"I couldn't be in his vicinity or line of sight" - Ariel Helwani reveals Dana White's behind the scenes restrictions
The long-running feud between UFC president Dana White and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani is a well-known saga for fans of combat sports.
However, whilst both men have been relatively open about their dislike for one another, Ariel Helwani has since left ESPN, allowing him complete freedom in terms of discussing previously restricted topics such as the rivalry with Dana White.
Ariel Helwani recently featured as a guest on The Dan Le Batard Show, where he was asked point blank: "Did Dana White run you out of ESPN?" Rather than give a yes or no answer, Helwani instead gave some examples of his time with ESPN and of White's actions during that time.
"Dana White tried to get me not even to make it to my first day," said Ariel Helwani. "He raised hell to try to stop me. My first day was June 15th. He tried to stop me to get to the first day... For the next three years it was one road block after the next, it was one issue after the next. It was all kinds of stuff."
Ariel Helwani was not allowed to be in Dana White's vicinity or line of sight
One of the most shocking revelations about Dana White that Helwani revealed was that the UFC president would have security remove Helwani from locations such as UFC weigh-ins and events, thirty minutes before White even arrived.
"I've never even shared this story. When I would be at events.. Let's say it's the weigh-ins, and there's a desk there and I'm doing something beforehand. But Dana White is coming as a guest in thirty minutes or something. I would have to be escorted out of the venue because per his request, I couldn't be in his vicinity or his line of sight."
As mentioned above, White's dislike of Helwani is well known, but few realized the UFC president would go to such extremes to inconvience and alienate Helwani.
Whilst these accusations are only alleged, with there being little way of confirming their validity, should they be true, White's actions can only be described as something akin to that of an abuse of power and authority.
Ariel Helwani has now moved on from the shackles that limited his free speech at ESPN and is instead working with a multitude of companies, such as BT Sport and Ringer, that appear to be considerably less restrictive.