Ariel Helwani has clarified whether he was paid for the MVP press conference for Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano in May.Â
Helwani was front-and-center for the conference, featuring headline acts Rousey and Carano, as well Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins, welcoming everybody as the host of the sit-down. And given that Helwani is a broadcast journalist covering MMA, there had been some calls as to an issue in conflict of interest and transparency.Â
Speaking on that and attempting to make it clear, Helwani said, “Of course I’m being paid for this. But let me be very, very clear. I have never taken a check, I have never taken a dime, I have never even taken a car service from MVP, or any promoter since I made that mistake in 2016.”
Ariel Helwani: I do want to make something very clear, I saw some people saying, ‘reveal that you’re being paid for this.’ Of course I’m being paid for this, but let me be very very clear, I’ve never taken a check. I’ve never taken a dime. I’ve never even take a car service from… pic.twitter.com/Nns5Isu1hC
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 11, 2026
Helwani was banned from getting credentialed by UFC in 2016, albeit briefly due to backlash, after breaking news of Brock Lesnar’s return at UFC 200. He maintained that since then he had been steadfast in refusing payment from promoters, turning down “many opportunities.”
He said that he understands why people assumed he was being paid by the promoter, because in MMA when one appears on a promotion’s broadcast they often are being paid by them. And he then went into how that is different in boxing and one does not have to work with a promoter, which is why he sought after a role in that space so he could work independently.
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