Det står nu klart att den välkända MMA-journalisten Ariel Helwani i juni kommer att gå över till mediaplattformen ESPN där han kommer att ta på sig en hel del nya projekt. Helwani kommer bland annat att ha en podcast tillsammans med MMA-fighter Chael Sonnen kallad “Ariel & The Bad Guy” och vara programledare för ett nytt MMA-program på ESPN+ samt fortsätta med “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show”.
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HETAST JUST NU
”En dröm går i uppfyllelse”
För dem som följer MMA har Helwani varit ett välkänt ansikte som kommit att associeras med sporten sedan han började rapportera professionellt 2006. Han har haft en ledande roll på MMAfighting.com och är programledare för den populära showen ”The MMA Hour”. Helwani har dock också varit inblandad i en hel del kontroverser med bland annat UFC.
I juni 2016 blev Helwani tillsammans med två kollegor eskorterade bort från UFC 199 innan huvudmatchen tagit vid och de blev sedan informerade att de är portade från alla UFC-galor på livstid. Anledningen tycktes vara att Helwani rapporterat om Brock Lesnars retur till buren innan UFC själva kunde göra det.
Trots ett flertal kontroverser under åren har Helwani fortsatt att vara en pelare inom MMA-världen och det tåls att se hur hans flytt till ESPN kommer att påverka hans arbete.
Det här hade Helwani själv att säga om den kommande flytten:
“For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to work at ESPN. I know the term ‘dream come true’ is often overused, but this is truly that for me. Growing up in Montreal we didn’t get ESPN, but any time my family would travel down south I would stay in our hotel room as long as possible watching the morning SportsCenter on loop. I’ve loved all things ESPN since I was a kid, and in all honesty, it still feels a bit surreal that I am joining the gold standard in sports media. I couldn’t be more excited to get started and am extremely thankful for the opportunity.” sade Helwani
“Ariel and The Bad Guy” kommer att köras igång den 20 juni och bjuder på 30 minuter av nyheter på ESPN+ varje onsdag.
“I’m pumped. Fans are going to love the show Ariel and I are doing. And like they say… You can’t spell MMA on ESPN without C-H-A-E-L! Ummmmm… Wait a sec….” sade Sonnen om det nya samarbetet med Helwani.
I’m beyond thrilled to share the news that I will be joining @espn next month. For as long as I can remember, this has been a dream of mine. It’s honestly hard to put into words how much this means to me. Here’s more: https://t.co/3D2D4qqk9Q
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018
Thank you very much @espn for this opportunity. It is an honor to join the very talented team already in place. I remember watching the channel(s) as a kid and dreaming of working there someday. It’s still a bit hard to believe this dream is actually coming true.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018
I’ll truly miss working with my colleagues at @mmafighting. Every single staff member is a phenomenal journalist and an even better person. I made friends for life there and will always cherish our time together. It’s been an incredible nine-year run.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018
I can’t thank Jim, Kevin and Bryan at Vox enough for everything they did for me and my family. I loved my time there. I gave everything I had to the site and will continue to support them from afar. Thank you Matt and Nick for your help and support in making this possible.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018
Most importantly, thanks to you, the wonderful fans of this sport, for always being so great to me throughout all the ups and downs. From Jarry Park to now ESPN, what a fun ride it’s been. We’ve had what I consider to be a special bond for over a decade.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018
I hope that bond will continue for many years to come. I appreciate your loyalty more than you’ll ever know and hope you believe me when I tell you this dream doesn’t come to fruition without that loyalty. Thank you again. I can’t wait to get started.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 17, 2018