Ariel Helwani

Who is Ariel Helwani?

Ariel Helwani is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) journalist. Ariel Helwani has worked on Fox Sports and ESPN, where he covered UFC fights. He became well-known not just as a result of his excellent performance, but also as a result of the numerous controversies in which he has been involved.

He’s also been in the same position for pre-and post-event programming in the past.

He’s also been a co-host on Sirius XM’s “Fight Club” radio show.

Childhood, Early Career, and Family

Ariel Helwani was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 8, 1982.

His parents, Claude and Pina Helwani, gave birth to him.

In Canada, Claude Helwani owns the Tricots-Liesse textile company. His ancestors were Mizrahi Jews.

Mizrahi Jews are descendants of Mizrahi Jews who resided in the Middle East and North America from biblical times to the current period.

Helwani is mostly descended from the Middle Eastern Mizrahi Jewish group. His father is Egyptian, and his mother is from Lebanon.

Helwani isn’t merely a journalist who works in the fight industry. David Saad, his maternal uncle, is a well-known Judoka from Lebanon.

At the 1976 Summer Olympics, Saad competed in the men’s lightweight event. Gad Saad, a Lebanese-Canadian evolutionary psychologist, is his other maternal uncle.

He works at the John Molson School of Business, where he studies marketing and consumer behavior using evolutionary psychology.

Education

Helwani was born and raised in Mount Royal, Quebec, and Westmount, a suburb of Montreal.

He began his education at Akiva School. After that, he attended Herzliah High School.

Helwani then went to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. In 2004, he received his bachelor’s degree from the university.

Age, Height, and Weight

Ariel Helwani is 38 years old, having been born in 1978. In addition, his zodiac sign is Cancer.

And, based on what we know, persons born under this sign are brave, determined, passionate, and energetic.

In terms of his physical stature, Helwani is 5 feet 11.5 inches (181.61 cm) tall and weighs roughly 110 kilograms (242 lbs).

Ariel’s other noticeable physical characteristics include his short dark brown hair and bright light brown eyes.

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Facts of Ariel Helwani

Net Worth and Income

According to several sources, Ariel Helwani’s net worth is assumed to be $8 million. His fortune is the result of his credibility and demand as an MMA journalist.

Besides this, Ariel has not revealed his exact profit and assets.

But for now, the Journalist seems to be living a lavish and comfortable life with his family.

Professional Career

Helwani has been covering mixed martial arts since 2006. He began his career with MMA Fighting.

In May of 2018, he joined ESPN. Helwani has also worked for Fox Sports 1’s weekly UFC Tonight as an “MMA Insider.”

He’s also been in the same position for pre-and post-event programming in the past. He’s also been a co-host on Sirius XM’s “Fight Club” radio show.

He was also the host of the podcast The MMA Hour. He also had a YouTube show called MMA Beat.

Helwani is also the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association’s interim vice president. The group is widely seen as divisive.

He also has a show on ESPN called “Ariel & the Bad Guy,” which he hosts. As a co-host for the show, he collaborated alongside Chael Sonnen.

Similarly, he has continued to host his podcast and provide MMA coverage across all ESPN platforms. In the MMA reporting business, he is undoubtedly a very busy man.

Why did Ariel get fired from the UFC?

On June 4, 2016, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) kicked Helwani and his two teammates out of UFC 199 before the main fight.

Furthermore, the three of them had their press credentials seized. The three have been barred from all UFC events for the rest of their lives.

Brock Lesnar’s comeback was previously announced by Helwani at UFC 20. He had reported it hours before UFC made the announcement on air. He didn’t even think about informing the UFC first.

Dave Sholler, a spokesman for the UFC, stepped forward to declare that such reporting was against the usual procedure.

UFC President Joe Rogan stated that Helwani had been ordered not to report the news by the company.

The management suspected that a mole had informed him of the information. They have no idea who was responsible. As a result, they set out to eliminate all possible moles from the organization.

Dana White, the current president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was not pleased with the news. He stated that the suspension would not be lifted as long as he worked with UFC.

White also stated that Helwani covering the event without credentials would not be a problem for him.

Helwani then spoke forward to share his side of the tale. In an emotional broadcast on The MMA Hour on June 6, he detailed the situation.

He claimed that he was asked to see Dana White, who informed him that he had been barred due to his nasty attitude.

Helwani later discovered that the entire call was made by Lorenzo Fertitta. He then made the decision to break the news as soon as possible.

He also stated that he would continue working as an MMA journalist. Ups and downs are a part of life.

There are times when you fall into the trap and other times when you set the trap for yourself.

Nothing should bother you as long as you are determined to continue doing what you love with pride. Helwani was a firm believer in this theory.

Jon Jones, the light-heavyweight champion, expressed regret for Helwani’s suspension on Twitter, sympathizing and empathizing with him.

The UFC canceled the move on June 6. They stated that they would not prevent MMAFighting.com from receiving media credentials to cover live UFC events.

The UFC further added that they respect the role played by media in the sport and beyond. They also acknowledged the importance of reporting MMA Fighting’s ability.

But they also talked about the incident, calling it the recurring tactics used by the lead reporter extended beyond journalism’s purpose.

They concluded by saying that they feel confident about their adequately communicated position to the SB Nation editorial team.

ESPN

Helwani left MMA Fight reporting. He now works for ESPN. ESPN is the UFC’s official broadcast partner. Helwani hosts a show named Helwani’s MMA Show on Twitter and YouTube.

Similarly, he is a host for “Ariel and the Bad Guy” on ESPN +. He also hosts a Wednesday podcast.

Further, he is a part of occasional ESPN broadcasts of the NBA. UFC and ESPN shared a working relationship for quite a while.

Hence, the objectivity of Helwani and other ESPN personalities like Brett Okamoto always stays at a risky place.

Honors and Awards

Helwani might be anything but not an incapable journalist.

The man has been showing his potential and motivation to work for years now. He holds several awards and titles, which he absolutely deserves.

He was named MMA Journalist of the Year for nice subsequent years. Helwani earned the title at 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 World MMA Awards.

FIGHT! Magazine named Helwani as one of their “Power 20” in 2011. The list comprises the most significant power players, movers, shakers, ambassadors, and game-changers in MMA.

The magazine further described him as the Howard Cosell of MMA. Similarly, he won the 2014 Journalist of the Year award in the Awakening WMMA Awards at the beginning of 2015.

He has won awards and hosted two separate Helwani Nose Awards events in Chicago and Las Vegas. The event has current and former MMA fighters participating in a UFC trivia show for the Nose World Order belt.

Wife and Children

Ariel Helwani is married to Jaclyn Stein. She is a creative director for several jewelry brands, one of which is ANZIE. Helwani and Stein look ravishing together.

They were childhood friends who later fell in love. They have three children, a daughter named Claire Helwani and two sons.

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Social Media Presence

Helwani is very active on his social media handles.

His Facebook account has 108,255 followers, his Instagram account has 1 million followers and his Twitter account has 952.2K followers.