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Renowned mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani has recalled a physical altercation he had with prominent manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Although MMA usually sees rivalries emerge inside the cage and ahead of collisions between two athletes, the fighters are not the only individuals in the space who can develop animosity.
Helwani, who’s had his fair share of criticism from the UFC higher-ups and a number of fighters competing in the sport’s premier promotion, is not in the good books of the Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, who boasts the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje, and former two-division king Henry Cejudo on his books.
The Egyptian’s gripe with Helwani dates back to pre-UFC 258. Ahead of Gilbert Burns’ title shot against Usman, the then-ESPN reporter suggested that Leon Edwards, who has since achieved title glory, was more deserving of the chance to fight for gold.
Responding on social media, Abdelaziz enforced a “ban” on the publication when it came to talking to any fighters under his management umbrella. That prohibition has evidently carried over to The MMA Hour following Helwani’s ESPN departure, with only PFL star Kayla Harrison bypassing it.
All @espnmma you have been banned from talking to any Dominance fighters because you have a reporter who’s targeting my champions. You need an immediate investigation for corruption today.— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 13, 2020
With that in mind, relations are certainly not cordial between the two, and that’s despite Abdelaziz appearing in multiple interviews with Helwani prior to their falling out.
And as it turns out, the pair’s rivalry even turned physical during one heated interaction…
Helwani Recalls Fiery Exchange With Abdelaziz
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared as a guest. “The American Gangster” and Helwani formerly hosted a show together on ESPN.
During the interaction, the pair recalled the Canadian journalist coming toe-to-toe with Abdelaziz in-person at a UFC event. After Helwani named Houston’s Toyota Center as the location, Sonnen narrated the incident, which he noted turned physical.
“We’re all headed one way and we got our security. It’s you, me, and Anthony (Smith). Ali and Kamaru Usman, I don’t know who else was with them… These two were coming towards us and I thought we all said hi to each other,” Sonnen said. “I thought I was in the process of saying hi to Kamaru… But then you and Ali are attacking each other. There was touching physically. You guys grabbed at each other’s collars, something along those lines.”
While the exact event wasn’t named, Sonnen has featured as a desk analyst for three events at the Toyota Center since Helwani and Abdelaziz’s falling out, with just one seeing Smith alongside him on the broadcast — UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 last February.
Helwani later provided his own recount of the incident, revealing the words he and the Egyptian manager exchanged during the heated faceoff.
“He said, ‘Leave my fighters name out of your f*ckin’ mouth,'” Helwani recalled. “And I said— do you remember what I said? ‘And what? What are you gonna do about it?’ I had a backpack, I dropped it down, and I said, ‘Please come over here and tell me what you’re gonna do about it? And what?’ Like, there has to be an ‘and’, right?
“You and Anthony tried to do what? You tried to remove me from the situation. Word on the street is, I was so strong, so steadfast, two behemoths such as yourself could not remove me from the situation,” Helwani joked.
Since the beginning of their ongoing disagreement, Helwani has often taken shots at the prominent MMA manager. That’s included in regards to his attempts to prevent fighters under his banner from interacting with the Canadian.
Just last year, Helwani implied that Cejudo had sacrificed his ‘manhood’ by adhering to his manager’s demands.
Suffice to say, Abdelaziz won’t be appearing on The MMA Hour anytime soon…
Image: ESPN MMA
What are your thoughts on the feud between Ariel Helwani and Ali Abdelaziz?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Renowned mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani has recalled a physical altercation he had with prominent manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Although MMA usually sees rivalries emerge inside the cage and ahead of collisions between two athletes, the fighters are not the only individuals in the space who can develop animosity.
Helwani, who’s had his fair share of criticism from the UFC higher-ups and a number of fighters competing in the sport’s premier promotion, is not in the good books of the Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, who boasts the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje, and former two-division king Henry Cejudo on his books.
The Egyptian’s gripe with Helwani dates back to pre-UFC 258. Ahead of Gilbert Burns’ title shot against Usman, the then-ESPN reporter suggested that Leon Edwards, who has since achieved title glory, was more deserving of the chance to fight for gold.
Responding on social media, Abdelaziz enforced a “ban” on the publication when it came to talking to any fighters under his management umbrella. That prohibition has evidently carried over to The MMA Hour following Helwani’s ESPN departure, with only PFL star Kayla Harrison bypassing it.
All @espnmma you have been banned from talking to any Dominance fighters because you have a reporter who’s targeting my champions. You need an immediate investigation for corruption today.
