Veteran journalist Ariel Helwani has voiced his disappointment over the sudden show of respect between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev following UFC 328, prompting a response from the newly crowned middleweight champion.
For those unfamiliar, Strickland and Chimaev appeared to put their heated rivalry behind them after their clash at UFC 328. Following months of intense trash talk and bad blood leading into the bout, the two embraced inside the Octagon after the fight, with 'Borz' even helping wrap the championship belt around Strickland's waist.
Afterward, Strickland apologized to fans of all backgrounds during his in-cage interview and expressed his appreciation for their support. He later shared a photo with Chimaev on Instagram, praising his opponent as a warrior and thanking the Chechen star for sharing the cage with him.
The display of mutual respect, however, did not sit well with Helwani. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the veteran MMA journalist acknowledged that Strickland's fiery feud with Chimaev played a major role in elevating the excitement around UFC 328. At the same time, he criticized 'Tarzan' for seemingly manufacturing the animosity in the buildup, only to quickly bury the hatchet once the fight was over.
You talked about his religion. You talked about his mom. You talked about his family. You win that fight and tell the world that was all for show. That was all for promotion. That is the biggest bunch of [expletive] that I've ever heard. That is fraud. That is cowardly…And all that tells me is you're not who you say you are.
Ariel Helwani via The Ariel Helwani ShowIt is clear that Helwani, who had praised the buildup to UFC 328, wanted the feud to be real. Later in the rant, he admitted to liking Strickland as a person but still maintained that he did not agree with how he handled himself after the title bout at UFC 328. Nonetheless, Helwani's comments elicited a strong response from the two-time middleweight champion.
This is why I don't do media with him. You are a leech who I've never respected. The moment I met this man, I knew his quality. End of the day, the hatred between us was real, what he said about me was wrong, what I said about him was wrong…But we earned each other's respect through blood, and I would never expect a man of his quality to understand that…You are and will always be a pathetic MMA leech who has done nothing besides criticizing men who are better than yourself.
Sean Strickland via XStrickland's animosity towards Ariel Helwani goes beyond his recent comments. The 35-year-old followed up his above response with a critique of Helwani's political views. But this is not the first time these two have butted heads. A couple of years ago, the Syracuse alum viciously shut down Strickland after he made an uncalled-for accusation against him.
Ariel Helwani has never been afraid to put people in their place, even going after Dana White recently for his alleged lack of commitment to the UFC. His harsh responses to people criticizing him unfairly have led to the genesis of the 'Helwani 10-7' meme within the MMA community. A few years ago, Sean Strickland found out exactly how the veteran journalist garnered this reputation.
In early 2023, Strickland joined Helwani's long-running show, The MMA Hour, after a win over Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Vegas 67. While discussing the win and the American's plans for the rest of the year, Strickland invited trouble by suggesting that Helwani was not a true MMA fan. This prompted Helwani to launch a verbal assault on his guest.
I was at the bar watching MMA when you were in your father's nutsack, when you didn't even know what MMA was…I was hosting an MMA show when it wasn't even cool, when you were going out there taking two bottles of [beer] and smashing them together, causing trouble…I was on the front lines of this sport, creating jobs, doing interviews, and going to events when you were in the parking lot doing wheelies and donuts.
Ariel Helwani via The MMA HourSeeing how heated the host of the MMA Hour got, Strickland backed off his stance. The middleweight champion even confessed to liking the 'fire' he saw from Helwani. Later that year, Strickland would go on to win his first middleweight championship when he beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
Now, after Strickland regained his belt at UFC 328, the two are at odds again. That said, the 185lbs kingpin seemed to dismiss the entire situation with a joke about enjoying sunshine. So this feud may already be over, especially with Strickland wanting some rest after 2 fights in 3 months.
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