I met Ariel in Boston in September of 2010.
I had just given a video interview to MMAAlly, who was acting as a liason for some government service in the U.S. at the time. I spoke about the sanctioning of mixed martial arts in various Canadian provinces (versus the U.S. experience), and recent (in 2010) issues in Ontario and the Canadian Medical Association. They were interested in my perspective as a lawyer with some involvement in the sport.
Immediately after the interview, I saw Ariel walking by in one of his patented table-cloth plaid shirts. I introduced myself and initiated a conversation. During, I asked him some not rude, but pointed questions about his instigating interview style (i.e. What value did he see in apparantly, at times, trying to deliberately place fighters in awkward positions during his interviews, or otherwise "stirring the pot" so to speak? Was this a strategy deliberately designed to distinguish himself from other MMA reporters in a fledgling industry based on sensationalism, etc.), and also his refusal to challenge Dana White on some outright lies he was telling during a recent interview (Regarding Fedor, if I recall correctly - I was asking if he felt he should challenge untruths, so less educated/familiar fans would have a better perspective on different sides of a story, or if the reality was that he needed to steer clear of White's penchant for black-balling people who challenged him).
Although he gave what I felt were candid answers to my questions, I found him to be extremely pretentious and condescending. He would talk for a few moments, then screw his face up and suspiciously ask "Who are you again? Who are you with?"... My impression was that the only reason he gave me the time of day at all was because I was wearing a suit. I could absolutely be wrong, but I did not get a positive vibe from the man, which was interesting because just about everyone else I spoke to was extremely welcoming and gracious.
That was my experience, at any rate.
