Ariel Helwani is a Canadian journalist known for his work on mixed martial arts. He has been active for more than a decade and has immense experience in MMA journalism. The MMA enthusiast has made a name for himself and is now a household name in the sport.
Early life
Ariel Helwani was born on July 8, 1982 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Born to Mizrahi Jewish parents, he is of mixed ethnicity as his mother is from Lebanon while his father is from Egypt. Raised in Quebec, he currently holds dual Canadian and US citizenship, which he recently adopted in 2022.
It is known that Ariel completed his high school education at Herzliah High School and later went to Syracuse University, SI Newhouse School of Public Communications for his further studies. In 2004 he completed his studies with a bachelor’s degree.
Personal life
Ariel is currently married to his wife Jaclyn Stein, CEO and designer of Anzie Jewellery, and the father of their three children. He hasn’t revealed many details about his family and children and likes to lead a more private life. He doesn’t like to share much about his private life.
Ariel Helwani Social media
Ariel has been active on Twitter since he last joined in 2008 and has around 1.1 million followers on his account. He also has an Instagram account where he has 1.2 million followers and enjoys posting about his career and MMA. Apart from that, he also has a YouTube channel with 126,000 subscribers.
The career of Ariel Helwani
Ariel began his career as a journalist in 2006 after completing his college degree. He initially worked at MMA Fighting for a few years. He also served as an MMA insider for the Fox Sports 1 channel. Ariel also hosted a radio show called Fight Club on Sirius XM and was also active on his MMA podcast and YouTube show MMA Beat. He joined the ESPN network in 2018 and began hosting the show Ariel & The Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen through podcast platforms.
He also contributed to the ESPN broadcasts and the NBA. Most recently in 2021 he decided to leave ESPN due to contractual consequences and later joined as an announcer of MMA fights with VOX media. He also joined BT Sport and appeared on The Ringer. He is currently one of the most recognizable names in MMA journalism and the host community.
controversy
Ariel has had his fair share of controversy over the years, including a lifetime ban from UFC. Back in 2016, he was embroiled in a controversy after being escorted out of UFC 199 along with two colleagues and banned from all UFC events. The ban was a follow-up to his report of Brock Lesnar at UFC 200 being uninformed.
Despite the ban and several emotional outbursts, he continued to cover MMA as a journalist and also garnered the support of some of the big and well-known figures in the industry. The ban was later lifted. Aside from that, he was also involved in the Mayweather-McGregor Tour controversy when he was removed from the team just hours before the press conference.
Ariel Helwani Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Ariel Helwani |
| Date of birth | July 8, 1982 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 39 years |
| Place of birth | Montreal Canada |
| nationality | Canadian-American |
| profession | journalist |
| religion | Jewish |
| sun sign | Cancer |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5′ 11” – in centimeters – 180 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 79kg – in pounds – 174 pounds |
| shoe size | 10 (US) |
| hair colour | Black |
| eye color | dark brown |
| body type | Athletic |
Ariel Helwani Family | |
| Father | – |
| mother | – |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | – |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | Herzlia High School |
| University | University of Syracuse |
Relationship status | |
| Marital status | Married |
| Who is his wife? | Jaclyn Stone |
| children | Two |
Ariel Helwani net worth
Ariel Helwani has worked as an MMA journalist for the last few years and has earned a lot of income and fortune over the years mainly through journalism. He hasn’t disclosed his exact income, but his net worth can be estimated at around $2 million.
Facts About Ariel Helwani
- His maternal grandfather, David Saad, was a judoka and a 1976 Summer Olympics competitor.
- Ariel is fluent in English, French, Hebrew, Spanish and Arabic.
- He is known as a fan of the Buffalo Bills, New York Knicks, Toronto Blue Jays, Montreal Canadians and Everton FC.
- From 2010 to 2019, he was named MMA Journalist of the Year nine times in a row at the World MMA Awards.
- Helwani was included in FIGHT!’s Power 20 list. Magazine 2011.