Ariel Helwani Reveals Dana White Said 'I Will Do Everything in My Power ...

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Does the the new ownership does that change your relationship with the UFC and dana white and everything I hate for people that don't know i mean you take a sit through a little bit about your when you were banned in your credential taken and what it was only basically two days because of the public outcry for them to get you back in like this do these new owners you think it will change how maybe you can cover these guys I think says they are it's obviously grown into a much bigger thing and it's it's it's it's no longer this sort of mom-and-pop shop where they can kind of get away with whatever they want and so I've never met a very manual and Patrick Whitesell the co-owners of wmg but they are obviously very very very smart businessmen and I don't think that they would want to replicate that kind of bad PR not just towards me but towards anyone.
Um I am and I know the stories about area that he's a fiery individual but I mean he's very accomplished and very successful and you know a self-made guy comes from you know successful family so I i think that the sport has kind of grown up a little bit more stuff like that is not going to fly i'd love to meet them I'd love to talk to them i'd love to interview them but as as I said you know it's just been hard to you know get in front of them and they haven't been made it accessible to us i will say this though that the the PR team has changed in the last couple months and it has been a really nice surprise dating back to when I first got into anime reporting the PR team from the UFC has always been for the most part very adversarial towards the USC and they now put some people in place who have been you know we don't need to be best friends but I've never understood why you want to try to be enemies with us and if you know been courteous and professional gone out of their way to help and to really let us know that this is a new time a new regime so you know maybe the new owners deserve that credit I don't know but it's been a really nice change at least for the first couple months we'll see what happened moving forward but yet to give you the the back story what happened so i'll try to make it as short as possible year you know I becoming sports 2007 actually for the first two years that I was covering ma I was never credential they wouldn't credential need to UFC event because they always told me that I was the of too small even when i was working for verses which used to be one of their broadcast partners i was working for vs dot-com so the website of the broadcast partner and they even denied me a credential then that's how for lack of a better word petty they were towards me and for some strange reason but once I got in i developed a really good relationship with Dana way and that he was incredibly kind to me i said this before but if I never speak to dana white again you will have given me more time.
And-and-and-and been more accessible to me than any fighter that i'll come across from from now and so the end of my career he was tremendous towards me and it's hard for me to even say anything negative about it because he was really really great sure you know young journalist kind of coming up and then i started working for fox in late 2011 which was a dream come true i told my parents in 2001 that you know I want to get on TV I want to be the Howard Cosell my main here i was working for Fox and you know there were some some conflicts that came up in some issues and i had to sort of been my own beliefs because you know when i was working at the event the money was coming from the UFC the no Fox was paying the USC and I didn't feel comfortable with that and that led to some sticky situations and I was actually fired a couple times because I try to remain a very impartial neutral journalist doing my own shows and my own coverage on that may find that common that we get mad about some of the things that i was talking about and then the final hammer came down in march of last year where they just kind of let me go from Fox the UFC told Fox let me go fuck put up no fight and just said you know a two minute phone call okay we're done and and then in june i was at UFC 119 i'm skipping over a lot of stuff but I don't bore you with all this in june i was at UFC 199 inglewood california and i reported that brock lesner was in talks come back and that Conor McGregor was fighting maybe as at UFC 202 and right before the main event i was called the back data was there and he told me to get out of the building he told me that was banned for life that you know that they would do everything in their power to to ruin my career and that I wouldn't cover the US again and that was a very emotional thing and you know I went on my show that monday and i really thought that you know this is the beginning of a new chapter in my life I really thought that you know I was gonna have to figure things out and I was kind of coming at peace with all but I wanted to kind of put all the cards on the table I wanted to tell everyone what happened to me over the last five years in the ups and downs of the sticky situations i wanted no skeletons in my closet where I just told the whole story and the viewership was nuts it's crazy like every show i try to get the best possible I try to get like 60s and the one show where I didn't have any guests is our is our is our most watched show and then the best part you know for me at least what was most helpful was that people like Rich Eisen dan Patrick and Dan LeBatard and rachel nichols Scott fan tells you know incredible journalist legendary journalist broadcasters who someone whom I've never met want to back for me and and shed some light on the situation i know that UFC didn't want the world to know about this you know they wanted to remain in a little bubble as it happened in the past with other journalists and it just kind of exploded and like you said you know 48 hours later they they relented and a lot of people still like to make fun of me that I got emotional on my show I was shedding some tears.
