“It’s Clean; It’s Not NASCAR”: “Professional” Dana White’s Double Standard Gets Exposed

Ariel Helwani‘s tumultuous relationship with Dana White is not a secret for MMA fans. The reporter and the UFC President have had a long-standing enmity which has resulted in the duo taking shots at each other from time to time. Now, in the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani took a dig at the policies that the UFC adapts with regard to sponsors. While discussing the recent UFC and Prime partnership, the reporter pointed out how fighters were deprived of the financial benefits of having sponsors. He went as far as to even state that the Octagon had the most sponsors out of any other playing surface in the world.

The deal between Prime and UFC comes after the end of Body Armor’s contract expiry with the promotion. Prime now will be marketed as UFC’s official sports drink while Monster continues to be the official energy drink.

Ariel Helwani points out UFC’s and Dana White’s hypocrisy with regard to sponsors

Helwani went right off the bat as the episode started. He talked about how the UFC has made the most of the sponsorship deals.“They’ve split this pie up in so many different ways. You’ve got Monster as the official energy drink of the UFC. You had Body armor as the official sports drink.”

He then continued to state how the promotion doesn’t give fighters the independence to wear their own sponsors. “We were always told the best thing about the uniform is that it’s clean it’s not NASCAR it makes us look professional meanwhile the octagon has sponsors up the Wazoo.” Helwani‘s reference to NASCAR clearly was a description of how the Octagon itself looks currently.

“The Octagon now has more sponsors than any playing surface on the planet.” accused Helwani as he claimed that fighters didn’t make anything out of the massive deals that the UFC signed with brands.

“…point is why bring this up? You can add it to the list of sponsors that the fighters get no part of. It’s just the bottom line, them’s the facts, you can add it to the list.” Stated the 40-year-old.

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In a way, many would choose to agree with what Helwani was trying to relay from these statements. Fighters have, on multiple times, asked for the independence to have their own sponsors; as it allows them to enjoy the financial benefits of having a sponsorship. Interestingly, this was also one of Francis Ngannou‘s demands from the promotion before his untimely exit.

KSI, Logan Paul led Prime, becomes the official sports drink of the UFC

Logan Paul and KSI led Prime became the official sports drink of the UFC after the former’s dramatic announcement on social media. The teaser for the announcement had initially left fans wondering; if it was meant to be a fight contract that the older Paul brother was signing up for. Since Jake Paul too, had signed up with the PFL, it made sense that people wondered if Logan was also about to announce an upcoming fight. Ultimately, it was revealed to be a sponsorship deal between Prime and the UFC. With this deal, Prime now has major partnerships across the globe. They had earlier signed up an agreement with Premier League club Arsenal as well.

Now, these accusations from Helwani are not something new for the UFC and Dana White. The promotion has for long played down the topic of allowing sponsors while they continue to pile up massive deals. Many have criticized the company on this topic. However, there have clearly not been any significant changes even in the new Venum deal.

Along with that, Francis Ngannou‘s exit from the promotion after multiple rounds of failed negotiations is just another sign that there are clearly things that can be worked upon.

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As a fan, what are your opinions on the new Prime and UFC partnership? Do you agree with Ariel Helwani’s take on the subject? Let us know in the comments.