UFC Stupidly Bans Reporter Ariel Helwani For Doing His Job Well

Social media, and the resulting instant access to news, sometimes creates a tug-of-war between reporters and the leagues or organizations that run the sports we watch. After UFC 199 on Saturday night, the talk was not about the results of the matches that took place.

MMA reporter Ariel Helwani went to Twitter to report what happened to him.

I was escorted out of the building by Zuffa staff before the main event. Credential taken away, too. Didn’t see Bisping realize his dream.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 5, 2016

My long-time colleagues @ekc and @allelbows were also escorted out of the building w/ me. Sorry to report no post-fight coverage tonight.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 5, 2016

Helwani broke the news that Brock Lesnar will fight at UFC 200 before an official announcement was made, which apparently drew the ire of president Dana White. He also broke the news that the Conor McGregor–Nate Diaz rematch will take place at UFC 202 in August.

Helwani gave more of his side of the story to Yahoo! Sports, with a suggestion he was called “too negative” by White. Cultivating sources and reporting news responsibly is an essential part of journalism, regardless of the times. Helwani said he did and does that, and UFC clearly had a problem with the fact he was first and right twice on Saturday night.

I can appreciate the desire for UFC, or any other pro sports organization, to effectively control the message by feeding news to certain reporters and making big announcements on their time frame. But banning Helwani for doing his job well, and extending the ban to two of his colleagues, is a major reach. Egos get in the way at times, and the ego of White and other higher-ups may be starting to stunt UFC’s impact as a major sports entity.