Ariel Helwani is in advanced negotiations to join Yahoo Sports, a source with knowledge of the deal told Front Office Sports.

Helwani told his followers on X earlier this week that he “decided to move on” from Vox Media and Spotify at the conclusion of his three-year deals with both companies, which expired on Thursday. Helwani said it was difficult to turn down the offers he received from his previous employers, but he didn’t signal where he was headed. 

“It had to be something truly amazing to say ‘goodbye’ to them,” Helwani said. 

Helwani did not return messages left by FOS. A Yahoo Sports spokesperson declined comment. 

Helwani, a Quebec native, covered the Paris Games for the CBC, but is most known for his MMA reporting and hosting duties. He worked for MMA Fighting and Fox Sports before joining ESPN in 2018, the same year the network entered into a seven-year deal with UFC. 

Helwani was banned from covering UFC after he correctly reported that Brock Lesnar would return to fight in UFC 200 in 2016. That supposed “lifetime” ban issued by UFC President Dana White was lifted weeks later, although White and Helwani had other run-ins in the years since.

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