One of the top insiders in sports is preparing to hit the open market, with the New York Post‘s Ryan Glasspiegel reporting that Ariel Helwani set to become a free agent “late this summer.”
The preeminent MMA insider, Helwani currently hosts three weekly shows for Vox, including his popular The MMA Hour, as well as one weekly show for The Ringer. He has also done work for TNT Sports in the United Kingdom (formerly BT Sport) and is slated to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris for the CBC in Canada later this year.
Helwani’s impending free agency comes three years after his high profile exit from ESPN. While the Worldwide Leader’s hiring of Helwani coincided with the network landing the UFC’s exclusive media rights, the 41-year-old often found himself at odds with UFC president Dana White and ultimately declined to take a pay cut on a contract offer to remain at ESPN in 2021.
Despite no longer working for a legacy media outlet, Helwani has remained MMA’s top insider and recently broke the news that the planned main event between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will no longer be a part of the UFC 303 pay-per-view. The MMA Hour is an established top destination for fans of the fight game, and has made headlines in recent months for interviews with WWE superstar CM Punk and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Considering his connections, following and versatility — he also previously served as an NBA sideline reporter and hosted Showtime’s The Ariel Helwani Basketball Show — there are plenty of reasons to believe there will be a strong market for the Montreal native. It’s also worth noting that UFC’s rights deal with ESPN is currently set to end next year, with the promotion’s next deal potentially impacting — directly or indirectly — which outlets might be interested in Helwani’s services.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.