Shaheen Al-Shatti
At a glance
- Editor in chief of Uncrowned since September 2024
- Former deputy editor at MMA Fighting
- Three-time MMA Journalist of the Year nominee
Overview
Shaheen Al-Shatti, also known as Shaun, is an MMA journalist. He was deputy editor at MMA Fighting, then in 2019 he joined The Athletic as part of its founding MMA team.
In September 2024, Yahoo Sports named him editor in chief and manager of editorial for Uncrowned. Uncrowned is the combat sports brand Yahoo Sports launched in a multi-year partnership with Ariel Helwani, whom he had already worked with at MMA Fighting. He is a three-time nominee for MMA Journalist of the Year. The Athletic's MMA team, launched in 2019, brought together alumni of MMA Junkie, ESPN, MMA Fighting, and Bleacher Report.
What you'll find
As editor in chief, he sets the editorial direction of Uncrowned, which covers MMA, boxing, and pro wrestling. His team includes Ben Fowlkes and Chuck Mindenhall as MMA analysts, Keith Idec on boxing, and Cameron Hawkins on wrestling.
He also writes articles and analysis on MMA news. His X account shares his work and the newsroom's. Uncrowned officially launched in October 2024. Ahead of the official launch, Uncrowned held a special event at the Yahoo Sportsbook at The Venetian in Las Vegas. In September 2024, Yahoo Sports had introduced the first five hires, with Al-Shatti leading the newsroom and Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, Keith Idec, and Cameron Hawkins rounding out the team.
Why follow
Following Al-Shatti means following the person who decides what Uncrowned covers and how. If you read Uncrowned, his editorial choices shape the stories, reporting, and analysis you find there.
His angle is information. He spent years at MMA Fighting, one of the main English-language MMA sites, before The Athletic and Yahoo Sports. He knows how a specialist newsroom runs and what readers who follow the news closely expect from it. His three nominations for MMA Journalist of the Year came from his reporting work, before he took on the editor role.
MMA Official's take
Shaheen Al-Shatti is a fit for readers who follow MMA news daily and want to know how a specialist newsroom works. He also matters to anyone following Ariel Helwani's work, since the two collaborate at Uncrowned.
Start with the Uncrowned homepage on Yahoo Sports, which brings together the work of the team he leads. Then read his own articles and follow his X account for newsroom announcements and new hires.