You either care about the pioneers or you don’t - Ariel Helwani exchanges war of words with Jake Paul after latter calls Luke Rockhold vs. Paulo Costa a "dog s**t" fight

Ariel Helwani and Jake Paul recently got into a back and forth on Twitter over Luke Rockhold's return fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 278. Rockhold looked absolutely exhausted after the opening frame but managed to go the distance against Costa, who also appeared to have emptied his gas tank by the end of the fight.

Helwani defended the bout after 'The Problem Child' labeled it a 'dog s**t' fight. While the Canadian journalist lauded the "heart" shown by the fighters, Paul noted that the athletes are paid for their skillset.

Helwani also pointed to Rockhold's long hiatus from the sport and the injuries he has battled recently. However, 'The Problem Child' wasn't willing to buy any excuses and claimed that athletes could be sacked for such a performance in any other sport.

Meanwhile, Helwani believes that Rockhold deserves respect for paving the way for younger fighters and his contribution to the sport at large. The Canadian wrote:

"Disappointing to hear this from you. You either care about the pioneers who paved the way for people your age to fight or you don’t. Nothing embarassing about that fight. Only thing I saw was two guys who refused to quit and left it all out there. Infinite respect to them."

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Jake Paul recently praised Luke Rockhold for speaking up on UFC fighter pay

Luke Rockhold made his return to the octagon after a three-year hiatus at UFC 278. The former UFC middleweight champ was vocal about his opinions regarding fighter pay leading up to the fight.

Rockhold called out UFC president Dana White, suggesting a major raise in bonuses and also spoke up about healthcare for fighters. The 37-year-old was seemingly fearless in voicing his opinions after having achieved a lot inside the octagon.

Jake Paul, who's also leading a fighter pay campaign against the UFC, lauded Rockhold for speaking his mind. 'The Problem Child' wrote:

"Shoutout to Luke for speaking up. Imagine if all the champs came together and voiced the same. UFC has achieved amazing things…now it can & should step up and provide these fighters their fair share."

Rockhold's speech was also appreciated by heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, who has long been engaged in a contract dispute with the UFC.