"I'm not holding on to that hate" - Ariel Helwani believes that despite their differences in the past, Joe Rogan 'serves a great purpose' and shouldn't be removed from the UFC

Ariel Helwani (left) and Joe Rogan (right) [Image Credit: @arielhelwani & @joerogan via Instagram]

Ariel Helwani recently spoke about his relationship with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan on the latest episode of The MMA Hour. He said he doesn't have a "personal relationship'' with Rogan.

Helwani revealed that the stand-up comedian and podcast host was very kind to him earlier in his career and once let his crew film him before his comedy set. The prominent MMA journalist also gave his take on the growing narrative that Rogan should be sacked from the UFC. Helwani said:

"I don't think he should be removed, I actually think he serves a great purpose for the UFC broadcast. Am I a huge fan of the podcast? I don't really listen to it. So I don't really get involved in all hate towards Joe or all the chatter around Joe. I already talked about not loving what he said after 199 but I'm not like, holding on to that hate."

Watch Ariel Helwani speak about Joe Rogan on The MMA Hour below:

There's a growing belief in the MMA world that Joe Rogan should be sacked by the UFC. Rogan is known for candidly speaking about a wide array of topics on his podcast, something he often ends up receiving flak for.

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The fan-favorite podcaster has gradually decreased the amount of UFC events that he commentates for. He recently missed the UFC 265 pay-per-view on account of a hunting trip.

How did the beef between Ariel Helwani and Joe Rogan start?

Joe Rogan previously weighed in on Ariel Helwani's rocky relationship with the UFC. In June 2016, the 54-year-old claimed that, after Helwani's UFC ban was announced, the promotion suspected a mole was revealing scoops of inside news to the journalist.

The podcast host also revealed that, based on the information he was told, Ariel Helwani went ahead and reported Brock Lesnar's return to the octagon at UFC 200 before the promotion got the chance to make the announcement.

Watch Rogan's comments on Helwani's UFC ban during an episode of JRE below:

Ariel Helwani recently dismissed the claim while speaking to UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Helwani slammed both Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub for making false statements that could potentially harm his career and reputation.

The MMA journalist reiterated that he has never revealed any "off the record" information to the public.

Watch Ariel Helwani's response below:

Ariel sets the record straight.
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