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Awful Accouncing: UFC REPORTEDLY BANS ARIEL HELWANI FOR LIFE AFTER DOING HIS JOB

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T

Tripon

Member
The UFC took things to another level on Saturday night during UFC 199 when they revoked the credentials, escorted out, and banned for life three extremely respected journalists – Ariel Helwani, formerly of Fox and still of SBNation/MMA Fighting, E. Casey Laydon, and Esther Lin.

What as the trio’s fatal sin? Why, Helwani doing his job, of course, and reporting that Brock Lesnar would be fighting at UFC 200 hours before the UFC announced it.
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Everything was going fine with Helwani’s coverage of the pay-per-view…until the main event, when his former Fox colleague Michael Bisping took on Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title. Helwani (along with Laydon and Lin) was escorted out of the arena, had his credentials for the evening revoked, and was told he (along with his colleagues) was banned for life.
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The UFC didn’t talk about the situation after the show, via MMA Junkie.

When MMAjunkie’s own John Morgan asked UFC Vice President of Public Relations Dave Sholler for a comment on the situation at the post-fight press conference, Sholler refused to discuss it.
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http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/ufc...ob.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
S

Shamrock7r

Member
Did UFC give the reporters that info maybe, but said don't report it yet? Maybe something like a verbal NDA. I dunno. Otherwise, yea sour grapes.
 
O

Obliterator

Member
Shamrock7r said:
Did UFC give the reporters that info maybe, but said don't report it yet? Maybe something like a verbal NDA. I dunno. Otherwise, yea sour grapes.
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No. It's his own sourced Info.

And as I said many many times last night. This is absolutely disgusting and shameful by Zuffa
 
S

Shamrock7r

Member
Gentleman Jack said:
Er why would any organization make a reporter sign an NDA?
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Well sometimes companies give reporters a heads up on major announcements so that they can have the story ready to publish. Not saying that's what happened here, but that would seem like the only logical reason UFC would ban. They are probably just being petty though that a reporter found out and broke the story

Obliterator said:
No. It's his own sourced Info.

And as I said many many times last night. This is absolutely disgusting and shameful by Zuffa
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Gotcha

And yea I meant embargo I guess. I'm bad with words
 
B

Brinbe

Member
It's a fucking disgrace. Uncle Dana wants PR shills covering his events, not actual journalists. Not even the WWE bans the Meltz from their buildings for life. When you're sub-WWE in terms of how you treat press, you have problems.
 
A

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
Even worse was his MMA "journalist" colleagues laughing that he got banned. Complete lack of perspective.

If you're unfamiliar with Ariel, he's basically the Adam Schefter of MMA journalism. He's big.
 
E

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
Why does Dana White and Joe Rogan look like twins?
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
What's really dumb is if they have ambitions of getting an NFL franchise, there is no way this will make owners want to help them. Not when they pull this crap.

You just had one of the biggest nights in a long time, with tons of buzz about 200, and within HOURS you manage to step on your own dick and ruin your news cycle.

Idiots on so many levels.
 
I

ISWThunder

Member
I love the UFC, but I absolutely hate how petty Dana White and the management are.

This is nothing new. I remember when they temporarily fired Koscheck and Fitch because they didn't want to sign away lifetime video game rights for no compensation.

It honestly has made me less of a fan. Dana's goal is to be half Don King and half Vince McMahon.
 
Cardon

Cardon

Member
Terrible move. You don't ban a reporter for getting the jump on news when they simply get it via a source as opposed to being greedy and opting to jump an embargo to get a few extra hits early.

Given Ariel's past work and stature within the biz, that of being a respectable journo, I'm sure this will blow back on the UFC amongst the core fans, other journos, and maybe even fighters who actually give a damn about how the sport is presented and covered.
 
H

HeisenbergLannister

Member
Just wait until Dana finds out Ariel's source.

itwasmeaustin.png


IT WAS ME, DANA! IT WAS ME...ALL...ALONG, DANA!
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Aryanos said:
Lol Dave Scholler saying the professional thing to do is tell the UFC your breaking news so the UFC knows first. Funny as they've been unprofessional this entire time when it comes to Helwani.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-sp-brock-lesnar-ufc-202-20160605-snap-htmlstory.html
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This is what happens when unprofessional, dumbfuck bullies are given a monopoly over a business. They cant see the forest for the trees. And they have the rest of the MMA journalists by the balls so none of them will speak up.
 
X

Xion385

Member
Aryanos said:
Lol Dave Scholler saying the professional thing to do is tell the UFC your breaking news so the UFC knows first. Funny as they've been unprofessional this entire time when it comes to Helwani.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/boxing/la-sp-brock-lesnar-ufc-202-20160605-snap-htmlstory.html
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You want to see more douchebaggery from LA Times? Here's the Editor of LA Times getting called out for inaccurate information on his story. He said Ariel broke the story minutes before the main event, when Ariel actually broke it hours before. Here's his response:

Lance Pugmire said:
When you're an editor at The Times you can tell me how to report, dude.
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What a tool.
 
dem

dem

Member
Mma media better get its shit together..

