Chael Sonnen drops reality check on Ariel Helwani’s UFC recession claims using gate stats: "They're now doing $2.2 and $2.3 million"

Chael Sonnen has found plenty of success in his post-fighting days as he has become one of the most popular voices in mixed martial arts media. The former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger recently aimed at Ariel Helwani's claims that the promotion is in a recession.

Red Corner MMA shared comments from Sonnen on X, where he stated:

"I retired just before [Conor] McGregor became McGregor. McGregor and I fought on the same card one time. He was the main event of the undercard. I was the main event of the entire thing. Now, I only say that because I had every record there was - all of them. And I could tell you the exact amount of pay-per-views and I could tell you the next closest thing. I could tell you the exact live gate. In fact, I will right now - 7.6 million. When I tell you that was the all-time record, I am excluding what [Georges] St-Pierre did when they did 40,000 seats in Montreal."

Sonnen continued:

"The praise and acclaim and the credit that I got for doing that - 7.6 million, it was a record. They are now doing $2.2 and $2.3 million on a Saturday show that, two years ago, would have been done with no gate at the Apex. Because for Ariel to say that’s in a recession - the exact same Saturday, the ESPN cards, the non-pay-per-view cards that used to be done with no gate at the Apex, are now drawing, each Saturday, between $1.8 and $2.3 million. They are selling out the same-sized venues that they do for pay-per-views."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Ariel Helwani below:

The UFC has faced plenty of complaints about the quality of cards, and others about its inability to create superstars. Despite that chatter, as Sonnen pointed out, the promotion is thriving from a business standpoint, as they have not struggled to draw fans to their events.

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What did Ariel Helwani say that led to Chael Sonnen's remarks?

Ariel Helwani is, arguably, the biggest voice in mixed martial arts media. During an episode of The Ariel Helwani Show last week, he claimed that the sport is in a recession, stating:

"MMA, right now, is in a recession. MMA is in a really tough spot. There is no No. 2 - Lord knows, there's no No. 3, especially not here in North America. The UFC, they'll have their big shows - once a month a pay-per-view, typically top-heavy... Their Super Bowl show, their big one of the year usually happens end of June, early July, that's International Fight Week. It's April 22 right now, they have yet to announce a main event because they don't have a main event."

Check out Ariel Helwani's full comments below:

Helwani claimed that none of the stars in the sport are in talks to fight at International Fight Week. While he acknowledged the promotion is closing in on a massive rights deal, he added that the current time is not a high-water mark for mixed martial arts.