Gina Carano News Deepens Gap Between UFC's Dana White, Ariel Helwani

Carano Finds Defender In Dana White, Of Course

"Obviously, I am very disappointed in what she posted. To be honest, I have not agreed with a lot of things she has posted over the past year. This last post essentially comparing being a Republican in America or having a certain political view to being a Jew in Nazi Germany during World War II is asinine. It is an absolutely crazy comparison to make. …The Gina that I knew back in the day was a very kindhearted, warm soul. I just hate to see what has happened. When she posted that — to me — it was a real letdown. It was very disappointing."

This prompted UFC President Dana White to bring up Helwani during this past weekend's press conference before UFC 258 on Saturday when asked about Carano and what is happening to her:

"We all make mistakes," White told reporters. "For everybody to go in on her — I love how Ariel Helwani made it all about him. Such a douche." Uhh, no. ESPN, who is owned by Disney and who employs Helwani as an analyst and is the home for all UFC broadcasting, released a statement Monday evening: "Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter," a network statement to USA Today reads. "His record speaks for itself." White, who was a vocal Trump supporter and appeared on his behalf on multiple occasions, has not commented on the statement form ESPN, nor has Helwani.

The two used to to have a great working relationship, until around UFC 200 when Ariel broke the news about Brock Lesnar returning before the UFC could. White at the time issued a lifetime ban on Helwani, even going as far to revoking his media badge at UFC 199 and having him ejected from the building. Before that incident, White and Helwani broke fight announcements together, forging a great working relationship. When the UFC bought Strikeforce for instance, White gave the exclusive to Helwani. Carano was employed there at the time.

White has no business even bringing up Helwani in this instance, and it speaks to the bully mentality the UFC honcho has around him. Smart businessman for sure, but he never tones it down. A man was hurt and insulted about something that was said, and who is he to tell someone how they should feel about anything? Any chance to insult Ariel I guess. As for Helwani, he is one of the most respected journalists in the world covering any subject. His opinion matters, and I will leave you with his second comment on Carano, something White should take note of:

"One last thing and then I'll move on: I'm not ready to give up on Gina Carano. I do believe she is a good person. She hasn't killed anyone or committed a crime. But she did offend me and many, many others. I reached out to her to discuss why, on or off the record. I think it's great to have different opinions. That's what makes mankind special. We shouldn't all think alike. But there is a big difference between different POVs and being insulting or offensive. This was the latter, IMO. I hope I articulated that. I hope she grows from this and is better because of it. I wish Gina the best."