Ariel Helwani slams "bootlicker" Michael Bisping for criticizing his journalism: "You're a slap-fighting commentator"
Ariel Helwani has offered his rebuttal to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping's criticism of him. The Englishman took aim at the former's journalistic integrity, describing him as over-eager to break news that Bisping says emerges into the public regardless.
Naturally, Helwani did not take kindly to being relegated to an overblown gossiper, least of all by Bisping. This stems from the Englishman's ire over Helwani being the one to reveal that Conor McGregor's UFC 303 bout with Michael Chandler was at risk before its cancelation was made official.
Helwani's official response came on the latest episode of his The Ringer MMA Show, which is available on Spotify.
"Hopefully, the video I posted outside at 2:30 PM would refute that 'I'm dying to be first.' I've just died to be right, to be ethical, and to maintain relationships. It's none of my business? It's quite literally my business. That's journalism. That's exactly what our job is. I know you're not trying to be some investigative journalist. You're a slap-fighting commentator."
Helwani further questions Bisping's authenticity as a slap-fighting commentator, hinting that the former UFC middleweight champion may be feigning his interest in Power Slap in return for financial compensation.
"You're a former bad boy, who became a bootlicker, who wants to stay in good standing with [Dana White]. So, you have chosen to pick a fight with me in order to curry favor with your boss, who gives you a few hundred quid to commentate and be excited about slap-fighting. To me, it's shameful, it's embarrassing, and that's why I refer to him as 'Bootlicker Bisping.'"
Check out Ariel Helwani's response to Michael Bisping (22:58):
Ariel Helwani has been in hot water before over his journalism
Unfortunately, for Ariel Helwani, he is no stranger to upsetting others with his journalism. One of the last major incidents he was a part of took place eight years ago, right before UFC 200, which featured the return of Brock Lesnar as a surprise. Only, it wasn't a surprise, as Helwani broke the news ahead of the official reveal.
This enraged Dana White enough that he blacklisted the journalist from the UFC. A rumor also circulated that Helwani's source was unethical, with White claiming it would cost several people their jobs.