Ariel Helwani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ariel Jacob Helwani
|
|
|---|---|
Ariel Helwani in 2021
|
|
| Born | July 8, 1982 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
|
| Nationality |
|
| Occupation | Sports journalist |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jaclyn Stein Helwani |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
|
Ariel Jacob Helwani (born July 8, 1982) is a well-known sports journalist from Canada and the United States. He is famous for reporting on mixed martial arts (MMA) and professional wrestling. Helwani is best known for his work at MMA Fighting. He has also worked for big companies like Fox and ESPN. Since 2010, he has won the MMA Journalist of the Year award every year at the World MMA Awards.
Contents
Early Life and School
Ariel Helwani was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was the youngest of four children. His parents were Mizrahi Jewish and came from Egypt and Lebanon. His family moved to Montreal because it was becoming unsafe for Jewish people in Lebanon.
Helwani has two famous uncles. One is David Saad, a judo athlete who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. The other is Gad Saad, a psychologist who studies evolution. Ariel Helwani can speak English, French, and Hebrew fluently. He also understands some Spanish and Arabic.
He grew up in Montreal and Westmount, Quebec. He went to Akiva School and Herzliah High School. In 2004, Helwani finished college at Syracuse University in New York. While in college, he hosted a sports radio show. He also had a summer job offer to cover the 2004 Summer Olympics for NBC, but he couldn't go due to an injury.
Helwani first learned about mixed martial arts (MMA) when he was young. He became very interested in it during college. He decided to become a journalist for MMA because he knew other sports reporters weren't focused on it yet. He wanted to be like the famous sports reporter Howard Cosell for MMA. He says his mother taught him how to interview people. His father taught him to work hard.
Career in Sports Journalism
Ariel Helwani started his career with a job at HBO in 2003. In 2004, he became a sports production assistant there. After a short time at Spike TV, Helwani started his own website, JarryPark.com, in October 2007. He built his network by reaching out to fighters on Myspace.
Helwani also worked for other sports websites like MMA Rated and AOL's FanHouse. He began working at MMA Fighting after AOL bought it in 2009. There, he started a weekly show called The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in June 2009. He hosted and produced this show, which had both audio and video. He also hosted The MMA Beat on YouTube and co-hosted a radio show on Sirius XM.
From 2011, Helwani was an "MMA Insider" for Fox Sports 1. He appeared on their UFC Tonight show and other programs. He left Fox in March 2016. Helwani later shared that his pay for UFC Tonight came from the UFC's parent company, Zuffa. He said he regretted accepting this arrangement. He felt Fox did not support him when the UFC disagreed with his reporting.
UFC Ban and Return
On June 4, 2016, Helwani and two of his MMA Fighting co-workers were asked to leave UFC 199. Their press passes were taken away, and they were banned from all UFC events for life. UFC president Dana White said the ban would last "As long as I'm here."
Earlier that day, Helwani had reported that Brock Lesnar would return at UFC 200. This news came out hours before the UFC officially announced it. A UFC spokesperson said journalists should contact the UFC for comments before reporting a story. However, they said the Lesnar news was not the only reason for the ban.
Helwani talked about the incident on The MMA Hour. He said Dana White told him he was banned for being "too negative." He later learned the decision came from Lorenzo Fertitta, the UFC CEO at the time. Helwani stood by his choice to report the news quickly.
Many journalists and UFC fighters criticized the UFC's actions. Fighters like Jon Jones and Chris Weidman supported Helwani. Weidman said, "This sport needs the GOAT of MMA reporting."
Two days later, on June 6, 2016, the UFC removed the ban. They stated that they respected the media's role. They also said they had communicated their concerns to SB Nation, the parent company of MMA Fighting. Helwani believed the support from media and fans made the UFC lift the ban. This incident helped create the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association in June 2017. Helwani was a member of its board of directors.
In August 2017, Helwani said he was removed from the Showtime Sports team. This happened during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor press tour. He claimed the UFC asked for him to be removed.
Working at ESPN
Helwani's contract with MMA Fighting was ending in June 2018. ESPN offered him a job in February 2018. He told MMA Fighting, but they did not offer him a new contract. Helwani joined ESPN in June 2018. This was shortly after ESPN announced a big deal with the UFC.
At ESPN, he hosted Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on Twitter and YouTube. He also hosted Ariel & the Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen on ESPN+. He had a podcast called DC & Helwani with Daniel Cormier. He also appeared on ESPN's NBA broadcasts sometimes. In June 2021, Helwani announced he was leaving ESPN. They could not agree on a new contract. Reports said ESPN offered him less money as part of company-wide cost cuts.
Return to MMA Fighting and New Projects
After leaving ESPN, Helwani announced his return to MMA Fighting. He also returned as host and producer of The MMA Hour. The show now airs twice a week. He also started working for BT Sport and Spotify/The Ringer. There, he covers boxing and professional wrestling. He also creates other content for his own YouTube channel. He started a Substack account for his written articles.
Helwani explained that he wants to be seen as more than just an "MMA guy." He wants to be known as one of the best interviewers in sports. In September 2021, he became a brand ambassador for BetMGM. In July 2022, Helwani returned to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel as a correspondent. He had interned on the show in 2003.
Yahoo Sports and Uncrowned
In August 2024, Helwani announced he had finished his contracts with Spotify and MMA Fighting. He then joined Yahoo Sports. He became the main anchor for a new Combat Sports section called Uncrowned. He announced a new show, "The Ariel Helwani Show," which started airing three times a week in mid-October 2024. He said one reason for this move was to discuss more than just MMA. He also now owns his own content.
Personal Life
Ariel Helwani married Jaclyn Stein on October 25, 2008. Jaclyn Stein is the CEO and designer at Anzie Jewelry. They have three children: one daughter and two sons. Both Ariel and Jaclyn became American citizens on March 8, 2022.
Helwani followed kosher dietary laws from seventh grade until his mid-20s. He found it hard to keep kosher while traveling for work. However, he still uses tefillin every day.
He is a big fan of several sports teams. These include the New York Knicks (basketball), Buffalo Bills (American football), Toronto Blue Jays (baseball), and Montreal Canadiens (ice hockey). He used to support the soccer team Everton FC. But he stopped supporting them at the end of the 2021-22 season. Helwani now supports Nottingham Forest. He has even interviewed their former player Brennan Johnson.
Ariel Helwani also enjoys darts. Sports promoter Eddie Hearn has praised Helwani. Hearn believes Helwani can help darts grow and become more popular in North America.
Honors and Awards
Ariel Helwani has won the MMA Journalist of the Year award at the World MMA Awards every year since 2010. In 2011, Fight! Magazine listed him as one of their "Power 20." This list recognized important people in MMA. Helwani also won the 2014 Journalist of the Year award at the Awakening WMMA Awards.
Helwani has hosted two "Helwani Nose Awards" events. These events took place in Chicago and Las Vegas. Current and former MMA fighters played a UFC trivia game to win the Nose World Order belt.
See also
In Spanish: Ariel Helwani para niños
