In a sort of a surprise, former ESPN reporter/correspondent/host Ariel Helwani has chosen to go the road less traveled. On Monday, he announced that he would be joining BT Sport to cover UFC, boxing and professional wrestling. His choice allows him to do a variety of projects.
In addition to his work with BT Sport, he will bring back The MMA Hour, the wildly popular YouTube show/podcast associated with Vox Media’s MMA Fighting. He’ll also be doing work with Spotify/The Ringer as well as the Substack subscription route. His bandwidth will expand with more interviews/coverage outside the MMA sphere.
Helwani’s contract with ESPN ended recently and it was rumored that he would either re-up with the company and then he was linked with gambling web sites.
Hello!
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 21, 2021
I am extremely excited to announce my next chapter(s), which will be with:
* @themmahour/@MMAFighting/@voxmedia (WE’RE BACK!)
* @Spotify/@ringer
* @btsport
* @SubstackInc
* @YouTube
And more to come.
Allow me to explain: https://t.co/mcIkCFAXyQ
All of it starts in August as it appears there is a noncompete clause he must wait out.
Payout Perspective:
It will be interesting to see Helwani return to his “roots” and with his following on social media, The MMA Hour should have more celebrity-based guests. Helwani is a polarizing figure in the MMA world. While a lot of people revere him, he has been controversial. Specifically, his admission that he worked as a ‘reporter’ all the while being paid by the organization he was covering – the UFC. But time heals all wounds and so do the short-term memories of MMA fans. Helwani was very popular on ESPN and had successful shows with Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen. He also served as an NBA reporter. It will be interesting to see how Helwani deals with the independence and whether his followers step up and aid him with what will likely be a paid-subscription substack.
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