Today’s guest, Ariel Helwani, is widely regarded as the top MMA journalist, but 24 hours before this podcast aired, he had his credential revoked and was ejected from the arena in the middle of UFC 199 because he had broken news about the sport. A few days before these events occurred, Jonah Keri talked with Ariel about why Ariel thinks that MMA is the best sport to cover, but also about his tenuous relationship with UFC President Dana White. They also talked about about the small trilingual Jewish high school in suburban Montreal they both attended; their Jekyll-Hyde basketball personas; how Ariel pioneered MMA reporting starting at Syracuse in 2001; covering the Expos’ final spring training; gender equality in MMA; the past, present, and future of MMA; the appeal of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor; working in a young sport with constant changes; the pressure of being a sport’s most prominent journalist; future career aspirations; whether baseball will return to Montreal; and Ariel’s Life Tips.

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