I'm not sure where to post this and if I posted it wrong place, I'm sorry and you can move it. It's a mixture of UFC and WWE talk with him but here's overall recap from my blog.
The Uncommon One: Twitter Takeover
Now the second part of the column will discuss a pretty random weekend. I'm not going to talk about Friday because I don't have any funny bar stories from Friday night. All I did was see the Knicks dismantle the Wizards and other nonsense. The fun started Saturday where a huge UFC event was being held at Brother Jimmy's. This is a bar and grill in the city but I did have some trouble at first to get in. Despite the huge promotion, you had to be 21 which had me worried. Eventually the boss knew that I was a huge fan and knew about the promotional event so they were kind enough to let me. The promotion never said you had to be 21 to get in but it didn't surprise me. The big promotion for the event was the best (he has the awards to show it) MMA writer in the business in Ariel Helwani. Ariel was the big draw to come to this event which drove me to go. This wasn't a Pay Per View event so I could have watched this at home but Ariel is someone that is up there with my five favorite writers in the world. We are in this huge basement with like fifty people but I somehow sneaked my way into Ariel's reserved table. I came alone for this event and I'm always aggressive when someone famous is being so open. The table is set with his wife and his brother along with a few other random people. It was pretty mind blowing as the event started. The guy that was in front of me was really picking Ariel's mind which had me jealous. He was a cool guy though and knew way more than me about UFC which is shocking. I'm not going to give the play by play about the card because they're weren't many big names. It was a pretty exciting Pay Per View with only two fights not ending in a knockout or submission. Brian Stann was the huge fan favorite because he's this all American guy that prides himself to be a role model. He had a knockout within three minutes which was impressive. Eventually I got to talk to Ariel a bit and it was pretty surreal. He brought up Mirko Cro Cop on the one guy that I would love to interview and it was my spot to say I'm Croatian and that guy is like a hero to me. We started talking about Cro Cop and how even though he was a bust in the UFC, he's still a legend. A cool question asked from the guy next to me about what was the scariest interview that Ariel did? If you're a huge UFC fan, you would remember how much Rampage Jackson would act like a complete bully to Ariel and always act like an a**hole. Ariel doesn't mind Rampage though and said he's calmed down since he's been taken down a few notches. The only interview that had Ariel worried was with Nick Diaz which doesn't surprise me. The interview was about the Nick Diaz-Paul Daley fight. Nick didn't like how Ariel was creating some heat between them and said something that you get slapped for pulling stunts like that. Ariel had no idea what was going on but admitted that he thought something was going to happen. Everyone knows that Nick Diaz is a nut job and can't be trusted so I don't blame Ariel. A few other topics that were brought up was that Ariel hasn't missed a show since September 2009. He was excited to become a father and wasn't too bummed out missing out on Jon Jones versus Rashad Evans. The other thing that I found interesting was how similar we were in terms of mindsets. We both feel like these next few months for UFC are going to be huge for buy rates and bringing in so much buzz to the sport. With Brock Lesnar leaving and the last UFC on Fox being disappointment, UFC hasn't been too hot lately. Eventually the place really started to get packed so Ariel began to walk around and talk to people. Eventually when the main event happened which I thought delivered with excitement. I've liked Alexander Gustafsson for the past year and love his potential. He was fighting in his own home town of Stockholm, Sweden. He was facing a returning Thiago Silva who looked like possessed from his build. Silva never got going though which was disappointing because he looked physically imposing. Gustafsson almost knocked him out in the first round and had everyone yelling but eventually toned down because Silva was defending for his life. The fight ended with a decision win for Alex which should move him up the card. Ariel picked Alex mainly because Silva is past his prime and Alex is athletically superior to him.
