Ariel Helwani trashes Dana White for Power Slap League fighter pay rhetoric - "He wipes his a** with $45k"
Ariel Helwani and Dana White's sour relationship has been well documented in the media.
Things took a turn for the ugly at UFC 199, when Helwani let slip that Brock Lesnar was making his octagon return for the company's 200th numbered event. In response, Dana White got Ariel Helwani's credentials revoked for UFC events.
Ever since, neither side has had kind words to say about one another. Helwani has been launching verbal barrages at Dana White's Power Slap League right from its inception. In the latest, on The MMA Hour, the veteran MMA journalist called the sport "slap-cr*p" and "nonsense".
Here's what Ariel Helwani said:
"They're trying so hard to make this [Power Slap League] seem like a success, make it seem important. They're on some app that I've never heard about and probably would juice numbers. This is like, someone with a spoon just being like, 'Take it!' Well, we don't want it. I don't want to see this in my timeline anymore. I don't want to see it, I'm tired of it. I don't want to see guys who look like they came off the streets slapping each other."
Helwani continued his rant, taking shots at Dana White:
"One [thing] was, he did the classic, 'Thank you to the media for making this such a success.' I mean, if keeping 1/5th of the AEW audience and hovering around the Mendosa line on the viewership - if that's a success to you, and you know it ain't, then okay, you're welcome. But it ain't a success. He looks to the side, he's like, 'How much did the top guy make? 45k? This guy's making big money, he's making 45k to get his f*****g brains slapped out of his head.' Oh, that's big money? I mean, he wipes his a** with 45k."
Catch Helwani's full comments in the video below:
White's Power Slap League has received a lot of criticism from fans and MMA personalities alike. While the sport itself has received flak for its nature and rule-set, the organization has also been accused of faking social media engagement.
When Dana White and Paddy Pimblett trashed Ariel Helwani
Prior to UFC 282, Paddy Pimblett had Dana White on his podcast, during which he took the opportunity to take shots at Ariel Helwani.
Pimblett, who was previously on good terms with Helwani, called the veteran journalist an 'idiot' who makes money off of fighters.
The beef stemmed from Helwani's refusal to pay Pimblett for an interview. Many saw Pimblett trashing Helwani as an attempt for the Scouser to get inside White's good books.
White also didn't hold back while letting audiences know his thoughts on the Canadian journalist. Here's what the UFC president said:
"He's massive sack of f*****g s**t, is what he is. He's the biggest piece of s**t of all time."
Catch the comments in the episode below: