Yahoo Sports MMA commentator Ariel Helwani isn’t buying the hype. The veteran MMA journalist pushed back hard on UFC President Dana White’s bold claim that UFC Freedom 250 will draw Super Bowl-like viewership numbers.
What We Know: UFC Freedom 250 takes place this Sunday night on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. The historic seven-fight card streams exclusively on Paramount+. The event is headlined by a lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane meet in the co-main event for the interim heavyweight belt. White, speaking with TNT Sports UK, predicted the event would rival the Super Bowl’s massive audience — a benchmark that routinely exceeds 125 million viewers. Helwani disagreed on the latest edition of The Ariel Helwani Show.
What They Said:: Ariel Helwani countering Dana White’s prediction that UFC Freedom 250 will do “Super Bowl-like” numbers: “It’s an impossible number to get to, in my opinion. When you consider that the Super Bowl did 130 on average. It [UFC Freedom 205] does numbers across the world. I just think it’s gonna be impossible [to do Super Bowl like numbers].
Ariel Helwani says Dana White’s viewership prediction is part of the hype machine: “I get Dana’s [White] a promoter, and you have to hype your event. But wasn’t he just on camera this weekend saying, ‘Do I ever lie on camera?” Well, yes, we could probably use that drop from now until the end of time. He will embellish, lie, stretch all that and more.”
Ariel Helwani says UFC Freedom 250 hosted on a Sunday night will affect the global viewership number: “The main card will be airing in Ireland on a Monday at 1am. Who’s watching this on a Monday morning? It’s not Saturday night, so I think that’s going to affect the global number. It’s a work day. Now you want to talk US [viewership] number only. Well, 8pm to 1am is still going to be a tough sell for people who are working the next day.”
What Remains Unclear:: Whether White’s Super Bowl viewership prediction becomes reality.
What It Means:: Helwani’s skepticism is mired in facts. Meanwhile, White had to clarify Wednesday that his comments were meant to mean a global audience for the upcoming event. However, the Paramount+ subscriber base may not meet a global Super Bowl like audience. However, Freedom 250 is genuinely unprecedented in setting. Moreover, the event will likely set MMA viewership records — just nowhere near the NFL’s championship standard.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
