Ariel Helwani says UFC reporters' risk of losing access is 'not a misconception'

Helwani was replying to a column by The Sun's Jack Figg, who pressed White on Fury vs Joshua, and says White treats the boxing media differently because he needs them.

Ariel Helwani says the idea that UFC reporters risk losing access for challenging Dana White is "actually not a misconception", in reply to a column by The Sun's Jack Figg.

Figg was the reporter who pressed White about Fury vs Joshua at his press conference. In his column, he wrote that "the bar is just extremely low when it comes to honest and pressing dialogue with Dana", and that White "seems to get off the hook all too easily in his UFC bubble, where media seem too fearful of losing access to ever dare stand up to the 57-year-old pal of Donald Trump." He added: "There's a common misconception – and myth – that UFC media members risk being barred and losing credentials for challenging the boss."

Helwani read the column out on The Ariel Helwani Show. "That is actually not a misconception," he said. "He does reference me... that my ban lasted 48 hours... but he's glossing over an entire history."

Helwani said White deals with the two sports differently. "Stop making this into MMA versus boxing," he said. "Dana White's relationship with the boxing media is completely different than his relationship with the MMA media. He needs the boxing media. He's trying to win them over. It's why he will do IFL interviews but not do the equivalent of that in the world of MMA."

"In boxing, he's trying to sign Shakur, Terence, Ryan, Benavidez," Helwani said. "He's on the back foot in MMA... It's a completely different Dana White that you're dealing with."

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