"Cry harder Ariel" - Fans react as Ariel Helwani seemingly throws shade at Dana White's speech at Donald Trump's victory rally

MMA fans recently voiced their opinions after witnessing Ariel Helwani's expression during Dana White's speech at Donald Trump's oath-taking ceremony. Helwani expressed his feelings about White's comments without using a single word.

Helwani and White were on good terms during the initial years of the former's UFC reporting career. However, the relationship between the two soured after Helwani leaked some confidential news regarding Brock Lesnar's return at UFC 200 before the UFC could announce it officially.

Helwani's action led to him getting banned from attending live UFC events along with stating that it would be in effect till White's tenure with the promotion. Since then, both have jibed at each other on multiple occasions including Helwani's recent mockery of White.

A recent X update from Helwani showcased that he was confused by White's words during Donald Trump's oath-taking ceremony where he stressed the method of uniting America. He expressed his feelings with an emoji:

"🤔"

However, lots of fans linked Helwani's expression to his distaste towards White. One of them penned:

"Cry harder Ariel"

Others concurred:

"I don’t get it. Am I missing something?"

"Wonder if he would give the same speech if the other candidate won?"

"Ariel thinking of a way to twist this"

Check out some more reactions:

Fan reactions to @arielhelwani's X update. [Screenshots courtesy: @arielhelwani on X]

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Dana White acknowledged Islam Makhchev as the best pound-for-pound fighter currently on the UFC roster

Islam Makhachev claimed the top spot on the UFC's best pound-for-pound fighters' list after his victory against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. However, Dana White continued counting Jon Jones as the best pound-for-pound fighter even after this.

However, Makhachev made a strong statement with his victory over Renato Moicano at UFC 311. His dominant performance changed White's outlook toward the current list of top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion.

White finally gave Makhachev his flowers during the post-UFC 311 press conference by agreeing that he is indeed the best pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion currently:

"He’s already [holds] the pound-for-pound No. 1 ranking. Yeah, I’ll give it to him."

Check out White's words during the post-UFC 311 press conference (1:22):