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UFC's ban on Ariel Helwani is small-time, desperate and bad news for fans

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, barred by the UFC "for life" for doing his job, is fighting back. And he should.

Helwani reported over the weekend, at UFC 199, that Brock Lesnar would return for UFC 200. The company wanted to do it on the broadcast. Retribution was swift and petty as hell; Helwani was escorted from the building, and by Monday Dana White was ripping him on TMZ.

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Around the same time, Helwani went on his own "MMA Hour" podcast and, in a nearly two-hour live stream, reiterated what happened.