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 13, 2020[/quote]
With that in mind, relations are certainly not cordial between the two, and that’s despite Abdelaziz appearing in multiple interviews with Helwani prior to their falling out.
And as it turns out, the pair’s rivalry even turned physical during one heated interaction…
Helwani Recalls Fiery Exchange With Abdelaziz
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared as a guest. “The American Gangster” and Helwani formerly hosted a show together on ESPN.
During the interaction, the pair recalled the Canadian journalist coming toe-to-toe with Abdelaziz in-person at a UFC event. After Helwani named Houston’s Toyota Center as the location, Sonnen narrated the incident, which he noted turned physical.
“We’re all headed one way and we got our security. It’s you, me, and Anthony (Smith). Ali and Kamaru Usman, I don’t know who else was with them… These two were coming towards us and I thought we all said hi to each other,” Sonnen said. “I thought I was in the process of saying hi to Kamaru… But then you and Ali are attacking each other. There was touching physically. You guys grabbed at each other’s collars, something along those lines.”
While the exact event wasn’t named, Sonnen has featured as a desk analyst for three events at the Toyota Center since Helwani and Abdelaziz’s falling out, with just one seeing Smith alongside him on the broadcast — UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 last February.
Helwani later provided his own recount of the incident, revealing the words he and the Egyptian manager exchanged during the heated faceoff.
“He said, ‘Leave my fighters name out of your f*ckin’ mouth,'” Helwani recalled. “And I said— do you remember what I said? ‘And what? What are you gonna do about it?’ I had a backpack, I dropped it down, and I said, ‘Please come over here and tell me what you’re gonna do about it? And what?’ Like, there has to be an ‘and’, right?
“You and Anthony tried to do what? You tried to remove me from the situation. Word on the street is, I was so strong, so steadfast, two behemoths such as yourself could not remove me from the situation,” Helwani joked.
Since the beginning of their ongoing disagreement, Helwani has often taken shots at the prominent MMA manager. That’s included in regards to his attempts to prevent fighters under his banner from interacting with the Canadian.
Just last year, Helwani implied that Cejudo had sacrificed his ‘manhood’ by adhering to his manager’s demands.
Suffice to say, Abdelaziz won’t be appearing on The MMA Hour anytime soon…
Image: ESPN MMA
What are your thoughts on the feud between Ariel Helwani and Ali Abdelaziz?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
Although MMA usually sees rivalries emerge inside the cage and ahead of collisions between two athletes, the fighters are not the only individuals in the space who can develop animosity.
Helwani, who’s had his fair share of criticism from the UFC higher-ups and a number of fighters competing in the sport’s premier promotion, is not in the good books of the Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, who boasts the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje, and former two-division king Henry Cejudo on his books.
The Egyptian’s gripe with Helwani dates back to pre-UFC 258. Ahead of Gilbert Burns’ title shot against Usman, the then-ESPN reporter suggested that Leon Edwards, who has since achieved title glory, was more deserving of the chance to fight for gold.
Responding on social media, Abdelaziz enforced a “ban” on the publication when it came to talking to any fighters under his management umbrella. That prohibition has evidently carried over to The MMA Hour following Helwani’s ESPN departure, with only PFL star Kayla Harrison bypassing it.
All @espnmma you have been banned from talking to any Dominance fighters because you have a reporter who’s targeting my champions. You need an immediate investigation for corruption today.— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 13, 2020
With that in mind, relations are certainly not cordial between the two, and that’s despite Abdelaziz appearing in multiple interviews with Helwani prior to their falling out.
And as it turns out, the pair’s rivalry even turned physical during one heated interaction…
Helwani Recalls Fiery Exchange With Abdelaziz
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared as a guest. “The American Gangster” and Helwani formerly hosted a show together on ESPN.
During the interaction, the pair recalled the Canadian journalist coming toe-to-toe with Abdelaziz in-person at a UFC event. After Helwani named Houston’s Toyota Center as the location, Sonnen narrated the incident, which he noted turned physical.
“We’re all headed one way and we got our security. It’s you, me, and Anthony (Smith). Ali and Kamaru Usman, I don’t know who else was with them… These two were coming towards us and I thought we all said hi to each other,” Sonnen said. “I thought I was in the process of saying hi to Kamaru… But then you and Ali are attacking each other. There was touching physically. You guys grabbed at each other’s collars, something along those lines.”
While the exact event wasn’t named, Sonnen has featured as a desk analyst for three events at the Toyota Center since Helwani and Abdelaziz’s falling out, with just one seeing Smith alongside him on the broadcast — UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 last February.
Helwani later provided his own recount of the incident, revealing the words he and the Egyptian manager exchanged during the heated faceoff.