What they don't know is that I'm an incredibly emotional person like I average a cry a day will show called this is us.
My wife and I and I'm trying like five times in episode i'm just a very easily remembered it for me like i am going over meal I I cried so much and so hey did you put it out to no man like don't you want to be Tommy tough guys all right.
Oh yeah well I am I I cry a lot and what was emotional for me wasn't that my credentials were taken away it was that I had a new baby coming and the most powerful man in the sport was telling me your career is over and I'm going to do everything in my power to ruin your career.
That's if you don't get emotional hearing that I you know I don't know what you're doing your career so that was it it wasn't because I couldn't go to use the event that would suck I would hate that but it was really because of what was half putting around me and I felt like a while I put all my eggs in baskets one sport and now because of one decision and one a rational move on their part it's over and I've seen them do this other people and so you know they they relented they gave me back the credentials.
It was a little awkward at first going back to the the first few events but now it's to me it's water under the bridge i know people are still interested in applying talking about it I get to speak to Dana about it i had he did a scrum for UFC 207 right before the Rhondda interview fight and ask them to questions and he was totally fine and that was nice and you know hopefully one day we can get back to you know just the relationship that we had up being best buds hanging out you know party but just where I can interview him and ask them questions and things like that because i think that you know it's it's it's just it's healthier for everyone involved but I i have not reached out to him he has not reached out to me and maybe one day they'll be an appropriate time to do so but I don't feel like right now is why was that the final straw for them can you explain what you do just announced that rock was in talks to fight before that they officially interested yet I i like i like i prefer the word reported right i mean no different than chef there any other you know more than I got you know you report things that you hear you find out the true if they're false then you're in big trouble but this is obviously true and I didn't know when they were going to announce that i don't know how they were going to announce it but I get a scoop like that you're you're damn sure that I'm gonna report it and I would do the exact same thing again I would not do a single thing differently but what happened was when i was working for Fox i would go on the show called UFC tonight everyone's day my role was kind of like this jay glazer tempura roll where I'd have you know five or six scoops news and notes about what's going on and it was a popular segment one of the old and then I stopped working for Fox so now I just work for my website but when i was working for Fox i would hold onto a lot of stories because i needed to get five or six stories a week for that segment where people don't understand even the people at fox and understand it it's hard to get five or six groups a week in the UFC because unlike big laser who covers the NFL he has to deal with 30 owners 30gm 30 you know head coaches hell of a lot more players there's a lot more out there i'm dealing essentially with.
One ownership right I'm dealing with one group and they love to control what goes out there they tell their fighters not to talk to the media all the managers are afraid so you're you're stopping short selling you know your firstborn son to try to get you know some of this information so now that I was free and didn't have to do that i was just reporting things when I got him and they were getting annoyed that I was beaten to the punch and you know I know so when they let me go they tried to replicate that segment and they try to just you know make up a segment where they were just you see was giving you a reporter some news that they wanted out at the appropriate time and I know as a journalist wednesday night at eight o'clock on fs1 they're going to break the news because they're going to try to tell everyone that it's all ok here you know it's business as usual so as a reporter find you know that there's news to be broken.
That is coming i'm going to try to get it of course that's my job and so they were getting annoyed that i was out scooping them and I don't think that there's anything wrong with that you know no different again then what what does for the NBA Draft you know he gets the news he puts it out there if you want to follow you don't follow but news is news and if you can get it first and they're in my opinion there's nothing wrong with that so they were getting upset and from what i was told this was kind of like though the last straw they were and as I told Dana you know this is no different than what happens in any other sport it's not like I was editorializing wasn't like I was kinda kick them you know below the belt i was being unfair you know anything like that bias that I was just reporting news brought the spirits and talk to to you know to fight at UFC 200 again as you know no different than what goes on in every other sport but they they love to control everything and they just had enough and they thought that they can get rid of me and I kind of believe that LuAnn 252 never liked me and this was kind of his you know his last his last goodbye to me before selling the company on this is his last thing and you know thankfully like I said cooler heads prevailed now is a report that they came to you and said don't put this out are they they had their PR guy Dave scholars say that you know i was i forget the term that he was that he used that I was you know on what I was doing was in journalism that it it it went game journalism and data was it was it you know it was proper journalism to come to them for some kind of confirmation before I ran a story like that which to me a shirt if you guys had a system in place where if I came to you with a question and you're actually honest in your response then I would be happy to come to you but they haven't been for example what happens is your day no one has actually come out on the record multiple times that i will like to the media is it behooves me if I need to lie i will lie.
