"What is the incentive to watch this?" - Ariel Helwani questions UFC's decision of "saving money" with Apex Fight Night cards without fans in the building

Ariel Helwani is not a fan of the Fight Night cards at the UFC Apex.

In a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani admitted that it's difficult for him to get invested in watching UFC events when they take place at the Apex. According to the reporter, watching fan-devoid Fight Night events reminded him of the height of the pandemic, which wasn't a pleasant experience.

So why does the UFC keep staging closed-door events? Helwani pointed out, "We know why. They're saving money, they're making money."

With that in mind, the real issue, according to the journalist, is the lack of "spirit" and "hype" surrounding the events. Helwani admitted that the pageantry and atmosphere of events helped him enjoy the fights more.

All things considered, he questioned why fans would choose to watch a UFC Fight Night event over several different choices:

"Unless you're betting on it or unless you're friends or family, why are you tuning into this right now?" Helwani asked. "On a Saturday night, when you have college football, when you've got baseball playoffs, when you have all kinds of things. Starting this week, you'll have the NHL and the NBA as well. What is the incentive to watch this?"

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below:

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Ariel Helwani shares the moment he found out UFC boss will cross any line

It's no secret that Ariel Helwani has a contentious relationship with UFC president Dana White. The fallout came after the reporter had leaked that Brock Lesnar was returning to UFC 200 – a fact that the promotion wanted to keep hush-hush.

Looking back at the incident, Helwani said that it was the moment he found out there wasn't any moral line White wouldn't cross. During a segment of The MMA Hour, Helwani recounted:

“That was the most upset, mad I ever got, was when he referenced my family, because there’s a line. It shows that he has no line. I would never talk about someone’s family, I would never talk about, in that way, even referencing them, because there’s a lot I could say and turn the tables, but I would never do that. There’s a line."

Watch the video below: