Georges St-Pierre has expressed his respect for Ariel Helwani for standing up to longtime UFC boss Dana White. The MMA great and UFC Hall of Famer also opened up about his own relationship with White.
Georges St-Pierre Lauds Ariel Helwani for Standing Up to Dana White
Former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight Champion St-Pierre last competed in MMA in Nov. 2017, submitting Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight championship. St-Pierre subsequently vacated the title. “Rush” announced his MMA retirement in 2019, but fight fans often speculate about whether he could return to the sport, as he’s still closely involved in martial arts training.
During a recent appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” St-Pierre was asked about UFC CEO Dana White allegedly being upset with him for vacating the middleweight belt and not competing in the UFC again. He was also questioned about the current state of his relationship with the UFC MMA organization.
St-Pierre responded, “I’m on good terms with Dana. I saw him in Saudi Arabia last time, and good friend. We talked about stuff that we could not talk before, you know, like stuff that I was thinking when doing negotiation and he was thinking. So it’s funny. We have a funny relationship. And I love Dana. He’s a good guy, and he gave me a device that helped me sleep. He sent it to my house. It’s something that costs a lot of money.”
These words from GSP mean more to me than anyone will ever know. 🙏
"I have to say, Ariel, your job is to deliver the news and you're one of the guys that I really look up to in a way that… Everyone was afraid of the UFC and everybody was always doing what they were being told… pic.twitter.com/uunSozDxEa
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 28, 2025
St-Pierre indicated that the device gifted to him by White analyzes a person’s body frequency and helps them sleep well. The Canadian fighter opined that he has a great relationship with White, adding that he likes the UFC head honcho.
Helwani was famously banned from UFC events after breaking the news of Brock Lesnar’s return at UFC 200 before the UFC could announce it. That started years of bad blood between Helwani and White.
St-Pierre praised Helwani for standing up to the world’s premier MMA organization when most others wouldn’t. He praisingly said, “You’re a reporter, and your job is to deliver the news. And you’re one of the guys that I really look up to, in a way that everyone was afraid of the UFC. And everybody was always doing what they were being told. And you, you didn’t follow that.”
He continued, “You stick to your values, and you report the news the way it is, no matter if it’s brutal or not, and if it could impact your career. And you always did and stood up for your ideology. And I respect that.”