Tony Ferguson Fires Back At Helwani, After Ariel Calls The Interim Belt "Fake"

Yesterday’s UFC 216 weigh-ins was an emotional rollercoaster full of more drama than actual fight night.

Nik Lentz didn’t even make it to the scales for his scheduled bout against Will Brooks. Instead, he found himself in the hospital mid-weight cut.

UFC headliner Kevin Lee missed weight on his first attempt, for his title fight against Tony Ferguson. And it wasn’t only that he missed, it’s the fact that he waited until the very last allowable second to hit the scales and then missed, leaving everyone on pins and needles for the full two-hour period.

Lee was then granted an hour to try and shed one more pound. He did so successfully, but again, it was an intense hour to wait and see if tonight’s title fight was a go.

Following the stressful event, MMA’s top reporter took to twitter calling for change, and under normal circumstances that would be just fine. However, he called the UFC’s interim lightweight title a “fake belt”, something Tony Ferguson did not appreciate.

Here’s the full interaction between the two, including Helwani’s response to Tony.

“I fear it’s going to take a serious injury or even death for something to change in this sport. Need more weight classes … yesterday. 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185 etc. Instead of fake interim belts, just do that! Easy and healthy. What’s taking so long?”

I fear it's going to take a serious injury or even death for something to change in this sport. Need more weight classes … yesterday. 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185 etc. Instead of fake interim belts, just do that! Easy and healthy. What's taking so long?

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 6, 2017