From “being banned” from Las Vegas to having his face draped all over The Venetian, Ariel Helwani’s rise in combat sports has been shocking, if not bizarre.
The popular MMA journalist is now set to launch on Oct. 14 his new Uncrowned site that will combine all three combat sports — MMA, boxing and professional wrestling — under one umbrella.
“It’s my Grantland, if you will,” Helwani told The Post in an exclusive interview, referencing the former sports and pop culture website started by Bill Simmons.
“We are creating one super-duper vertical. There will be great features, great columns, great reactions. What I really want, in particular, is … good, smart stuff. It’s why I’m so excited for Chuck (Mindenhall), Ben (Fowles), Keith Idec, Cam Hawkins on the wrestling side of things … All of these people I trust, I just want to see good, quality storytelling and writing and reaction pieces and columns and features.
“I know for a fact there’s not a place you can get that kind of quality on all three entities.”
He will also retire his former show, “The MMA Hour,” and it will be rebranded in a new studio, “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
Behind the scenes, Helwani credits his agent, Jerry, with helping him create the magic of his latest business deal with Yahoo!
“I wanted to take the next step in terms of being a leader and being a boss,” Helwani said. “I’ve been taking a lot of opportunities to show that I am not just an MMA guy anymore.”
That pivot came in 2016 when UFC president Dana White threw Helwani out of an event for allegedly reporting on a fight that was to be announced later that night.
Helwani vehemently denies the accusation and the two have had about as bad a relationship as could be since then.
That night, Helwani was told his journalism career was over, but it turns out that it was just getting started.
“I don’t really think about him much anymore,” Helwani said when asked if he thought about White seeing his face plastered on the Venetian in Vegas, where he launched his new show with a three-hour live episode on Sept. 13. “I suppose I do wonder whether White saw it; I hope he’d say, ‘Good for you, Ariel.’”
That doesn’t seem likely, as White has called Helwani names multiple times and even had him escorted out of the arena at UFC 199.
Turki Alalshikh, who is friendly with Helwani and White, has repeatedly stated that he wants to broker a peace agreement between the UFC president and MMA content king.
“Yeah, of course, I would be open to it if someone wants to put us in a room together or get us to talk,” Helwani said. “I don’t need anything from Dana. I don’t need an interview from him. I don’t need scoops from him. I don’t need access from him. I don’t need anything from him.”
Helwani does have a new set of challenges as a content manager and boss, though, but he’s not concerned that it will affect how his company works with the UFC.
“I was at ESPN and I had no relationship with him … they are literally in bed with each other, like financially they are tied together,” Helwani said. “We kind of co-exist independently, and it’s all worked out.”
Helwani will manage Uncrowned going forward and introduce “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Oct. 14, about a month out from Jon Jones’ return to the UFC at Madison Square Garden in November.
He’ll be keeping plenty busy until then, even offering a prediction for Conor McGregor’s upcoming UFC return in early 2025 — a bout in which Michael Chandler has pulled away from.
“I still wouldn’t hate the idea of him versus Nate [Diaz],” Helwani said. “I know Nate is on the outs with the UFC. I know they are not incredibly happy with him, that he took the Jake [Paul] fight, that he lost the Jake fight. I think it’s a very appropriate fight for both of them, given where they are at in their lives and careers … Gun to my head right now, off the top of the dome — do a one-fight deal with Nate.”