The show is over and eventually the place starts clearing out. I'm listening to the post fight show with Mark Munoz and Chael Sonnen. I'm not sure what was more shocking how open Ariel was or that Chael didn't cut a promo about himself. I'd like to point out that I felt a bit out of place talking to some of these guys. I'll admit that football and basketball are my main sports but UFC is starting to become a huge part of me. Still it was blowing my mind how these guys knew everything about everyone. It was tough to hold my own but I didn't look too bad in front of some experts on the table. Eventually after listening to one of Ariel's assistants explain to me how he got the job which was really basic. It was really cool and he kept saying how important college was which made my brain fried. Eventually the place is finally clearing so I got to talk to Ariel alone. Some people don't know this but Ariel is a huge wrestling fan. I had my CM Punk shirt on to catch his attention because Ariel has interviewed Punk twice and it sounded like two friends just talking. Eventually I got in this mode where this guy is my buddy and were just talking for ten minutes about the business and experiences. He admits that he doesn't watch it weekly because he's busy but he ordered Wrestlemania because he knew how good CM Punk versus Chris Jericho. The one major question I had to ask him was the Brock Lesnar Undertaker face off. Most people would remember this from last year, Cain Velsaquez beat Brock Lesnar for the championship which led to Brock all bloody and not knowing what was going on. He is walking out of the arena while Undertaker is getting interviewed by Ariel. They had the face off and Ariel admitted he had no idea what was going on. He was in the middle of two giants that might get into a scrap. We talk some more about the business and how it seems to be on the rise but he's still let down that they watered down the CM Punk rebel character. The last cool thing Ariel mentioned was that he had a radio station based on wrestling in Montreal in the late 1990's. People might think that's not major but it really is since wrestling is like a religion in Canada. It's also the 1990's where Bret Hart was considered a icon in Canada. It blew my mind when he said he was at the Montreal Screw Job and still believes that it wasn't a work which means that the entire thing wasn't scripted. I still think it's a shoot regardless what people think because both Bret and Shawn Michaels really hated each other.Ariel was an overall stand up guy talking about both companies which some people think are rivalries. I'm really appreciative of the event and it was cool to see a writer that covers UFC but still is a fan of wrestling because most people only like one sport. I've met a decent amount of famous people, but nothing has topped off meeting Ariel. I'll probably recap all the famous people I've met someday and the experience, but the fact that I got to talk to whatever I want with Ariel was cool. I wish all of him the best in terms of being a father and his writing career. His wife was really nice even though it still shocks me that she can watch such a brutal sport. She didn't look like the hardcore chick that would be into UFC, but she seems very supportive of Ariel. Overall this was a memorable experience and Ariel said this hopefully won't be the last. I wish more famous people would be more open like this and not be so plain with answers to questions. It has happened most of the time but you will get some people that are so open and cool. We took a picture and I headed out to see my friend from England. Thanks again Ariel!
The Uncommon One: Twitter Takeover
Now the second part of the column will discuss a pretty random weekend. I'm not going to talk about Friday because I don't have any funny bar stories from Friday night. All I did was see the Knicks dismantle the Wizards and other nonsense. The fun started Saturday where a huge UFC event was being held at Brother Jimmy's. This is a bar and grill in the city but I did have some trouble at first to get in. Despite the huge promotion, you had to be 21 which had me worried. Eventually the boss knew that I was a huge fan and knew about the promotional event so they were kind enough to let me. The promotion never said you had to be 21 to get in but it didn't surprise me. The big promotion for the event was the best (he has the awards to show it) MMA writer in the business in Ariel Helwani. Ariel was the big draw to come to this event which drove me to go. This wasn't a Pay Per View event so I could have watched this at home but Ariel is someone that is up there with my five favorite writers in the world. We are in this huge basement with like fifty people but I somehow sneaked my way into Ariel's reserved table. I came alone for this event and I'm always aggressive when someone famous is being so open. The table is set with his wife and his brother along with a few other random people. It was pretty mind blowing as the event started. The guy that was in front of me was really picking Ariel's mind which had me jealous. He was a cool guy though and knew way more than me about UFC which is shocking. I'm not going to give the play by play about the card because they're weren't many big names. It was a pretty exciting Pay Per View with only two fights not ending in a knockout or submission. Brian Stann was the huge fan favorite because he's this all American guy that prides himself to be a role model. He had a knockout within three minutes which was impressive. Eventually I got to talk to Ariel a bit and it was pretty surreal. He brought up Mirko Cro Cop on the one guy that I would love to interview and it was my spot to say I'm Croatian and that guy is like a hero to me. We started talking about Cro Cop and how even though