After days of speculation, the news is finally out. Superstar Conor McGregor is out of the UFC 303 card. While everybody had speculated about an injury all this while, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani had some insider information. Helwani remained the only journalist who actively covered the UFC 303 saga.
Ariel Helwani recently did a live stream on his official YouTube channel to give more updates about the UFC 303 situation. The MMA journalist revealed the severity of Conor McGregor‘s injury, that forced him to pull out of UFC 303.
Conor injury is not severe. Not severe. I think he can be back in a few months. I’m not going to say what it is because I’ve been asked not to say and you have to respect that.
Ariel Helwani via his Official YouTube channel
The UFC 303 matchup was probably one of the most hyped and anticipated showdowns of this year. ‘The Notorious’ has been away from the octagon for years now. It was a slow buildup from last year’s TUF 31 season. The Irishman’s back and forth with USADA further pushed the return against Chandler. UFC CEO Dana White booked a rematch between Alex Pereira and Jiri Prochazka to replace the Irishman.
While Dana White mentioned McGregor’s injury, he did not specify the severity or the extent of the injury. Ariel Helwani has also refused to comment more about the injury that sidelined McGregor. There is hope the injury will not sideline McGregor for an extended period of time. However, Helwani’s coverage of McGregor’s injury and UFC 303 has come under fire from a UFC Hall of Famer.
New beef in MMA: Ariel Helawani vs. Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping recently went on a rant against Ariel Helwani. Bisping talked about how Helwani often posts and tweets about MMA like an expert without actually knowing anything. The UFC veteran said a fight would happen if it had to. He asked Helwani to stay out of it, stating that it was none of his business.
Ariel Helwani and Michael Bisping go back and forth on social media (Image via Imago/X)Now Ariel Helwani decided he would not take much heat from the former UFC champion. He went on his own live stream on YouTube and turned it back to Bisping. The MMA journalist called him, saying he was a former bad boy who became a bootlicker who wanted to stay on Dana White’s good side.
So you’ve chosen to pick a fight with me… or to discredit me in order to curry a favor with your boss who gives you a few quid to commentate and be excited about slap fighting… And that’s why I refer to him as bootlicker Bisping now.
Ariel Helwani via his official YouTube channel
Ariel Helwani WENT OFF on Michael Bisping 😳
“[Bisping] you’re a Slap Fighting commentator… you’re a former bad boy who became a boot licker who wants to stay in good standing [with Dana White]…
So you have chosen to pick a fight with me… in order to curry favor with your… pic.twitter.com/zOK1CHl6ak
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 14, 2024
The MMA journalist revealed that he and Bisping used to be friends. Reportedly, Helwani was banned from the UFC by Dana White, who told him he was banned for being “too negative.” He later learned that it was former owner Lorenzo Fertitta who had sent out the order. It remains to be seen if Bisping responds to the esteemed journalist.
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