On this day one year ago, we covered renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani celebrating some good news.
In most recent news, Helwani has been vocal about the fallout of Dana White‘s physical altercation with his wife. But one year ago, Helwani made headlines for a much more positive and self-related reason.
The following article is presented to you in its original form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day One Year Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 14, 2022, 4:00 PM EST]
Headline: Ariel Helwani Reacts To Major Career News, “Is This Real Life?”
Ariel Helwani will be joining the team of HBO’s Real Sports for an episode next week in what the MMA reporter considers another career milestone.
Wednesday, Helwani shared a screenshot of the press release announcing his upcoming appearance on the program.
“Is this real life?! Unbelievably, yes, it is. And I can’t properly explain how much this opportunity means to me, but I’ll try in the subsequent tweets. Here goes …”
Helwani went on to share an anecdote about serving as an intern for HBO in 2003 and assisting in the segment, “Risky Business: Deaths In Wrestling.” As a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, Helwani noted that this was a meaningful and serendipitous project for him.
Helwani ultimately left HBO in the summer of 2005. However, you can view “Heelwani’s” triumphant return to HBO next week.
Ariel Helwani Covers Birdwatching Segment
Helwani will not be reporting on anything MMA related, however. The title of his segment is “Bird Brains.” The following is the synopsis of the segment per WarnerMedia:
“Each year, more than a dozen teams set out to prove they are the best in the world at one of the most unusual competitions ever: bird watching. The eagle-eyed observers set out across the great state of New Jersey to participate in a contest lasting 24 consecutive hours. The team that spots and identifies the greatest number and variety of birds within that period is declared the winner with a grand prize of…zero dollars. In his first piece for Real Sports, Ariel Helwani reports. Producers: Chapman Downes/Evan Burgos.”
In addition to being the lead voice of The MMA Hour, Helwani also won “MMA Journalist of the Year” at the World MMA Awards from 2010-2019. He also worked as a lead MMA journalist for ESPN from 2018-2021.
Helwani also has worked with other major outlets such as SHOWTIME for boxing coverage and BT Sport, where he has helped cover World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) content.
This episode of HBO Real Sports episode is scheduled for Tuesday, July, 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT). The episode debuts on HBO and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Will you be watching Ariel Helwani’s “Bird Brains” segment on HBO?