Chael Sonnen Expresses Pain Watching Dana White’s Critic ‘Happy’ at NFL Draft

There aren’t many topics where Dana White and Chael Sonnen find themselves on exactly the same page. But if there’s one thing that seems to unite them, it’s their mutual disdain, at varying degrees, for a certain journalist.

While Dana’s beef with Ariel Helwani is well-known and long-standing, Sonnen’s relationship with Helwani has been a little more complicated, full of highs, lows, and plenty of public spats. 

Just yesterday, during the buzz of the NFL Draft, Helwani got a once-in-a-lifetime moment that should’ve been nothing but positive. Instead, it left Sonnen feeling a certain type of way—and he happily let the world know. 

The NFL draft is a yearly process where all 32 teams in the NFL pick budding college prospects to add to their roster. Normally, the picks are announced by the commissioner of the league, Roger Goodell. However, later on in the draft process, the honor is passed on to various individuals. Helwani had the privilege to be one of them. 

The 42-year-old scribe got to announce the 177th pick in the sixth round of the draft for his team, the Buffalo Bills. Dorian Strong, a defensive back from Virginia Tech, was welcomed into the league by Helwani. 

The combat sports journalist shared this moment on Twitter and said, “Baby, we did it. Full promo. Shoutout to the boys. Remember: be good, do good, God bless, and go Bills. Congrats, Dorian!”

While most were happy for Helwani and his achievements, Sonnen did not see things the same way. “I wish this hadn’t happened for you. You seem so happy and that brings me a pain”, Sonnen joked. 

Interestingly, Helwani was not the only person from the UFC involved in this year’s draft process. Soon to make his last octagon outing, former UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, was also given the pleasure of announcing a pick for his home team. 

Poirier and Helwani share the NFL stage 

It’s been a huge few days for Poirier, especially when it comes to repping his home state of Louisiana.

On Friday, Poirier made waves by announcing that he’ll be bringing the UFC back to New Orleans for the first time since 2015, headlining UFC 318 with his retirement fight against Max Holloway for the BMF belt on July 19.

But he didn’t stop there.

On Saturday, Poirier made his presence felt at the NFL Draft in Green Bay, stepping up for his hometown team, the New Orleans Saints. He got the honor of announcing the Saints’ 184th overall pick, selecting Devin Neal.

It was a cool full-circle moment for Poirier—giving back to the community that’s supported him his whole career, and getting a chance to represent Louisiana on two huge stages in just one weekend. Safe to say, “The Diamond” is making sure his final lap is a memorable one.