"Starting to make too many enemies"- MMA fans notice Ariel Helwani's alleged subtle jab at Jamahal Hill during Jiri Prochazka interview

Many MMA fans have weighed in on Ariel Helwani's alleged subtle jibe at Jamahal Hill during his (Helwani's) latest MMA Hour interview with Jiri Prochazka. MMA journalist Helwani and former UFC light heavyweight champion Hill have been at loggerheads for the past several months.

In the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Helwani hosted Jiri Prochazka in an in-studio interview and seemed to suggest that he's still the true UFC light heavyweight champion. After Prochazka vacated the UFC light heavyweight belt due to injury in late 2022, the vacant title was at stake in a fight that ended in a draw, after which Hill captured the title by beating Glover Teixeira in January 2023.

Hill, too, vacated the title after suffering an injury in July 2023. Former UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight belt on November 11, 2023. On that note, Hill is eyeing the Pereira-Prochazka winner next.

During their latest The MMA Hour conversation, Ariel Helwani pointed to an in-studio figurine of Jiri Prochazka and referred to him as the true light heavyweight champion. Helwani stated:

"I had to keep the real champ up the whole time just to let the doubters know who's the man, so you're right there. You'll always be there, my friend."

Some MMA fans viewed this as a purported jibe at Jamahal Hill and posted video snippets of it online. The journalist has previously feuded with other fighters as well. One fan tweeted a video snippet of Ariel Helwani's comments and wrote:

"Ariel’s so slimy the way he has to chuck in a sly little diss at jamahall hill man"

Similarly, other fans alluded to the long-running Ariel Helwani-Jamahal Hill beef, with several opining that Hill could simply fight and KO the journalist. One fan tweeted:

"Ariel is starting to make too many enemies. Tbh it’s a bit deserved seeing how disrespectful he is when he’s behind a screen."

Check out a few screenshots of fans responding to Helwani's supposed shot at Hill below:

Screenshots of fan tweets

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A closer look at the Ariel Helwani Jamahal Hill beef

Jamahal Hill captured the UFC light heavyweight title by dominantly defeating Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision in January 2023. Following that, Ariel Helwani suggested that either Jiri Prochazka or Alex Pereira would likely defeat Hill and win the belt from him.

Hill was subsequently interviewed by Helwani via video call on The MMA Hour, during which 'Sweet Dreams' jibed at the journalist for picking Prochazka and Pereira to beat him.

Helwani appeared to downplay his previous comments and instead brought up Hill's comments on the much-discussed slap incident involving UFC CEO Dana White. At a 2023 New Year's Eve party, White was slapped by his wife and responded by slapping her back. Hill tweeted about the incident and implied that people shouldn't hit one another irrespective of their gender.

Helwani raked up the issue during his MMA Hour interview with Hill as an apparent counter to 'Sweet Dreams' confronting him about picking Prochazka and Pereira to defeat him.

Jamahal Hill hit back by implying that Ariel Helwani was bringing up a topic, the White slap incident, that didn't pertain to him and his career. Regardless, Helwani disagreed. In the ensuing months, both 'Sweet Dreams' and Helwani have taken multiple jabs at each other.

Helwani accused the UFC fighter of stirring drama to promote his YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Hill weighed in on the Canadian journalist's recent verbal altercation with MMA veteran Chael Sonnen. 'Sweet Dreams' lambasted Helwani for being disrespectful online and avoiding real-life confrontations.