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It was about time. Even though Dana White's been on his best behavior lately, he definitely didn't hold back when ripping Jake Rossen a salami-sized gaping hole a few weeks ago. I'm not going to get into the Abu-Dhabi financial specifics (mainly because I have no freaking clue what they are), but regardless of whether Rossen was correct about condemning their fiscal future or not, it wasn't surprising to hear that one of their citizen's has taken an interest, or stake, in Zuffa.
It now makes sense why Dana overreacted the way he did. Rossen questioned their financial long-term investment-making skills, while in reality the UFC is (however minute) part of those long-term investments. That, and a combination of being frustrated with a "blogger's" journalistic credentials, led Dana to reveal how he believes the media should operate with Zuffa.
Dana wants quid pro quo. Simple as that. Dana's giving MMA websites front row access, and in return wants supplemental marketing for the company. As he reminded Cofield, the UFC isn't obligated to give access to everyone. Which is sort of like using the mic as a megaphone to announce an inversed threat: Don't promote me and you might not continue receiving access.
So that's the journalist's dilemma: Ignore Dana's request and you may be blacklisted; Ignore your journalistic obligation to objectivity and no one will respect you. What should Sherdog and others do differently?
Absolutely nothing.
Dana promotes fights. That's what he "does" (as he so likes to remind us). He doesn't serve as Chief Editor of Sherdog. Dana really has no clue what he's talking about because Sherdog does indeed cover and promote each and every Zuffa event.
Not unlike MMATorch, Sherdog has, in addition to those covering/promoting the next event, people writing opinion-editorials/blogs that are not in sync or necessarily have any promotional value whatsoever to Zuffa's upcoming event. Dana has to understand that MMA websites do not transform exclusively into divisions of Zuffa's marketing department just because they're entitled closer access to the Octagon and fighters.
I don't go to the other extreme either though; MMA needs all the coverage it can get from MMA sites, as it is hugely ignored by the rest of the media. But so long as access-receiving websites are doing their share of event coverage (not "promotion"), they should feel free to publish any blog they feel readers will enjoy.
Dana. You're out of your element here. You're not the friggin' Chinese Government; you can't overzealously censor anything you wish. Stick to promoting and let the media be the media.
Bjorn "Norwegian Nightmare" Hansen is a weekly columnist for MMATorch. If you've got questions or comments, send them to: bjorn.hansen@fiu.edu...
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