Mark Cuban questions UFC President Dana White about denying Inside MMA press credentials

Jack Bratcher from the esteemed website www.ProMMANow.com reported this story today:

Mark Cuban questions Dana White about denying Inside MMA press credentials

 Aug 10, 2010 |

Who couldn't love these two beacons of fairness?

On the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 7, just a few hours before the UFC 117 opening bell, HDNet chairman Mark Cuban sent the following tweet to UFC President Dana White:

@danawhite You let half ass media that dont give a shit about MMA cover the UFC, but you wont let Inside MMA w/ Bas, Kenny, Guy in, why?

It’s an honest and I believe sincere question. Those who have covered a UFC event live have undoubtedly noticed some of the most peculiar media outlets granted press credentials. Questions are asked by reporters that clearly indicate they were sent there on assignment because UFC has come to town and they or their publication haven’t the first clue what it’s all about.

It’s understandable why the UFC would grant local newspapers and television stations credentials. It helps educate the people and it also helps sell tickets. However, a lot of these local media publications are there because they have to be and once the UFC has left town, their MMA coverage stops. In fact, they have no real MMA coverage, it’s just UFC coverage.

Cuban’s question seems to be, if you (Dana White) are going to allow these guys who could care less about the sport get credentialed, why not also credential someone totally devoted to the sport like Inside MMA, who is part of a television network who has done so much for MMA, HDNet?
What good reason would the UFC have for denying credentials to the longest running MMA news program on television?

I have personally watched the majority of Inside MMA episodes since their first broadcast in Sept. 2007 and there is no way anyone can say the show is not UFC friendly, or anti-UFC in any way. In fact, they regularly have UFC fighters on the show as guests to talk about their fights.
Now, they did used to remark that Fedor Emelianenko was the number one heavyweight in the world. However, if the UFC denied access to any media outlet who ever made that claim, it’s doubtful anyone would have credentials, save Kevin Iole (that’s a joke – I love Kevin).
Is it because HDNet used to promote fights? That doesn’t seem to make sense. Is it because they broadcast other fight promotions on their television station such as King of the Cage, XFC, Sengoku and Dream? That would seem pretty silly since no one would accuse any of those organizations as being competition for the UFC.

If anything, those organizations are feeder shows and promotions that help provide careers for fighters once they leave the UFC, but it could hardly be said their operations have any negative effect upon what the UFC does at all.

Right or wrong, truthfully or untruthfully, Dana White has long been accused of blacklisting those media outlets that don’t report UFC news the way he thinks it should be reported. It’s situations like this that continue to shed a negative light on the UFC’s relationship with the media.


MMA Maxim's comments on the matter:

We strongly urge Zuffa, LLC to recognize honest balanced reporting (and the freedom of the press) and allow as many media groups as possible to cover their events.

Threats to ban anyone who makes a Fedor shirt and Inside MMA ruins your credibility. We acknowledge Dana White had a dispute with M-1 over Fedor fighting in the UFC and with Mark Cuban's HDNet over Randy Couture.  However, being emotional and threatening anyone who does not follow your will looks pathetic to fans of the UFC. The Gracie family who started the UFC embraced competition to show their jiu-jitsu could be superior for many practitioners. 


Some argue like former UFC champion Matt Hughes, that the Gracies did not always pick the best opponents to represent opposing styles but that is beyond the scope of the present discussion.  Why not challenge the best from other competitions and have the best fighter win with unbiased judging. The fighters from the UFC and WEC should challenge the fighers from Strikeforce, Dream, Sengoku, Bellator, etc. Do you not agree that would sell more tickets and avoid all this costly litigation?  We will discuss the recently filed lawsuits and counterclaims by Zuffa, LLC v. Bellator and Zuffa, LLC v. Ken Pavia soon.

Bas Rutten is a global MMA legend especially for long-term MMA fans like us.  Controlling the content of the reporting to only portray the UFC in the best possible light even if not true will be damaging.  Fans may perceive the UFC to be declining into a fake-ass soap opera called the WWE. That is advertizing not honest balanced reporting.  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in a landmark decision stated the truth is only obtained through "a competition of ideas."   We strongly agree and think the actions of Zuffa, LLC's officiers are unwarranted.  Look at the backlash against the Chinese Communist Party’s ban on any media reporting on wrongdoing in Tibet?  If you want to portray the UFC as the best MMA competition and avoid a possible anti-trust lawsuit in the future, (now that Zuffa has their own magazine reporting) stop acting like a near-monopolistic insecure business. Start embracing the collaborative global promotion of the best sport in the world which you keep admitting is growing exponentially.  The sport is inherently interesting.




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