Okay well that's important to know and so I've gone to them knowing 100-percent having it confirmed multiple sources you know a contract sign whatever and I said to them is this true and they'll say no it's not and then they'll give it to someone else will report it themselves a couple hours later and I can guarantee you I mean this is it is one thing that I'm sure about in this lifetime especially if they had this you know this big pay-per-view reveals that they're going to do i would come to them and said hey is it true that you guys are about the sign brock lesner what do you think they would have said to me in fact 24 hours prior ESPN ask them about this and Dana said no to the reporters face.
What do you think they would have said to me a couple hours before the the paper you an aspirin and then I would have been just because I would've had the the president UFC or something from the UFC Tommy known that I would have to find them so to me if someone does an interview and says Dana White said this to me Dana White did this to me he was moved to me he cut me some of that it if someone says something disparaging about someone in the UFC then as a proper journalist I think it's very important to get both sides of the story then I think that's good journalism I think that you have to always get both sides when it's that he said she said situation but if I know that someone signed a contract multiple fighters multiple sources tell me that this guy is doing this is about do that then I don't feel like I have to get it on the record from them i really don't know there's nothing in the the journalist handbook that says that and so they tried to put this out there that I was you know not being a proper journalist which any which i think there every step of the way if I'm being honest I thought they handled it wrong if they were to put out a little send an email two weeks after the event.
Hey on second thought don't bother you know applying for a credential arm you know you're not allowed here you're not welcome here anymore.
It would have been a thing I don't think it would have been as big mistake if they didn't put out the statement that they put out afterwards it would have been a thing hasn't been as biggest thing but I thought every step of the way by doing it at the arena by kicking out not only me but my videographer and photographer who did absolutely nothing wrong statement they said after all that stuff I I think it's just kept piling on piling and piling on and and and people reacted and I'll never ever forget the way you know the fans reacted had my back that was it was the most surreal 48 hours of my life for sure well I think it definitely you are already super highly respected by fighters and the fans but it it turns you into this this cult hero i remember is one of them the next press conferences our way and you stood up to ask a question like the whole place gave you a standing ovation it was insane and it really was i I couldn't believe it so that was UFC 200 and I stand up and that happens and you know I on it again.
So how do not try there man well I'm time right now I'm starting to cry as funny as a dick vermeil saying this is this is my life and so people came up to me that weekend and we're giving me hugs and so happy kiss you back one guy gameplay Carmelo Anthony I'm a big fellow fan of an extent i went to Syracuse one gimme a canal Anthony Syria choose authentic jerseys that i've been i've been holding onto this the last couple days hoping to see you in the hotel I wanted to give you this another friend gave me a box of chocolate gave me a card because it was my birthday that weekend in july i just couldn't believe how nice they were and how they had my back in the emails i'm kind of obsessive-compulsive so like I like to have box or text messages things like that and i had over 400 and and it was all just I got your back I'm gonna fight for you I'm never gonna watch the UFC again I can't believe like things like that and it was just unbelievable so yeah I mean I I honestly wish it never happened it's regretful I don't think anyone wanted it to happen that way but I just I can't believe the reception was just mind-blowing and again for someone who looks up to you know these these broadcasters to these people who I admire so much follow them consume all their media start talking about me I made my sports center debut are talking about myself and that's just insane.
I always wanted to be on Sports Center but i think i'll be talking about myself with scott then tells and even before we went on air.
She was giving me advice like I just excellent i couldn't wrap my head around that also yeah it was against your real is the best word that comes to mind I think those away that you build yourself up and you're a self-made guy in that MMA world do you need socks you needed the TV network to have a gig there are i really like being on TV it was cool you know it was it was a it was kind of validating in a way you know it's sexy it's just it's just a different ballgame you know when you're when you're online there are ton of pros because you kind of you can be your own boss there.
