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UFC fighter Joaquin Buckley has stirred up controversy with his recent comments about Ariel Helwani and the MMA media. After securing a significant victory over Vicente Luque, Buckley appeared on Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour show for MMA Fighting. However, instead of discussing his win, Buckley used the platform to criticize Helwani and the media's treatment of fighters.
During the interview, Buckley accused Helwani of asking questions that could potentially damage a fighter's career. He expressed his displeasure with how the media portrays fighters, feeling that they often diminish their character and humanity.
“So I was just doing Ariel Helwani’s show and to be honest, I’m not a big fan of Ariel because when he be having fighters on, he be like, setting them up with questions that could potentially hurt a mother******’s career if you say the wrong thing.
At the end of the day, this is a business and Ariel, yeah he’s great at what he does for his job, right, but for me, I feel like he been enticing certain things within the industry that could hurt certain fighters.”
Reflecting on his appearance, Buckley admitted that he should not have participated in the interview, as it led him to feel out of character. Despite his criticism, Buckley acknowledged Helwani's talent but believes that the media, in general, could do more to promote fighters in a positive light.
Buckley's comments have sparked discussion within the MMA community about the role of the media in promoting and representing fighters. As Buckley looks ahead to his future in the UFC, his outspoken views may continue to generate attention and debate.