Every reporters first question should be about The UFCs treatment of media.
 
A

alr1ght

bish gets all the credit :)
We need to have another one of those fan Q&A sessions because you know damn well no "journalist" is going to call Uncle Dana on it, well unless you work for ESPN or some place you can't be bullied.
 
S

surrealist

Member
This is standard operations for the UFC. They've done this frequently. This is just the first time it's really blown up in their faces. They've banned other sites in the past, for silly reasons like giving fair coverage to other MMA leagues. Glad this is finally getting some attention.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
I feel like UFC has such potential, but I keep hearing about shit like this... feels like a dumpster fire. Its really confusing.
 
S

Sir_Crocodile

Member
LiquidSolid said:
Nah, Dana's a manchild but he's not that bad (yet). WWE bans reporters for doing their jobs and then bans their wrestlers from even talking to them.
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Who have they banned? Meltzer has broken plenty before wwf was ready, and he's never been banned from the arena afaik.

psynergylover said:
Sorry to get a little off topic but Brock Lesnar doing both WWE and UFC?
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Meltzer reckons wwf may get Conor or Ronda for a mania match next year in return (they were under no obligation to release Brock for 200).
 
F

funkystudent

Member
Shamrock7r said:
Did UFC give the reporters that info maybe, but said don't report it yet? Maybe something like a verbal NDA. I dunno. Otherwise, yea sour grapes.
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Thats what I am wondering.

If UFC told her (and other members of the press) it early under a condition of "the news wont break until x oclock" and she broke that agreement then I can see where UFC is coming from. Maybe they are going a bit over the top with the lifetime ban but she should be punished. Its how embargo work everywhere. From video games to politics. News outlets will be given a lot of news ahead of time as long as they agree to all run it at the same time.

If she sniffed out the info on her own though. Fuck that. UFC being super petty.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
funkystudent said:
Thats what I am wondering.

If UFC told her (and other members of the press) it early under a condition of "the news wont break until x oclock" and she broke that agreement then I can see where UFC is coming from. Maybe they are going a bit over the top with the lifetime ban but she should be punished. Its how embargo work everywhere. From video games to politics. News outlets will be given a lot of news ahead of time as long as they agree to all run it at the same time.

If she sniffed out the info on her own though. Fuck that. UFC being super petty.
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Ariel's a male.

Also he's a professional journalist. he wouldn't be stupid enough to leak something an hour early if he were under any kind of NDA or embargo, also UFC has hated him for a while now, so it's unlikely he would be the one they'd call if they had some news they wanted to reveal. He sniffed this news out using his sources, like a journalist should, and leaked it because that's his job, not to look out for the UFC's best interest.
 
K

Keyser Soze

Member
Connor/Owens would the most interesting thing WWE can do if they that is the guy they get in return. Both guys know how to say thing right things at the right time to build a great rivalry.
 
l2ounD

l2ounD

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
Ariel's a male.

Also he's a professional journalist. he wouldn't be stupid enough to leak something an hour early if he were under any kind of NDA or embargo, also UFC has hated him for a while now, so it's unlikely he would be the one they'd call if they had some news they wanted to reveal. He sniffed this news out using his sources, like a journalist should, and leaked it because that's his job, not to look out for the UFC's best interest.
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If his job is covering MMA then he probably should have worked toward a better relationship with the UFC. If it was already rocky before leaking out news probably wasnt the wisest decision.

But maybe all this attention will turn things around for him?
 
S

Sir_Crocodile

Member
l2ounD said:
If his job is covering MMA then he probably should have worked toward a better relationship with the UFC. If it was already rocky before leaking out news probably wasnt the wisest decision.

But maybe all this attention will turn things around for him?
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With the way they operate, the only way for him to get a "better relationship" with them would be to practically become their mouthpiece.

So unless he wants to give up being a journalist I doubt that's high on his to-do list.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
l2ounD said:
If his job is covering MMA then he probably should have worked toward a better relationship with the UFC. If it was already rocky before leaking out news probably wasnt the wisest decision.

But maybe all this attention will turn things around for him?
Click to expand...

Maybe the UFC should have some professional integrity.
 
J

JDB

Banned
l2ounD said:
If his job is covering MMA then he probably should have worked toward a better relationship with the UFC. If it was already rocky before leaking out news probably wasnt the wisest decision.

But maybe all this attention will turn things around for him?
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yeah cuz fuck doing your job
 
S

Sir_Crocodile

Member
TatorTots said:
I thought Brock Lesnar couldn't fight anymore?
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No, he's good. There was talk of him fighting early last year, but Vince drove a dumptruck of money to his house to do a very limited number of wrestling dates, so he changed his plans.

I suspect it's always been in the back of his mind to fight one more time now he doesn't have the issues he was having with diverticulitis back then.
 
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