"This is what it means to be friends" - Ariel Helwani ends feud with Chael Sonnen after explosive interview fight

Just one week after making headlines with one of the most heated arguments between two MMA media members the sport has ever seen, Ariel Helwani has claimed that his saga with Chael Sonnen is now over.

The MMA Hour host appeared on the Nov. 6 episode to announce that he had squashed the beef with his former ESPN colleague. Helwani stated that he and Sonnen spoke privately after the interview and apologized to each other.

Ariel Helwani said:

"Chael and I spoke on Wednesday after the show via text and then spoke on the phone on Thursday. We're all good. He expressed his feelings [and] I expressed mine and in conclusion, as two grown men, we both expressed that we consider each other good friends... dare I say we love each other."

The reporter spent a significant amount of the beginning of his show re-discussing the episode with Chael Sonnen, saying he appreciated fan support but also felt the reaction was blown out of proportion.

Helwani continued to say:

"[Chael and I] have debated many times before. Like I said, the early days of 'Ariel and The Bad Guy' used to get pretty heated. But they never quite got to the point [that it] got on Wednesday. So I told [Chael] that I regretted that it got to that point."

Though Sonnen has not made any statement to the media confirming or denying Helwani's comments, it would appear that both men were able to leave their emotions behind them.

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What happened between Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen?

Neither Ariel Helwani nor Chael Sonnen are ever afraid to get involved in a back-and-forth debate, and both men proved their stubbornness in an intense dispute last week.

On the Nov. 1 edition of The MMA Hour, Helwani brought Sonnen onto his show to discuss the fallout of Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou, which surprisingly led to a fiery argument. The interview, which Sonnen joined virtually, ended with 'The American Gangster' angrily hanging up.

The show segment led to a diverse result of fan reactions, with some finding the conversation entertaining while others took sides.