ESPN Finally Weighs in After Dana White Insults Reporter Calling Him a ‘Douche’

UFC head honcho Dana White is still a little rough around the edges. UFC president Dana White was getting blasted for calling ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani “such a douche,” following this past weekend’s fights. Helwani covers MMA, has nearly 950,000 Twitter followers and more than 1 million on Instagram.  Many of Helwani’s ESPN colleagues expressed support for him on social media over the weekend.

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ESPN finally released a statement backing Helwani.

“Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter,” a network statement to USA Today reads. “His record speaks for itself.”

You've seen ESPNers tweeting support for Ariel Helwani for days in the wake of Dana White's public name-calling.

ESPN's entire statement today: “Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter. His record speaks for itself." https://t.co/t3Sg07uOnz

— Chris Bumbaca (@BOOMbaca) February 16, 2021

Of course the statement did not mention White by name.

ESPN and UFC are corporate partners, with the network carrying exclusive rights to broadcast UFC’s pay-per-view events.

Awkward.

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