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Popular UFC Reporter Reacts to Sophie Cunningham's Incident in Fever-Sun Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 9:16 PM ET

Sophie Cunningham made all sorts of waves for her role in what turned out to be a feisty encounter between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.

The big takeaway from the game is that the Fever were able to log back-to-back wins after blowing out the Sun, 88-71, but there's no denying that there has been a lot of attention on the multiple incidents that went down during the game.

Arguably, the most heated altercation in the contest transpired in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Cunningham got herself ejected after being assessed with a flagrant foul 2 on Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, who herself was involved in an incident with Caitlin Clark earlier in the game.

Cunningham was ejected for taking down Sheldon during a fastbreak play, which resulted in multiple players getting involved in the scuffle.

The incident drew the attention of prominent UFC and MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, who couldn't help but compare Cunningham's clinch work to that of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

"Sophie Cunningham with Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben like clinch work here. Impressive," Helwani wrote.

Sophie Cunningham with Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben like clinch work here. Impressive. pic.twitter.com/Yi8JipzMWu
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 18, 2025

Helwani is arguably the biggest reporter in MMA, and the fact that he's won MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards every single year since 2010 is a clear testament to this notion.

He's covered the UFC for many years, and Helwani has been a first-hand witness to the legendary career of Silva, who himself holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history (2,457 days).

For Helwani to even mention Cunningham in the same breath as a bona fide UFC legend says a lot, regardless of the nature of the comparison.

As for Cunningham, her ejection has resulted in a fine from the WNBA. However, she has not been suspended for her role in the incident.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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