MMA reporter Ariel Helwani used "The MMA Hour" on Monday to air his grievances with the UFC after his unceremonious ejection from one of their events this past Saturday.
Michael Bisping's triumphant title win at UFC 199 was overshadowed by the report that Helwani and his colleagues were removed from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., by officials during the show.
The promotion was allegedly upset with Helwani for spoiling their plans of announcing the return of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 on their PPV broadcast, a story that Helwani broke hours earlier.
Helwani explained that he was taken aside and told by UFC president Dana White that he was being ordered to leave by UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta. He also claimed that Fertitta was responsible for his ousting from FOX Sports this past March.
"He said, 'You're too negative.' He said, 'Lorenzo wanted you out of FOX and that happened. And he wants you out of here and so you're out,'" said Helwani.
"Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm dreaming, I felt like deep down inside he didn't want to do that. I think he was respecting the wishes of his partner who I've never really had a close relationship with and he was doing what he was essentially told."
Over the course of his show, Helwani detailed several of the conflicts he had with the UFC over the years.
At one point, he claims the UFC denied him access as a result of his reporting on Bellator MMA, a rival promotion.
When he later had a working relationship with the UFC as an employee of their broadcasting partner FOX Sports, Helwani said it was difficult to report objectively while collecting checks from FOX that had to be signed by Zuffa, the UFC's parent company.
Most recently, White apparently expressed his displeasure at a candid interview between Helwani and Nate Diaz.
All of these issues came to a head on Saturday, and Helwani's future relationship with the organization is unclear (though White sounds certain that Helwani won't be working with the UFC anytime soon).
Helwani is not the first reporter to be banned by the UFC. He believes that the dismissal was intended not just to punish him for doing his job but also to damage his career.
"Sure, (reporters) may not get this access, that access. Sure, they may not get this interview or that interview. Sure, they may get the cold shoulder, I can deal with all of that," said Helwani. "But to not be welcome legitimately hurts my heart."
"For the amount of time that I've put into this sport, this career, to be told by important people on Saturday that my career was over, to be told they were going to do everything to ruin my career, to be told that opportunities are no more, to be told that I'm no longer welcome ... You know what that does to you? That's surreal to hear that."
