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Paddy Pimblett and Dana White sounded off on MMA journalist Ariel Helwani for how he uses fighters to create content.
White joined Pimblett on his podcast, where the two trashed The MMA Hour host. The UFC president's dislike for the Canadian journalist has long been documented. However, it was quite surprising to hear 'The Baddy's comments regarding fighters being paid for an interview. He said:
"He (Ariel Helwani) uses fighters to make money and tries to have the audacity to talk about the UFC and yourself saying they don't pay the fighters enough. Get your dough out Ariel, you know what I mean. Start paying people for these interviews...You make thousands of pounds on...You're doing it for exposure, no you're not. You're doing to put money in your pocket, Ariel, you little rodent." (16:53 - 17:25)
The UFC president chimed in and didn't mince any words with his personal views on Helwani, saying:
"He's a massive sack of s**t. He's the biggest fu***ng piece of s**t of all time and I couldn't have said it better...This dude's ego is so f***ng massive...He's one of the slimiest, scummiest motherfu****s that you will ever come across." (17:30 - 19:50)
Pimblett noted that he was upset because he felt that he was being used to drive website traffic and views that generate ad revenue for the journalist.
Check out the full interview:
When did Paddy Pimblett and Ariel Helwani beef start?
Paddy Pimblett and Ariel Helwani's fallout took place in 2021. The UFC lightweight's manager ensinuated that the MMA journalist could find the budget that his outlet would be willing to pay for the interview.
The disagreement that followed eventually led to 'The Baddy's manager posting a message on Instagram that fighters should be aware of their worth. Especially so in a world where digital content brings profit.
Since the 'The Baddy's podcast with White, many fans and journalists have weighed in, including MMA journalist Luke Thomas, who said:
"The problem with the argument that X makes money off of the fighters is that the entire MMA economy runs off of it. Promoters make money off fighters. Managers, agents, trainers. Media too. Even sponsors pay up front in the hopes that it offers returns on investment."
