"I enjoy seeing him push back" - UFC light heavyweight sides with Ariel Helwani amid beef with Chael Sonnen
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has weighed in on the drama between Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen. The two MMA personalities recently clashed while discussing the fallout of Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury.
On October 28, Ngannou stunned the world with his performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when he made his boxing debut against Fury, the lineal heavyweight champion.
What was expected to be a routine victory for 'The Gypsy King' proved anything but, as 'The Predator' went the distance with the Brit and even knocked him down in the third round. Despite a valiant effort, Ngannou controversially lost the bout via split decision.
Following the Cameroonian's performance, Chael Sonnen appeared on The MMA Hour to discuss the fight and Ngannou's future. It was during the interview that the two then clashed, as Sonnen claimed that the pay-per-view bombed and Ngannou would have still been financially better off staying with the UFC.
Helwani disagreed, reporting that Ngannou had earned between $10-$20 million for his fight against Fury, which lead to Sonnen labeling him a "weasel."
Watch a clip here:
Anthony Smith has since weighed in on the drama between the two, discussing the fallout on the latest episode of the Believe You Me podcast. According to 'Lionheart', he enjoyed seeing Ariel Helwani standing up for himself:
"I think we've seen a lot of years of people kind of bullying and running over Ariel a little bit and he's never really said anything. I think I enjoy seeing him push back, whether he's right or wrong? That depends on scenario."
Catch Smith's comments here (5:00):
Ariel Helwani hits back at Chael Sonnen for implying he was only happy for Francis Ngannou due to beef with Dana White
Ariel Helwani and Chael Sonnen's lengthy arguement on The MMA Hour has gone viral, leading to a split among fans when it comes to which side they fall on.
After being threatened and labeled a "liar" by Sonnen, the Canadian reporter pulled no punches in his response. Helwani took major issue with Sonnen's insinuation that he was only happy for Francis Ngannou's success due to his own personal beef with the UFC and Dana White.
The MMA Hour host called out Sonnen for being afraid to "upset" the UFC brass, saying:
"Don't be a fu**ing coward and dance around this sh*t, say it to my face like a man...Grow a fu**ing pair and I'll say it to you, you have a bias and a vendetta against Francis, you work for ESPN...you're a company man and you don't wanna upset big bad Dana."
Catch Ariel Helwani's response here: