MMA journalist Ariel Helwani joins ESPN

MMA insider Ariel Helwani announced Thursday he'll join ESPN next month.

Helwani, who will make the leap from MMAFighting.com, will host his own podcast as well as a shared podcast with Bellator fighter Chael Sonnen called "Ariel and the Bad Guy."

ESPN recently acquired multi-year media rights from the UFC.

Helwani is a six-time MMA Journalist of the Year award winner.