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MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has been on a tear recently, taking the fight to his critics, the latest being UFC color commentator Joe Rogan.
Belal Muhammad was recently a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast, where he and Rogan spoke about Muhammad's dominant run, amongst other topics.
During the course of the lengthy conversation, Muhammad's last fight against Sean Brady was mentioned, along with Khabib Nurmagomedov's influential role in that particular training camp.
Brady's revelation on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, where the American detailed receiving death threats on his wife's Instagram account in the lead-up to UFC 280, came up during the discussion. Surprisingly, Joe Rogan took the opportunity to subtly take a jab at Helwani, suggesting that the veteran MMA reporter constantly searches for scandalous statements and sensationalism in his work.
Ariel Helwani, who is known in some quarters of the mixed martial arts community for being extremely inquisitive and instigating narratives, was guaranteed to give a rebuttal. Needless to say, he did not disappoint.
Helwani unleashed a lengthy tirade against Joe Rogan on the most recent episode of The MMA Hour, arguing that the popular podcaster has had his share of controversy in the past for being accused of propagating incorrect information through his platform:
"What does that even mean in general [that] Ariel Helwani likes people to say things or to get people to say things... And especially rich coming from the guy who was pushing false narratives, false information, fake information and all kinds of nonsense over the past... to the point where people were demanding that he get dropped from Spotify, which I never agreed with. Of course, we know what history is with Joe. He's Dana White's boy and he's of course going to have his back."
Helwani added:
"As I've detailed before, at my lowest, [Joe Rogan] spread lies about me... It's a bullsh*t comment from someone who's an interviewer... and joking or not, it's stupid."
MMA fans react to Ariel Helwani's rant against Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan and Ariel Helwani are two of the most influential voices in MMA today. Seeing the pair engage in a tussle came out of nowhere, and MMA fans felt the need to pick sides.
Several fans supported Helwani's unflinching stance on Rogan's accusations. One fan wrote:
"Damn...@arielhelwani 10-7 @joerogan. Hey @JamieVernon tell your guy if he goes after the King he best not miss. I've listened to plenty of JRE and Joe does the same damn thing #Heelwani."
Another fan stated:
"Going after Joe Rogan is pretty bold from anyone in MMA media. I'm behind the CEO, but this is not Schaub we are talking about."
Meanwhile, several supporters of Rogan have spoken up in his defense, claiming that Helwani may have gone too far with his retaliation. One fan stated:
"I like @arielhelwani. I didn't always agree but respected. Now you come after the King @joerogan saying he pushed false narratives? You don't know what you're talking about. Don't let a little criticism land you in a war you can't win, JR will never respond bc he knows his power."
Check out some of the best comments below:
