Nick Piccone
Almost 48 hours after doing one of the most ridiculous things ever and banning Ariel Helwani “for life” from obtaining media credentials to events, UFC released a statement late last night saying the company has lifted the ban after the huge response by the public and other people in the media calling UFC out.
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 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.
UFC’s goal as the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion is to cultivate interest in its world-class athletes and events, and deliver for the fans. We will continue to introduce this sport and its athletes to new fans across the world, and we will do so by working alongside media across all platforms.”
Sure, the statement didn’t use Helwani’s name and still managed to take a shot at him while saying, “Yeah, he’s welcome back,” but at least a huge wrong has been righted… for now.
Hours earlier, Helwani was on The Dan Patrick Show and explained the situation, and then he took to The MMA Hour to give us more. It was a surreal moment. Fast forward to the last 10 minutes of the show to see Helwani basically break down.
Luckily for Helwani, his personal hell lasted all of two days.