“He said, ‘Leave my fighters name out of your f*ckin’ mouth,'” Helwani recalled. “And I said— do you remember what I said? ‘And what? What are you gonna do about it?’ I had a backpack, I dropped it down, and I said, ‘Please come over here and tell me what you’re gonna do about it? And what?’ Like, there has to be an ‘and’, right?
“You and Anthony tried to do what? You tried to remove me from the situation. Word on the street is, I was so strong, so steadfast, two behemoths such as yourself could not remove me from the situation,” Helwani joked.
Since the beginning of their ongoing disagreement, Helwani has often taken shots at the prominent MMA manager. That’s included in regards to his attempts to prevent fighters under his banner from interacting with the Canadian.
Just last year, Helwani implied that Cejudo had sacrificed his ‘manhood’ by adhering to his manager’s demands.
Suffice to say, Abdelaziz won’t be appearing on The MMA Hour anytime soon…
Image: ESPN MMA
What are your thoughts on the feud between Ariel Helwani and Ali Abdelaziz?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Renowned mixed martial arts reporter Ariel Helwani has recalled a physical altercation he had with prominent manager Ali Abdelaziz.
Although MMA usually sees rivalries emerge inside the cage and ahead of collisions between two athletes, the fighters are not the only individuals in the space who can develop animosity.
Helwani, who’s had his fair share of criticism from the UFC higher-ups and a number of fighters competing in the sport’s premier promotion, is not in the good books of the Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, who boasts the likes of former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, former interim lightweight titleholder Justin Gaethje, and former two-division king Henry Cejudo on his books.
The Egyptian’s gripe with Helwani dates back to pre-UFC 258. Ahead of Gilbert Burns’ title shot against Usman, the then-ESPN reporter suggested that Leon Edwards, who has since achieved title glory, was more deserving of the chance to fight for gold.
Responding on social media, Abdelaziz enforced a “ban” on the publication when it came to talking to any fighters under his management umbrella. That prohibition has evidently carried over to The MMA Hour following Helwani’s ESPN departure, with only PFL star Kayla Harrison bypassing it.
All @espnmma you have been banned from talking to any Dominance fighters because you have a reporter who’s targeting my champions. You need an immediate investigation for corruption today.
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) July 13, 2020[/quote]
With that in mind, relations are certainly not cordial between the two, and that’s despite Abdelaziz appearing in multiple interviews with Helwani prior to their falling out.
And as it turns out, the pair’s rivalry even turned physical during one heated interaction…
Helwani Recalls Fiery Exchange With Abdelaziz
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen appeared as a guest. “The American Gangster” and Helwani formerly hosted a show together on ESPN.
During the interaction, the pair recalled the Canadian journalist coming toe-to-toe with Abdelaziz in-person at a UFC event. After Helwani named Houston’s Toyota Center as the location, Sonnen narrated the incident, which he noted turned physical.
“We’re all headed one way and we got our security. It’s you, me, and Anthony (Smith). Ali and Kamaru Usman, I don’t know who else was with them… These two were coming towards us and I thought we all said hi to each other,” Sonnen said. “I thought I was in the process of saying hi to Kamaru… But then you and Ali are attacking each other. There was touching physically. You guys grabbed at each other’s collars, something along those lines.”
While the exact event wasn’t named, Sonnen has featured as a desk analyst for three events at the Toyota Center since Helwani and Abdelaziz’s falling out, with just one seeing Smith alongside him on the broadcast — UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 last February.
Helwani later provided his own recount of the incident, revealing the words he and the Egyptian manager exchanged during the heated faceoff.
“He said, ‘Leave my fighters name out of your f*ckin’ mouth,'” Helwani recalled. “And I said— do you remember what I said? ‘And what? What are you gonna do about it?’ I had a backpack, I dropped it down, and I said, ‘Please come over here and tell me what you’re gonna do about it? And what?’ Like, there has to be an ‘and’, right?
“You and Anthony tried to do what? You tried to remove me from the situation. Word on the street is, I was so strong, so steadfast, two behemoths such as yourself could not remove me from the situation,” Helwani joked.
Since the beginning of their ongoing disagreement, Helwani has often taken shots at the prominent MMA manager. That’s included in regards to his attempts to prevent fighters under his banner from interacting with the Canadian.
Just last year, Helwani implied that Cejudo had sacrificed his ‘manhood’ by adhering to his manager’s demands.
Suffice to say, Abdelaziz won’t be appearing on The MMA Hour anytime soon…
What are your thoughts on the feud between Ariel Helwani and Ali Abdelaziz?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
