Ariel Helwani Joins Long List Of Former ESPN Employees Who Have Trashed The Network

After UFC journalist Ariel Helwani had his contract with ESPN expire at the end of last year, he has hit the open market. And now that Helwani is no longer employed by the media empire, he isn’t afraid to let loose about his hatred of the company.

During his Monday morning appearance on “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz”, Helwani trashed ESPN, calling out the “sad-sack fake journalists” who now cover UFC events.

“I don’t want anyone to think that ESPN, you know, fired me, or didn’t extend any contract. They did. Of course, it wasn’t what I was hoping for, and you can come up with your own type of theory as to why they extended the offer they extended. I think I’m worth a lot more than they offered, and I’m out to prove it,” Helwani said.

“I never got a single plug in my three years there, a SINGLE plug on any type of broadcast. I stopped counting at the 7th plug on Saturday for their two new shows.” — @arielhelwani unloads on his time at ESPN!! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥
💥 https://t.co/2MdaM3y5jA pic.twitter.com/6mUmsaJyuY

— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) July 12, 2021

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Ariel Helwani was also upset that ESPN ran a promo of his former show after he had already been long gone from the network.

“I’ll just add, you know, the pettiness knows no bounds. The real estate, as they say in Las Vegas, I hear is pretty good these days. For Ariel Helwani, and I’ll talk to myself here in the third person, it’s rent-free,” Helwani said.

“Because what they did on Saturday, the two shows that I had with Chael [Sonnen] and [Daniel Cormier], that I helped build, that I was the one who was promoting more than anyone, anyone. I mean, all day incessantly, I never got a single plug in my three years there, a single plug, on any type of broadcast, any type of broadcast, for three years,” Helwani said.

Ariel Helwani isn’t the first ESPN employee who has come out to condemn the network for how they do business.

Jemele Hill has often talked smack about her time at ESPN. And Dan Le Batard himself didn’t care for how he was policed for voicing his political views.

Mike Golic also spoke on how ESPN’s mishandling of the Rachel Nichols, Maria Taylor saga was consistent with how they operate.

Not only was Ariel Helwani upset with how he was treated at ESPN. But he also felt slighted when former co-worker Daniel Cormier complimented Max Kellerman for his UFC coverage.

https://t.co/hpYdRthmlp pic.twitter.com/VIp7w4kFnx

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 10, 2021

Ariel Helwani is out for blood from ESPN. And it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the talented MMA analyst.

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