Ariel Helwani Under Fire for Ruining Conor McGregor’s UFC Return Announcement

Ariel Helwani may have gotten ahead of the UFC yet again, much to the dismay of the organization. A few weeks ago, the prominent MMA journalist had confidently stated that Conor McGregor would return during International Fight Week at UFC 329 on July 11th, with Max Holloway as the likely opponent.

Many believed him, but a few didn’t—one of whom was UFC veteran Chael Sonnen. In response, Helwani has now gone further to inadvertently reveal that the UFC will make an official announcement on the same within the next 24 hours, essentially during the UFC 328 broadcast in Newark.

“[Chael Sonnen] p—ed me off on Monday, when he didn’t believe my report about Conor McGregor,” Helwani said during a recent live event. “I’m about to shove it in your face when [the UFC] announces it in the next 24 hours.”

When it comes to Conor McGregor’s return, Dana White and the matchmakers reportedly faced turbulence while negotiating a deal under Paramount’s new broadcasting structure. Still, the UFC CEO reassured everyone multiple times that the promotion remains in positive discussions with the MMA star and that he would eventually return to the Octagon.

Recently, White raised expectations even further by revealing on Jim Rome’s show that the deal is very close to being finalized and that McGregor’s return would happen in the summer. But he refrained from revealing the specific date.

As per the UFC head honcho’s revelation, Conor McGregor’s return is set for the summer months of June, July, or August. In that case, many expect ‘The Notorious’ to make his grand return during International Fight Week in July or at UFC 330 in Philadelphia in August. However, with Helwani’s latest statement, UFC 329 now appears to be the likely event.

The announcement timing matters practically. If McGregor is fighting on July 11th, the UFC would need to go public soon to open ticket sales, making a Newark announcement during UFC 328 weekend a logical move regardless of Helwani’s involvement. Despite this, the reaction online was pointed.

Fans call out Ariel Helwani for getting ahead of the Conor McGregor fight announcement 

Dana White and Ariel Helwani’s relationship turned sour in June 2016, he revealed Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 comeback before the promotion could make it official. Infuriated by this, the UFC banned him from reporting on-site. Now, he has done it yet again, but with Conor McGregor.

Though the promotion reportedly reconsidered the ban later, Helwani stopped attending UFC press conferences in person. With that history, it’s understandable why MMA fans would be upset. Still, some believe an official announcement is indeed on the way.

“They must be announcing the IFW card tomorrow… would line up with Jourdain’s tweet earlier!” one fan wrote. Here, the fan was referring to UFC bantamweight contender Charles Jourdain’s recent social media post, where he claimed that the UFC would announce the biggest fight of his career tomorrow. Although he didn’t reveal much, the tease was enough for fans to start connecting the dots. However, not everyone was convinced.

One fan wrote, “No way. They’re definitely going to use the publicity of the White House to announce Conor’s return,” which prompted another user to reply, “No way they’re going to wait till June 14 to announce Conor is fighting and put tickets on sale for July 11th?”

And that’s actually a fair point. If Conor’s return is indeed set for July, the UFC would likely need to make the announcement in Newark so ticket sales can begin immediately. But that wasn’t the only theory floating around online.

Another fan already pitched a dream matchup, writing, “Conor vs Charles ,” which could actually become a strong possibility considering the UFC may need a high-stakes fight to elevate the fight to a main event, and there may be nothing bigger than putting the BMF title on the line for McGregor’s return.

Whether Ariel Helwani’s 24-hour window proves accurate will be known before UFC 328 ends on Saturday night. And if it does, it would mark another instance of the journalist breaking UFC news before the promotion is ready to break it themselves.