Read the complete write-up of Ariel Helwani net worth, age, wife, children, kids, family, parents, UFC, tv shows as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Ariel Helwani is a Canadian journalist who primarily covers mixed martial arts.
Early life
| Name | Ariel Helwani |
| Net Worth | $4 million |
| Profession | Journalist |
| Height | 1.83m |
| Age | 39 years |
Ariel Helwani was born on July 8, 1982 (age 39 years) in Montreal, Canada. He is the son of Mizrahi Jewish parents in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Helwani’s mother is from Lebanon, and his father is from Egypt. He is the maternal nephew of David Saad, a judoka who competed in the men’s lightweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and Gad Saad, an evolutionary psychologist. Helwani is fluent in English, French, and Hebrew, and understands Spanish and Arabic.
Helwani grew up in Mount Royal, Quebec, and Westmount (a Montreal suburb), and attended the Akiva School and Herzliah High School. In 2004, Helwani graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in Syracuse, New York. He is a fan of the Buffalo Bills, New York Knicks, Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Canadiens, and Everton FC.
Career
Ariel Helwani has covered mixed martial arts professionally since 2006. He worked for MMA Fighting before joining ESPN in May 2018. He formerly served as an “MMA Insider” for Fox Sports 1’s weekly UFC Tonight show and another pre-and post-event programming.
Helwani is the former co-host of the Sirius XM radio show Fight Club, was formerly the host of The MMA Hour podcast and the MMA Beat show on YouTube. He’s interim vice president of the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association. Previously at ESPN, he hosted a show called Ariel & The Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen, hosted his podcast, and reported on MMA for all ESPN platforms.
On June 4, 2016, Helwani and two colleagues were escorted out of UFC 199 before the main event. He said their press credentials were taken and they were banned for life from all UFC events. He earlier reported the return of Brock Lesnar at UFC 200, hours before UFC announced it on the broadcast, without notifying UFC first. UFC spokesman Dave Sholler said such reporting was against standard practice.
According to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Helwani was asked to not report this news, as management suspected a mole had leaked it to him and, without knowing who it was, would then have to fire all possible moles. Through Twitter, Helwani called Rogan’s story “100% inaccurate.”
Check Out: Joe Rogan net worth
UFC president Dana White announced that the ban will last “As long as I’m here.” Later, he reputedly added, “He can cover all the events he wants, he just can’t have a credential”.
On the June 6 episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani detailed the incident in an emotional broadcast. He said he was brought to see Dana White, who told him he was banned for being “too negative”. He later learned this call was made by Lorenzo Fertitta. He stood by his decision to report the news in a timely manner and said he would continue to work as an MMA journalist.
Many high profile UFC fighters sympathised with Helwani. Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones wrote on Twitter “Th at’s unfortunate.” Helwani’s close friend Daniel Cormier expressed a similar sentiment. Former Middleweight champion Chris Weidman said on Twitter “This sport needs the GOAT [slang for Greatest Of All Time] of MMA reporting”.
Later on June 6, UFC rescinded the ban, stating:
Following a conversation with the editorial team at SB Nation, UFC will not prevent MMAFighting.com from receiving media credentials to cover live UFC events. We respect the role the media plays in our sport and beyond, including MMAFighting’s ability to report the news. However, in our opinion, we believe the recurring tactics used by its lead reporter extended beyond the purpose of journalism. We feel confident our position has now been adequately communicated to the SB Nation editorial team.
Helwani was named “MMA Journalist of the Year” in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 World MMA Awards.
In 2011, FIGHT! Magazine named him as one of their “Power 20”, a list of the “most significant power players, movers, shakers, ambassadors, and game-changers in MMA,” describing him as “the Howard Cosell of MMA”. At the beginning of 2015, Helwani won “2014 Journalist of the Year” in the Awakening WMMA Awards.
He has hosted two separate Helwani Nose Awards events in Chicago and Las Vegas, where current and former MMA fighters participate in a UFC trivia show for the Nose World Order belt.
Mayweather vs. McGregor ban
Ariel Helwani claimed that he was removed from the Showtime broadcast team for the Mayweather vs. McGregor press tour, hours before the first press conference in Los Angeles. “Not working for @SHOsports anymore on the May/Mac tour,” wrote Helwani on Twitter, “UFC specifically asked to have me removed. Incredibly disappointed.”
In June 2018, Helwani joined ESPN from SB Nation’s MMAFighting.com. Helwani’s employment at ESPN began shortly after ESPN announced their 5-year, $1.5 billion rights package with the UFC. While at ESPN, Helwani hosted Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Twitter and YouTube, “Ariel and the Bad Guy” on ESPN+ and the DC & Helwani podcast. He also contributed to occasional ESPN broadcasts of the NBA.
Wife
Ariel Helwani is married to his longtime girlfriend Jaclyn Stein. The couple has three kids, a daughter and two sons. The family live in a private house in Canada. However, Helwani announced his departure from ESPN after failing to reach terms on a new contract in June 2021.
Ariel Helwani net worth
How much is Ariel Helwani worth? Ariel Helwani net worth is estimated at around $4 million. His main source of income is from her career as a journalist. Helwani successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars. He is one of the richest and influential journalists in Canada. However, in June 2021, Helwani announced his return to MMA Fighting and Vox Media as host for The MMA Hour and SB Nation’s MMA Fighting. As well as joining BT Sport and The Ringer.