization was upset Helwani didn’t call for comment before publishing the news.”
White told TMZ that Helwani would never receive media credential from UFC but that he would not be banned from attending shows. “He can cover all the events he wants, he just can’t have a credential,” White was quoted. Asked to clarify if that meant Helwani could buy a ticket, White said yes. He also said Helwani would never be issued a media pass “as long as I’m here.”
Postmedia reporter Daniel Austin contacted UFC for comment on the incident, but has yet to hear back. On Saturday, UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said the assertion that Helwani was removed because of the Lesnar announcement was “not wholly accurate.”
Helwani, a 33-year-old Montreal native who lives in New York, appeared Monday on The Rich Eisen Show, a syndicated radio show heard in the U.S. and online and televised on DirecTV.
Following are condensed and edited excerpts of Helwani’s interview with Eisen, which provides a fuller account of what Helwani says went on behind the scenes, and add context to the situation from his perspective:
After the interview, Eisen, who has been a professional journalist since 1990 with a star-making seven years at ESPN from 1996-2003 before his current tenure at the NFL Network and his radio show, derided UFC for continuing to be act small-time. He also wondered if there would be a meaningful result from this.
“You know what the difference is? Here’s the difference between what he’s saying with Adam Schefter — Adam Schefter’s covering a real league … What the UFC is, apparently, is it’s a company that has control of some very talented people and you, out there, want to see them. … And here’s the problem for Ariel, how many people are not going to see MacGregor-Diaz because you’re upset that Ariel Helwani’s credentials have been pulled?”
You can watch the full interview below.
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