MMA News Roundup: UFC veteran takes a side in Paddy Pimblett vs. Ariel Helwani spat, RIZIN x Bellator to counter UFC's dominance, Joe Rogan pens eulogy for Stephan Bonnar
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about a veteran fighter's take on Paddy Pimblett's beef with Ariel Helwani, Joe Rogan's heartfelt tribute to fallen fighter Stephan Bonnar, and more.
#3. Charging for interviews is "entitled sh*t," says Geoff Neal
Paddy Pimblett recently made headlines for accusing veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani of making a living out of interviewing fighters. 'The Baddy' suggested that in return, athletes should be financially compensated since members of the media are 'ripping off' their names to earn fame and money.
Veteran welterweight Geoff Neal weighed in on the matter in an interview with James Lynch.
When asked to comment on whether MMA media should pay fighters for interviews, Neal said it would be too "entitled" of the athletes to do so, given the media also helps the fighters to promote themselves:
"Why would you want to charge somebody for an interview? I don't know, like y'all [media members] help promote us in a way too. Your interviews bring us new fans. If you don't want to do an interview, don't do it, and don't charge for it. I don't know, that feels like some entitled s**t; charging for an interview. Like who the f**k are you?"
Watch Neal's comments below:
#2. RIZIN x Bellator event to be the first step towards fighting UFC's dominance in MMA
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara believes the upcoming cross-promotion event with Bellator will help contest the monopolization of MMA by the UFC.
In a promo video for the event, Sakakibara acknowledged that the UFC influenced the lion's share of the industry. He added that he expects the team-up with Scott Coker to be the first step towards balancing the equation:
"The influence the UFC has in our industry is about 80-85%. So we all have to get together and do something that they aren't doing. And build it into something that will penetrate the global market. The Japan vs. World NYE event that is finally happening. And if we're going to do this, we will have to fully commit. So it has to be between our absolute best, like the world cup of MMA"
Watch the video below and catch Sakakibara's comments from the 1:17 mark onwards:
The two promotions are pitting their top-five fighters against each other in a mega event in Japan, set to take place on New Year's Eve.
#1. Joe Rogan writes a heartfelt eulogy for Stephan Bonnar
UFC Hall-of-Famer Stephan Bonnar passed away on December 25 from presumed heart complications.
Stephan Bonnar was involved in the epic first season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is regarded as a milestone event in the history of compact sports. Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin helped catapult the UFC into the mainstream.
With that, no athlete or individual associated with the sport will ever forget Bonnar's contribution. That became evident once again as tributes poured in on social media after the veteran's passing.
Joe Rogan, who is as close to the UFC as one can get without actually fighting, penned a sincere tribute to the fallen fighter on Instagram:
"We lost a real legend. RIP to one of the most important figures in the explosion of MMA. Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin engaged in a battle on Spike TV in 2005 that was so wild, and so entertaining that it changed the course of the UFC and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts forever. You will not be forgotten."
Take a look at the post below: