Ariel Helwani

Ariel Jacob Helwani (; Hebrew: אריאל יעקב חלוואני; born July 8, 1982) is a Canadian-American sports journalist, known for his coverage of mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, and professional wrestling. He is best known for his work at MMA Fighting, but has also worked for Fox and ESPN. He has won MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards every year since 2010.

Early life and education Ariel Helwani (the surname indicates a family connection to the city of Helwan in Egypt) was born to Mizrahi Jewish parents in Montreal, Canada, as the youngest of four siblings. His father is of Syrian lineage but was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, and his mother is from Beirut, Lebanon. His father moved to Lebanon in his late teens, before he and his family moved to Montreal in 1967, while his mother and her family moved to the same Canadian city in 1973 because "it was starting to get increasingly dangerous for Jews in Lebanon". and Gad Saad, an evolutionary psychologist. Helwani is fluent in English, French, and Hebrew, and understands Spanish and Arabic.

Helwani grew up in Montreal and Westmount, Quebec, and attended the Akiva School and Herzliah High School. While there, he hosted a sports radio show on the student-run WERW and received a summer internship with NBC covering the 2004 Summer Olympics, but had to withdraw due to an ankle injury. Although he had encountered mixed martial arts (MMA) as a preteen, it was when he came across it again while attending university that he decided to pursue a career in it, knowing that his classmates and future rivals in sports journalism would not be interested in the then-fringe sport. He stated that he starting building his network by messaging every fighter he could find on Myspace. Helwani also worked for the websites MMA Rated, Versus.com (later NBCSports.com), and AOL's FanHouse. The dual audio and visual nature of the show was influenced by his love of The Howard Stern Show. He was fired from Fox in March 2016. Helwani then revealed that his position on UFC Tonight came under the condition that his paycheck had to come from the UFC's parent company, Zuffa. Calling it the biggest regret of his life, Helwani said he accepted the arrangement by viewing the money as coming from Fox and "filtered through" Zuffa. Earlier in the day, Helwani had reported that Brock Lesnar would be returning at UFC 200, hours before the UFC announced it on the 199 broadcast. UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said "professional standards dictate that journalists are to contact the UFC for comment before reporting a story", but that the scoop on Lesnar's return was not the sole reason for Helwani's removal. On an episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani detailed the incident in an emotional broadcast. He said he was brought to see Dana White, who told him he was banned for being "too negative". He later learned this decision was made by then-UFC CEO and Zuffa founder Lorenzo Fertitta. Helwani stood by his decision to report the news in a timely manner. Helwani credited the reactions from the media and fans for forcing the UFC to lift the ban. The UFC 199 incident facilitated the June 2017 formation of the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association, with interim president Dann Stupp stating "Our initial efforts in 2009 never got off the ground, but we're doing this now because it's become increasingly obvious that it's long overdue". At formation, Helwani was a member of its board of directors.

In August 2017, Helwani claimed that he was removed from the Showtime Sports broadcast team for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor press tour, hours before the first press conference in Los Angeles at the UFC's request.

ESPN With his contract with MMA Fighting set to expire in June 2018, Helwani received an offer from ESPN that February. He notified MMA Fighting, but they never offered him a new contract. He hosted Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on Twitter and YouTube, Ariel & the Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen on ESPN+, and the DC & Helwani podcast with Daniel Cormier. He also contributed to occasional ESPN broadcasts of the NBA. In June 2021, Helwani announced his departure from ESPN after failing to reach terms on a new contract.

Return to MMA Fighting & New Ventures Helwani subsequently announced his return to MMA Fighting and as host and producer of The MMA Hour, with a new twice weekly schedule. He also launched a Substack account for his written thoughts. In September 2021, he became a brand ambassador for BetMGM. After interning on the show in 2003, Helwani returned to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in July 2022, this time as an on-air correspondent.

Helwani has also worked presenting duties for CBC for both the 2024 and 2026 Olympics as well as various boxing events on DAZN and Netflix.

Personal life Helwani married Jaclyn Stein, CEO and designer at Anzie Jewelry, on October 25, 2008. They have three children, one daughter and two sons, and both became American citizens on March 8, 2022. Helwani kept kosher from seventh grade until his mid-20s, when he found it too difficult to stick to while traveling for work, but said he still uses tefillin every day. Buffalo Bills, Toronto Blue Jays, and Montreal Canadiens. He has previously supported the association football team Everton FC, but rescinded his support for the club at the end of the 2021-22 season. Helwani currently supports Nottingham Forest, and has interviewed former Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, claiming to be a "huge fan" of his.

Helwani is also a fan of darts. He has received praise from Eddie Hearn and Hearn believes that Ariel can be a catalyst for the growth and popularity of the sport in North America.

Honors and awards Helwani has won MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards every year since 2010.

Helwani has hosted two separate Helwani Nose Awards events in Chicago and Las Vegas, where current and former MMA fighters participate in a UFC trivia show for the Nose World Order belt.