he was a bust in the UFC, he's still a legend. A cool question asked from the guy next to me about what was the scariest interview that Ariel did? If you're a huge UFC fan, you would remember how much Rampage Jackson would act like a complete bully to Ariel and always act like an a**hole. Ariel doesn't mind Rampage though and said he's calmed down since he's been taken down a few notches. The only interview that had Ariel worried was with Nick Diaz which doesn't surprise me. The interview was about the Nick Diaz-Paul Daley fight. Nick didn't like how Ariel was creating some heat between them and said something that you get slapped for pulling stunts like that. Ariel had no idea what was going on but admitted that he thought something was going to happen. Everyone knows that Nick Diaz is a nut job and can't be trusted so I don't blame Ariel. A few other topics that were brought up was that Ariel hasn't missed a show since September 2009. He was excited to become a father and wasn't too bummed out missing out on Jon Jones versus Rashad Evans. The other thing that I found interesting was how similar we were in terms of mindsets. We both feel like these next few months for UFC are going to be huge for buy rates and bringing in so much buzz to the sport. With Brock Lesnar leaving and the last UFC on Fox being disappointment, UFC hasn't been too hot lately. Eventually the place really started to get packed so Ariel began to walk around and talk to people. Eventually when the main event happened which I thought delivered with excitement. I've liked Alexander Gustafsson for the past year and love his potential. He was fighting in his own home town of Stockholm, Sweden. He was facing a returning Thiago Silva who looked like possessed from his build. Silva never got going though which was disappointing because he looked physically imposing. Gustafsson almost knocked him out in the first round and had everyone yelling but eventually toned down because Silva was defending for his life. The fight ended with a decision win for Alex which should move him up the card. Ariel picked Alex mainly because Silva is past his prime and Alex is athletically superior to him.
The show is over and eventually the place starts clearing out. I'm listening to the post fight show with Mark Munoz and Chael Sonnen. I'm not sure what was more shocking how open Ariel was or that Chael didn't cut a promo about himself. I'd like to point out that I felt a bit out of place talking to some of these guys. I'll admit that football and basketball are my main sports but UFC is starting to become a huge part of me. Still it was blowing my mind how these guys knew everything about everyone. It was tough to hold my own but I didn't look too bad in front of some experts on the table. Eventually after listening to one of Ariel's assistants explain to me how he got the job which was really basic. It was really cool and he kept saying how important college was which made my brain fried. Eventually the place is finally clearing so I got to talk to Ariel alone. Some people don't know this but Ariel is a huge wrestling fan. I had my CM Punk shirt on to catch his attention because Ariel has interviewed Punk twice and it sounded like two friends just talking. Eventually I got in this mode where this guy is my buddy and were just talking for ten minutes about the business and experiences. He admits that he doesn't watch it weekly because he's busy but he ordered Wrestlemania because he knew how good CM Punk versus Chris Jericho. The one major question I had to ask him was the Brock Lesnar Undertaker face off. Most people would remember this from last year, Cain Velsaquez beat Brock Lesnar for the championship which led to Brock all bloody and not knowing what was going on. He is walking out of the arena while Undertaker is getting interviewed by Ariel. They had the face off and Ariel admitted he had no idea what was going on. He was in the middle of two giants that might get into a scrap. We talk some more about the business and how it seems to be on the rise but he's still let down that they watered down the CM Punk rebel character. The last cool thing Ariel mentioned was that he had a radio station based on wrestling in Montreal in the late 1990's. People might think that's not major but it really is since wrestling is like a religion in Canada. It's also the 1990's where Bret Hart was considered a icon in Canada. It blew my mind when he said he was at the Montreal Screw Job and still believes that it wasn't a work which means that the entire thing wasn't scripted. I still think it's a shoot regardless what people think because both Bret and Shawn Michaels really hated each other.Ariel was an overall stand up guy talking about both companies which some people think are rivalries. I'm really appreciative of the event and it was cool to see a writer that covers UFC but still is a fan of wrestling because most people only like one sport. I've met a decent amount of famous people, but nothing has topped off meeting Ariel. I'll probably recap all the famous people I've met someday and the experience, but the fact that I got to talk to whatever I want with Ariel was cool. I wish all of him the best in terms of being a father and his writing career. His wife was really nice even though it still shocks me that she can watch such a brutal sport. She didn't look like the hardcore chick that would be into UFC, but she seems very supportive of Ariel. Overall this was a memorable experience and Ariel said this hopefully won't be the last. I wish more famous people would be more open like this and not be so plain with answers to questions. It has happened most of the time but you will get some people that are so open and cool. We took a picture and I headed out to see my friend from England. Thanks again Ariel!
