Ariel Helwani, once a substantial figure in MMA media, is struggling to maintain relevance. Without top-tier fighters appearing on his show, his influence and viewership are fading. The numbers don’t lie — Helwani’s videos are consistently underperforming, and we can’t see a recent six-figure view video in sight.
Don’t tell Ariel’s ego this, but it was never him that people cared about and now that less and less big name fighters are willing to go on his show, there’s not much left.
Yahoo bought in just as the ship was/is sinking.
The Decline in Viewership
Recent uploads paint a clear picture. Despite using high-profile names like Conor McGregor, Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Oleksandr Usyk, and Tyson Fury in his titles, Helwani’s videos are drawing tepid interest at best. Even with big names in the titles, his content isn’t pulling the audience it once did.
Without big name appeal, Helwani is now down to the likes of Tyron Woodley, Kai Kara-France, and Paul Hughes in recent weeks. No disrespect to any of those names, but they’re simply not draws.
Desperation Controversy
Three weeks ago Ariel desperately contrived his own controversy to try and get back into the spotlight. He posted a video titled “Ariel Ethers Jake Shields” featuring Belal Muhammad (and his problems with Belal) that managed just 28,000 views in nearly two weeks.
Ariel’s been known for ignoring smaller channels like Jake Shield’s Fight Back Podcast in the past, but not now. He’s clutching for anything he can to try to maintain relevance.
Shield’s podcast has had some steady growth and currently sits at 27,900 subscribers. Give Shields a few months and he might have more views than Ariel.
The Fighter Problem
Of course, the biggest reason behind Helwani’s decline is his deteriorating relationship with fighters. While Tom Aspinall remains amenable to going on his show, most other big names avoid Helwani like the plague.
Beyond everything else that goes on behind the scenes, the guy just isn’t likeable. If you want an example, just look at his video with Chael Sonnen post Ngannou-Fury.
What’s also embarrassing is when he tries to act like he’s an alpha male, just like he did on the Shield’s video (and the Sonnen appearance). He’d never talk that way to Jake Shield’s so why even feign it on camera?
Cringy Thumbnails
We haven’t even hit 2025 and Ariel’s throwing the kitchen sink at getting views. He’s now resorted to posting exaggerated, stupid facial expressions in his video thumbnails like YouTubers who have to thumbnail clickbait you in to get a view.
A Brand in Trouble
Despite boasting 225,000 subscribers, Helwani’s channel struggles to generate consistent viewership. His older videos, even those from two or three weeks ago, fail to gain traction (i.e., get views). The Uncrowned brand might be a bust before it ever got off the ground.
Helwani’s struggle to secure big-name guests, combined with an unlikeable personality is contributing to his rapid decline.