It's free format you can really do whatever you want and on TV you know that it's a little stricter but there's just discern different places that you can go when you're on TV that you can't when you're online you know like what you're doing the way and show in the arena you can't you can't do that when you're working for your own independent website or go backstage to interview contractor he loses today PS things like that and so when I look back on my time with Fox yeah I mean it's a bomber I'd love to be on TV I'd love to have that opportunity right now covering the UFC there's only one home it's it's just it's just fox and I actually have a very good relationship with a lot of a lot of people there wasn't their decision it was the USC told Fox to do it and you know they for whatever reason oblige but it was very freeing as well you know like i look back i met a lot of cool people it's a great experience that I feel like I became a bit of a better broadcaster there's a hell of a lot more work to do but when it was over I I was kind of happy I was I was relieved because it was it was trying at times and it was it gave me a lot of anxiety and I just I never felt like they really knew how to utilize me and I never really felt like I was being put in the best situation possible and you know their their various hypotheses that i have for that but you know it was it was it was a little training I won't lie but I would also be lying if I said that I never want to be on TV again online somewhere else because it's a lot of fun I mean I always dreamed of being on TV and you know four-and-a-half years i was living a dream so.
That's perfect segue the I know the fox TV deal was up in 2018 in the UFC says that they have multiple bidders coming out to say like a an ESPN or NBC takes up can you see working for another network and getting back in you know again I I'm really really happy with where I'm at but the great thing about my deal with the vox media right now is that I'm allowed to do TV and they were so cool i mean to act as i can just say one thing you know the the Fox relationship and it obviously on a sour note the morning that I did that that episode of my show after the banning just the CEO box media at gym bank off who oversees all of us not just you know the sports like the whole thing lives in DC was sitting in my studio and again that may be crying I mean I couldn't believe that he was just there and also the head of editorial rather than a block I Lockhart's feel they came from DC to New York to show support and I just blew me away.
And so I love working for them i really do and I'm a very loyal person but yeah I would love to still be on TV I would love to have an opportunity to be on TV heck I mean if Fox call me now i would certainly think about it I mean I i really like it it's just a fun thing to do all that to say though I'm happy where I'm at now I'm it's nice for at least a little bit to just focus on one job for a while I was ahead multiple employers and so I can focus all my energy on the website but yet again I would be lying if it's at any point someone comes to me with a an opportunity to be back on TV if I wouldn't seriously look at it you think Dana White will be I guess you the president in a five-year sonality will he still be running it wow that is great and by the way I love your questions then really really really great stuff going to watch you man what I love watching anime or four solid hours but he said you have some yes I like to like to study goes like you thank you thank you.
That is a man such a hard one you see I always try to shy away from making predictions because I feel like I'm in a position right now to like report news and some people will mistake my prediction for news so for example by city.
You know what I think Dana just has a year left and someone will go with like Ariel Helwani says Dana White has a year left and that's not what i was saying i was just kind of giving you a prediction i wouldn't be surprised if you know he's not there for you know multiple decades you know you always said the interesting thing about Dana was that he always said that as soon as the for cheetahs leave he's gone too and so I think it was important for the new ownership to have him around because he's a familiar face especially with all these changes going on and there are more to come but I will also say i don't know if they took into account the trickle-down effect and what I mean by that is now there is a number attached to Dana White we know that he earned around four hundred million dollars for the sale we know that he got this new five-year deal in the neighborhood like 15 to 18 million dollars a year and so in the past when he was young and I like and I need to take this but i'll give you an extra 50k this is that that was all well and good but now when a multi multi multi multi-millionaire and telling you these things there's going to be a little pushback oh wait you don't want to give me that you know you want to give me that raise that.
Twenty-five-thousand-dollar raised you don't want to get you know that this has happened I've heard this from fighters like how dare he tell me I'm not worth an extra fifty thousand when he's you know making this and so it's like for example when Donald sterling was forced to sell the clippers and steve ballmer took over sterling didn't stick around it's very rare to see an owner sell the company and still stick around usually new regime new era new rules announced their there's one massive you know very familiar holdover from the previous regime so this is another thing that I think that they're they're playing around with then I don't know you know there's a famous quote i think it was Marvin Hagler who said it like you know it's a lot harder to wake up in the morning when you're sleeping on satin sheets you know when you're sleeping on the floor of a gym you're going to wake up at 6am and pound the pavement but when you made it.


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