Ariel Helwani Takes Aim at Dana White’s Power Slap League: “We Don’t Want It”

We’ve talked a lot about how MMA fighters have long-running beef. It is very common to see two UFC stars go head to head in and out of the ring due to rivalry. However, Dana White and Ariel Helwani go beyond that spectrum with their lasting feud.

The UFC president and the UFC reporter have a long history of throwing jabs at each other. This time Helwani took shots at Dana’s new Power Slap League. Ariel has taken great distaste for the format of the sport and called it “slap-cr*p” and “nonsense”.

“They’re trying so hard to make this [Power Slap League] seem like a success, make it seem important. They’re on some app that I’ve never heard about and probably would juice numbers. This is like, someone with a spoon just being like, ‘Take it!’ Well, we don’t want it. I don’t want to see this in my timeline anymore. I don’t want to see it, I’m tired of it. I don’t want to see guys who look like they came off the streets slapping each other.”

In the latest, on The MMA Hour, the veteran MMA journalist went above and beyond to trash the Power Slap League and its founder. He talks about how the top person in the league only receives about $45k. Ariel mentions it as a stupid amount to get slapped on the face.

“One [thing] was, he did the classic, ‘Thank you to the media for making this such a success.’ I mean, if keeping 1/5th of the AEW audience and hovering around the Mendosa line on the viewership – if that’s a success to you, and you know it ain’t, then okay, you’re welcome. But it ain’t a success. He looks to the side, he’s like, ‘How much did the top guy make? 45k? This guy’s making big money, he’s making 45k to get his f*****g brains slapped out of his head.’ Oh, that’s big money? I mean, he wipes his a** with 45k.”

Ariel talks about how keeping 1/5th of the AEW audience did not make the show a success. He has also talked about how they are creating fake hype for a sport that desperately wants to break out into the mainstream. However, constant critique from the MMA community has pushed the league backward.

Fans and MMA personalities alike have been very critical of White’s Power Slap League. For its character and set of rules, the sport itself has drawn criticism. Even the group has come under fire for pretending to engage on social media.

We don’t know how long will the Power Slap League hold on before everyone dismisses it. Dana’s beloved project has also been booted out by the TBS after just one season. Even if Power Slap doesn’t last Dana and Ariel’s beef most definitely will.

What are your thoughts on the story? Let us know in the comments.