Dana White Hints UFC Legend Banned in 2016 Could Finally Make Return

Dana White has suggested he could be ready to bring one of the most recognisable faces in the UFC in from the cold.

UFC CEO and President White is well known for his ruthless streak, cutting fighters from the organisation after poor results or disciplinary issues.

He has also dished out lifetime bans on occasion, with British fighter Paul 'Semtex' Daley famously receiving one after punching Josh Koscheck after their fight at UFC 113.

But arguably his most famous suspension doesn't involved a fighter, but rather a journalist - Ariel Helwani.

Helwani is one of the most respected reporters and broadcasters in MMA, having covered the sport for almost two decades.

He has been named MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards every year since 2010 - that's despite being effectively blacklisted from the UFC.

White banned Helwani from his promotion in 2016 when he broke two huge UFC fights before they had been officially announced.

Helwani was the first to report that WWE superstar Brock Lesnar would return at UFC 200, before confirming Conor McGregor would rematch Nate Diaz at UFC 202.

White banned Helwani in 2016 for two days (Image: Getty)

Helwani was escorted out of UFC 199 before the main event after breaking those two stories and was handed an official lifetime ban by White, although this was rescinded two days later following a backlash from others in the media.

Helwani went on to attend further UFC events up until UFC 248 in 2020 but hasn't been seen at one since, and suggested last year that his broken relationship with the organisation and White could be to blame.

"This is the truth when I left I said to myself, 'I don't want to go back' because… I felt very very uncomfortable towards the end," Helwani said on his podcast.

"They made my life very difficult… so when I left I said 'I'm going to focus on building my show, my relationships, the interviews' and I don’t want to leave my family to feel uncomfortable, so that's that."

However, it appears as though White could be ready to bury the hatchet.

In a conversation with Logan Paul on his podcast, Impaulsive, Helwani's name was mentioned after White asked for the identity of people who have claimed the UFC currently lacks 'star power'.

Ariel Helwani hasn't attended a UFC event in several years (Image: Getty)

"How's he doing?" White asked.

"He's upset that the relationship is what it is with the UFC," Paul explained, having had Helwani on his podcast last month.

"Yeah?" White added. "I'm upset about it too."

"Maybe we should figure this thing out; we should probably all get back together," White added, although it wasn't clear if the UFC boss was being sarcastic.

Helwani himself has said he is prepared to end his feud with White if he is approached by the UFC boss.

"Despite all the differences and there's much more that happened, if Dana White called me up now and said, 'Come to Vegas and let's bury the hatchet', I would have many reasons to say, 'F*** you, I'm not interested', but I would say, 'Yes'," said Helwani.

"I would be on a plane. I'm not looking to do that, to get interviews or scoops or access. I just believe you live life once and I don't want any hate in my heart.

"I don't want any animosity. I think life is too short for that."