Ariel Helwani is one of the most enjoyable sports journalists out there right now. A man who knows his stuff, really loves his sport, and seems like a genuinely nice guy, he is the only journalist that I have ever seen be cheered when he stood up to announce his name and media publication before asking a question at a press conference.
Helwani runs a weekly show on YouTube called 'The MMA Hour' and it is consistently excellent as he interviews fighters and coaches via Skype ahead of their fights, and as this weekend saw him hit the 300 mark in terms of episodes produced, it was a bigger deal than usual.
'The MMA Hour' had a star studded list of guests for the big 300, but none more so than Dublin's Conor McGregor. In order to demonstrate the effect that having Conor McGregor on your show has, someone took screenshots of the amount of live viewers as each guest was appearing, and the results are staggering:
The Show Begins
A good strong figure to start of the show, many MMA fans who watch every week were eagerly awaiting this one.
Current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier
Decent numbers for Cormier, who contested a fantastic with Alex Gustafsson on Saturday night in UFC 192's main event.
Chael Sonnen
Since retiring from MMA, Sonnen has enjoyed success as a pundit, but nobody really wanted to hear what he had to say here.
Rampage Jackson
Always a popular fighter, Rampage brings a welcome boost in views.
UFC legend Matt Serra
A respected coach and a legendary fighter, Matt Serra always has something interesting to say and he's usually a laugh as well.
Kimbo Slice
Controversial former street fighter Kimbo Slice has always had an internet following, and he brought about a nice spike in viewers.
And then along comes Conor McGregor..
And the viewers jump to 25,000+. That's just incredible, and it proves that the World is fascinated with The Notorious Conor McGregor. You can't argue with those figures.
Award winning MMA coach and fitness guru Mike Dolce
Author of 'The Dolce Diet' and one of the best coaches in the business, Dolce kept the hardcore fans entertained in the aftermath of McGregor.
The man himself argues that whether you love him or hate him, you want to watch him, and it's hard to argue with that right now.
via r/MMA.
