MMA journalist Ariel Helwani is by far the most well-known media figure in the space. Arguably more known than some fighters, he's even parlayed his success in MMA to podcasting as well as covering boxing, WWE, and basketball. However, in 2016, the award-winning Helwani was banned from covering the UFC in person, as the journalist was simply no longer welcome around the promotion.

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He was thrown out of UFC 199 personally by UFC President Dana White, and the company's brass. Helwani was indefinitely banned following the event, however, the ban was rescinded following fan backlash. However, Helwani still doesn't attend UFC events nowadays. Regardless, why was he thrown out, to begin with?

7 Ariel Helwani Signed To Fox

Ariel Helwani Cropped
Photo Credit - USA Today Network

To understand Helwani's history with the UFC, one has to go back to 2016. The already established MMA journalist juggernaut signed to Fox Sports, who was the UFC's broadcaster at the time. Helwani had a good relationship with the UFC, Dana White, and Fox at the time, but it would quickly unravel.

Helwani continued doing his standard work for The MMA Hour, where he would interview fighters from all across the MMA world. It was interviews where the fighters would discuss the UFC in a negative light, that lead to his departure. Helwani's interview with Rory MacDonald about leaving the UFC led him to be canned in early 2016.

6 His Quickly Declining Relationship With Dana White

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Mark J. Rebilas - USA Today Network

Believe it or not, there was a time when Dana White and Ariel Helwani were on good terms. The two had a good relationship over the years, with the reporter doing many interviews with the UFC president. Even after Helwani was fired from Fox, he praised White for giving him access over the years.

RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Dana White

However, their relationship quickly went downhill. Thanks to Helwani covering issues such as fighter pay and athletes departing the UFC in 2016, White began to have beef with the reporter. So going into June 2016, they were far from on good terms.

5 UFC 200

Brock Lesnar UFC

It's difficult to state how huge UFC 200 was supposed to be for the promotion. The UFC was attempting to get every single fighter possible on the card. The original main event for the card was Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II, although that would soon be canceled.

The UFC then settled on Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II as the main event, but they weren't looking to stop there. They began working on a rare cross-promotion deal to have former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar fight on the card.

4 Helwani Reports Brock Lesnar's Return At UFC 199

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UFC 199 was the stage of Michael Bisping's victory over Luke Rockhold in the main event. What it is also known for was the announcement of Brock Lesnar's return at UFC 200. They had an amazing trailer for UFC 200, with Lesnar's announcement coming at the end to the shock of UFC fans.

Well, that's what was supposed to happen. The promotion ran the trailer, but fans already knew because Helwani announced Lesnar's return just as UFC 199 was going live on the air. The move caused a swift and brutal reaction from the UFC.

3 Helwani Gets Thrown Out And Banned

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Ariel Helwani was cageside, alongside fellow MMAFighting reporters Esther Lin and Casey Leydon, before they were thrown out of UFC 199. According to Helwani, he was called backstage by Dana White and was pushed around, had his credential taken, and escorted out of the arena. He was then given a lifelong ban by the company.

The move prompted a massive backlash from fans and fighters alike. Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, and Chris Weidman all came to his defense on Twitter. However, Dana White noted that the ban on Helwani would last "as long as he's there."

2 Ariel Gets Unbanned

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Once again, fans learned not to believe Dana White. Two days after UFC 199 was banned, the UFC officially rescinded the ban and allowed Helwani, and all MMAFighting reporters, to gain credentials to events.

RELATED: 10 Biggest Lies Dana White Ever Told

The UFC gave their official reasoning for the ban on the same day that they unbanned him. They opined that the reason was that Helwani's reporting went beyond the purpose of standard journalism. Despite the ban being lifted, Helwani didn't go to many events following the incident.

1 They're Still On Bad Terms Today

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The UFC isn't known to be forgiving, so they naturally still hate Helwani. Dana White notably bashes Helwani at any time that it's possible, and they've had him removed from events such as Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather, despite it being a Showtime production.

For his part, Helwani has also gone into detail about his ESPN stay being a disaster thanks to UFC interference. He was picked up by the company before the UFC was with ESPN, but following their merger, he lost many opportunities. According to him, he wasn't even allowed to be in the same building as Dana White, which seems a bit overboard.