Ariel Helwani and True Geordie go back and forth on Twitter over Paddy Pimblett situation

Ariel Helwani and Paddy Pimblett are not on the best of terms after the Englishman criticized the veteran journalist for not paying fighters for interviews even though he is allegedly profiting off of them.

True Geordie recently gave his opinion on the issue during an episode of his podcast, but Helwani thinks that the YouTuber was unfair towards him during the segment.

In a tweet, the veteran journalist responded to a short clip from True Geordie's podcast, stating that the YouTuber supported Pimblett for the majority of the episode.

Ariel Helwani

@arielhelwani

@NoContextAriel @TrueGeordieTG Now post the clips of TG taking their side over and over again. Weird.

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@NoContextAriel @TrueGeordieTG Now post the clips of TG taking their side over and over again. Weird.

The British podcaster immediately took issue with the MMA reporter's statement and clarified that he put the majority of the blame on Pimblett's manager during the segment:

"I disagreed with you on 2 points but even then I said I understood how you’d react that way due to you being attacked. I placed the majority of the blame on Paddy’s manager. I gave you major respect for your career and genuinely tried to be understanding to both sides."

True Geordie

@TrueGeordieTG

@arielhelwani @NoContextAriel I disagreed with you on 2 points but even then I said I understood how you’d react that way due to you being attacked. I placed the majority of the blame on Paddy’s manager.

I gave you major respect for your career and genuinely tried to be understanding to both sides.

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@arielhelwani @NoContextAriel I disagreed with you on 2 points but even then I said I understood how you’d react that way due to you being attacked. I placed the majority of the blame on Paddy’s manager.

I gave you major respect for your career and genuinely tried to be understanding to both sides.

True Geordie then added that he even backed Ariel Helwani's claim of Pimblett demanding a fee for interviews:

"I actually backed you up by saying I also got asked for money by them, to prove you aren’t lying and that you’re fighting for a bigger cause here for journalists. If I was trying to take sides I would’ve never have said that."

True Geordie

@TrueGeordieTG

@arielhelwani @NoContextAriel I actually backed you up by saying I also got asked for money by them, to prove you aren’t lying and that you’re fighting for a bigger cause here for journalists. If I was trying to take sides I would’ve never have said that.

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@arielhelwani @NoContextAriel I actually backed you up by saying I also got asked for money by them, to prove you aren’t lying and that you’re fighting for a bigger cause here for journalists. If I was trying to take sides I would’ve never have said that.

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Why was Ariel Helwani originally banned from the UFC?

Ariel Helwani was originally banned from covering events in the UFC after he leaked the news of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar's return to the organization in the summer of 2016.

As per a report by The Sportster, the UFC was supposed to make the big reveal of Lesnar's UFC 200 return at the end of the UFC 199 broadcast. However, Ariel Helwani jumped the gun and went public with the news before the UFC could officially announce it.

This led to the veteran journalist as well as his colleagues from MMAFighting.com getting banned by the UFC. Dana White allegedly pushed Helwani around backstage before revoking his press credentials.

After facing severe backlash from MMA fans and fighters, the American promotion was forced to lift the ban mere days after the incident.

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Robbie Fox

@RobbieBarstool

Ariel Helwani's ban has been lifted. UFC Statement: ufc.com/news/UFC-State…

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Ariel Helwani's ban has been lifted. UFC Statement: ufc.com/news/UFC-State… https://t.co/qQTTAJ7MWD

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