Ariel Helwani addresses uncertain future at Vox and Spotify

Ariel Helwani is heading to Paris to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics for CBC.

And at this point, it’s unclear what he’ll be doing once he returns.

As had been reported in June, Helwani’s contracts with both Vox and Spotify are nearing their respective ends. On Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, the longtime insider confirmed his contract with Vox will expire soon and he’s unsure whether he’ll remain the host of The MMA Hour when he returns from Paris next month.

“It’s moving along, but like I said, I would have liked for everything to have been figured out in April,” Helwani said of the ongoing negotiations. “What we’re efforting is a very unique thing and it’s something that I can’t wait to talk to everyone about when it all comes to fruition. And so, if you could just bear with us. By the time, I think, the Olympics are over, I will have a full story to share… we’re moving in that direction and I will know. I’m as curious as everyone else.”

Helwani’s comments seem to indicate that, at a minimum, he has an idea of what a future remaining at Vox would look like. He did, however, qualify that him staying at Vox is “50-50,” so it’s far from a done deal.

Should he ultimately hit free agency, it would be interesting to see which suitors emerge, especially considering his previous work covering UFC for Fox and ESPN. Despite having not worked at a legacy media outlet since leaving ESPN in 2021, Helwani has remained MMA’s top insider, with The MMA Hour being an established top destination for fans of the fight game, which has made headlines in recent months for interviews with WWE superstar CM Punk and Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.

For now, Helwani seemingly remains in a holding pattern as he heads to France for his Olympic duties. But he also seems confident he’ll have more to announce — one way or another — in just a few weeks.

[The MMA Hour]