Paddy Pimblett further accuses Ariel Helwani of treating him like a "commodity" - "He only ever saw me as pound signs and dollar signs"
Paddy Pimblett recently responded to Ariel Helwani's response amidst their ongoing controversy. Pimblett, along with UFC president Dana White, recently took shots at Ariel Helwani for making money off fighters without paying them for interviews.
In response, Helwani uploaded a voice memo of Pimblett asking for an interview with him. The Canadian-American journalist claimed to have later canceled the interview after learning that he would have to pay for it.
UNREAL!
Paddy Pimblett Sends a message to Ariel begging for an Interview... then asks for a Payment...
@arielhelwani https://t.co/7sejpsxR7T
Pimblett has weighed in on Helwani's comments, accusing the journalist of viewing him only as a revenue source. 'The Baddy' claims to have regarded Helwani as a friend but never received the same response. The 27-year-old recently told Shakeil Mahjouri of CBS Sports:
“The voice memo when I said, ‘Do you want to meet up?’ Didn’t mention an interview. To like have a drink or have something to eat as like a friend, but he obviously never saw me as a friend where I saw him as a friend. He only ever saw me as pound signs and dollar signs. I was just a commodity to him.”
Watch Paddy Pimblett's comments below (4:10):
Pimblett also said that he would address the situation in more detail along with his manager after his upcoming UFC 282 clash against Jared Gordon.
Ariel Helwani's defense against Paddy Pimblett's accusations
Paddy Pimblett recently slammed Ariel Helwani while teaming up with Dana White, who is extremely open about his disdain for the journalist.
'The Baddy' accused Helwani of "using fighters for clicks" without shelling a penny of his own. Helwani responded with a one-hour rant on The MMA Hour. Apart from specifically targeting Pimblett, the 40-year-old also noted that no notable podcaster is expected to pay their guest:
"I ain’t paying for s*it. That’s not how this works, you don’t pay for coverage. That’s not how this works, does Joe Rogan pay his guests? Does Oprah pay her guests? Did Larry King pay his guests? No, that’s not how this works. If you’re upset about the fact that you come on this show and I get paid to do this show, I can say the same thing. ‘Oh I’m upset I have to go to your fights and you get paid more than me when you fight.'"
Ariel Helwani Responds To Paddy Pimblett:
"I ain't paying for shit!"
@arielhelwani https://t.co/ptJetpR0IY