Ariel Helwani says 'Money in the Bank' clashing with UFC 276 was a "massive blunder" on WWE's part

Ariel Helwani and Dana White (left), Vince McMahon (right) [Images courtesy of @nodqdotcom on Twitter and @UFC on Instagram]

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has said WWE have made a mistake by booking the 'Money in the Bank' pay-per-view at the same time as UFC 276. Helwani believes it was a "blunder" by the pro-wrestling promotion because it isn't one of their four major events of the year.

'Money in the Bank' is a lesser card that will expectedly lose out on viewership and ratings. This is due to UFC 276 having two title fights, including stars such as Israel Adesanya and Max Holloway. Helwani revealed that WWE originally booked the Allegiance Stadium in the same city on the same night but moved the venue to MGM Grand in Las Vegas after poor ticket sales.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Helwani was asked by a fan if he'd be splitting his time covering both the UFC and WWE on July 2. Helwani admitted that WWE made a mistake by having an event that weekend:

"Massive blunder on WWE's part. They booked the Allegiance Stadium, a bigger arena, same city, same night as UFC 276, with a lesser card. To me, Money in the Bank isn't a big four. You're gonna go up against International Fight Week? 'Izzy', Max Holloway, Volkanovski. Pretty solid card. I think it was a big blunder."

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UFC 276 is stacked with fighters from around the globe. Champions Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski represent New Zealand and Australia, respectively, while challengers Max Holloway and Jared Cannonier represent the USA. UFC prospect and fan-favorite 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley is also on the card.

Watch Ariel Helwani discuss the UFC and WWE's pay-per-view clash here:

Ariel Helwani continues campaign for open scoring in the UFC

Ariel Helwani, not afraid to speak his mind, continues to voice his desire to see open scoring in the UFC. The MMA journalist has been a regular advocate for the scoring system after multiple controversial judging decisions.

Most recently on May 22, Holly Holm lost to Ketlen Vieira via split-decision. The fight drew major controversy from MMA fans, analysts and even fighters in the UFC. Although there was an argument for Vieira to win the fight, Holm had over 10 minutes of control time and outstruck her opponent but was only given two rounds.

Official significant striking stats for Holm vs. Vieira https://t.co/5AQVmzX5vI

Helwani shared his thoughts on the need for a different judging system:

"The only reason why I advocate for the open scoring is, I feel at the very least, the fighters should know where they stand. If they're gonna get screwed, if they gonna be misjudged, at least let them know where they stand. I saw people in the weekend, it wouldn't have mattered in the Holly Holm vs. Ketlen Vieira fight because she won the fifth round. Maybe if she found out she lost the third round, she might have done something different in the fourth and fifth round."

There has been no official word from the UFC about changing the judging system to open scoring. While there are arguments for it, it isn't perfect. Crowd reactions to live scoring can sway judges' decisions and fighters knowing their lead is insurmountable can create 'boring' finishes.

Watch Ariel Helwani discuss open scoring here: