Ariel Helwani is not terribly excited by the UFC product these days and recently offered up his thoughts on some of the marquee matches that have been teed up for next year by the company. It’s worth noting these are also sentiments echoed by not just Helwani but also fans and even former UFC champions alike.
During a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, in an excerpt of his show posted to the X account @jedigoodman, the titular figure was responding to some fans who have told him to ‘take a chill pill’ and to just enjoy the fights, Helwani said,
“I get it, but these things matter. There’s been this video being posted everywhere of like ‘we used to get announcements like this.’ And it’s Conor [McGregor] and Jose Aldo walking. This elaborate video, and now we get the Instagram lives. Like all of these things. It just feels so uninspired. The matchmaking feels uninspired. The promotion feels uninspired.”
“The announcements feel uninspired. Everything feels uninspired. I’m sorry if I care so much. I’m sorry if I care this much about the product. I get accused of being a hater. No, it’s cause I care, I love it so much. All of it just feels so ho-hum. All of it feels so like ehhh. We just need to put this out there and the people will eat it up.”
Ariel Helwani on UFC in 2026: “there was once a time where they would never do this”
As the tenured MMA media member further delved into his thoughts on the modern day UFC landscape and methodology, Helwani continued,
“They’ll make the videos and they’ll make the content. They’ll do the interviews and they’ll do all the promotion for us. I want you guys to care as much as we care and it doesn’t feel that way. It doesn’t feel like you’re giving the people what they want. I’m not necessarily saying that ‘oh everyone wanted Amanda Nunes and Kayla Harrison to headline the first show.’”
“But there was once a time where they would never do this. An undisputed title has to go on last especially over an interim belt. It has to go on last. Diego Lopes obviously is going to take this title fight, of course. He would be an idiot not to take the title fight. But in what universe does a guy on a one fight winning streak deserve it over a guy on a nine fight winning streak? Especially a guy like Lerone Murphy who is coming off of incredible knockout win. [Sighs] It all feels very uninspired.”
