Ariel Helwani is the most plugged-in reporter on the MMA and UFC beat. A spokesperson emailed me the following: “Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter. For everyone to go all in on her — I love how Ariel Helwani made it all about him. Today, Helwani is probably the most plugged-in MMA reporter out there, boasting nearly 1 million Twitter followers. With those agreements in mind, there was pressure on ESPN to release a statement defending its star MMA reporter.

Source: Forbes February 15, 2021 17:23 UTC