Ariel Helwani facts for kids

Ariel Jacob Helwani (born July 8, 1982) is a Canadian-American sports journalist. He is famous for reporting on mixed martial arts (MMA) and professional wrestling. Ariel is well-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.

Early Life and Education

Ariel Helwani was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was the youngest of four children. His parents were Mizrahi Jewish, with family roots in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. His mother's family moved to Montreal in 1973. They moved because it was becoming unsafe for Jewish people in Lebanon.

Ariel has two uncles who are also notable. One uncle, David Saad, was a judo athlete. He competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. His other uncle, Gad Saad, is a well-known psychologist. Ariel can speak English, French, and Hebrew. He also understands Spanish and Arabic.

Ariel grew up in Montreal and Westmount, Quebec. He went to Akiva School and Herzliah High School. In 2004, he finished college at Syracuse University in New York. While in college, he hosted a sports radio show. He also had a chance to intern with NBC for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Ariel first learned about mixed martial arts (MMA) when he was young. He rediscovered it in college. He decided then that he wanted to be an MMA journalist. He knew that other sports journalists were not interested in this new sport. He wanted to be like the famous sports reporter Howard Cosell for MMA. Ariel says his mother taught him how to interview people. He credits his father for his strong work ethic.

Career Highlights

Ariel Helwani started his career with an internship at HBO in 2003. He then became a sports production assistant there in 2004. After working briefly at Spike TV, Ariel decided to start his own website. He launched JarryPark.com in October 2007. He built his network by reaching out to fighters on Myspace.

Ariel also worked for other sports websites. These included MMA Rated, Versus.com, and AOL's FanHouse. In 2009, he joined MMA Fighting when AOL bought it. There, he started a popular weekly show called The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani in June 2009. He hosted and produced this show. He also hosted The MMA Beat on YouTube and a radio show on Sirius XM.

From 2011, Ariel worked as an "MMA Insider" for Fox Sports 1. He appeared on their UFC Tonight show. He also helped with other UFC event programs. He left Fox in March 2016. Ariel later shared that his pay for UFC Tonight came from the UFC's parent company, Zuffa. He said he regretted this arrangement. He felt that Fox let the UFC control what he could talk about.

UFC Ban and Return

On June 4, 2016, Ariel Helwani and two of his MMA Fighting co-workers were asked to leave UFC 199. Their press passes were taken away. They were banned from all UFC events. UFC president Dana White said the ban would last "As long as I'm here."

Earlier that day, Ariel 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 before reporting a story. However, they said the Lesnar scoop was not the only reason for the ban.

Ariel talked about the incident on The MMA Hour. He said Dana White told him he was banned for being "too negative." He later learned that the former UFC CEO, Lorenzo Fertitta, made the decision. Ariel 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 Ariel. Chris Weidman even said, "This sport needs the GOAT of MMA reporting."

Two days later, on June 6, 2016, the UFC lifted the ban. They stated that they respect the media's role. They also said they had talked with SB Nation, which owns MMA Fighting. Ariel believed the support from media and fans made the UFC change its mind. This incident also helped create the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association in 2017. Ariel became a member of its board.

In August 2017, Ariel said he was removed from the Showtime broadcast team. This happened during the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor press tour. He claimed the UFC asked for him to be removed. He shared his disappointment on Twitter.

Joining ESPN

Ariel's contract with MMA Fighting was ending in June 2018. In February, he received an offer from ESPN. MMA Fighting did not offer him a new contract. Ariel 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 co-hosted the DC & Helwani podcast with Daniel Cormier. He also sometimes contributed to ESPN's NBA broadcasts. In June 2021, Ariel announced he was leaving ESPN. They could not agree on a new contract. Reports said ESPN offered him less money due to company-wide cost cuts.

Back to MMA Fighting and New Projects

After leaving ESPN, Ariel announced his return to MMA Fighting. He also came back as the 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 too.

Ariel also creates non-MMA content for his own YouTube channel. He launched a Substack account for his written articles. He explained that he does not want to be known only as "the MMA guy." He wants to be seen as one of the best interviewers in sports. In September 2021, he became a brand ambassador for BetMGM. In July 2022, Ariel returned to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel as a correspondent. He had interned there in 2003.

Yahoo Sports and Uncrowned

In August 2024, Ariel Helwani announced he was joining Yahoo Sports. He said his contracts with Spotify and MMA Fighting had ended. Even though they offered him new deals, he chose Yahoo Sports. He will be the main host for a new combat sports section called Uncrowned.

He announced a new show called The Ariel Helwani Show. It will air three times a week starting in mid-October 2024. He said one reason for this move is that he will be able to discuss more than just MMA. He will also own his own content.

Personal Life

Ariel Helwani married Jaclyn Stein on October 25, 2008. Jaclyn 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.

Ariel followed kosher dietary laws from seventh grade until his mid-20s. He found it hard to keep up with 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 after the 2021-22 season. Ariel now supports Nottingham Forest. He has even interviewed their former player Brennan Johnson.

Ariel also enjoys darts. Famous boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has praised Ariel. Hearn believes Ariel can help darts grow in popularity 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 named him one of their "Power 20." This list recognized the most important people in MMA. Ariel also won the 2014 Journalist of the Year award at the Awakening WMMA Awards.

Ariel 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. They competed for the "Nose World Order belt."

See also

In Spanish: Ariel Helwani para niños