The topic of how the UFC handles the “internet media” with regards to press credentials and interview requests has become a topic of discussion again recently. Since I consider myself to be a member of the online MMA media community, I always take notice with topics such as this.
After The Ultimate Fighter 3 finale this past Saturday night, Mike Sloan from Sherdog.com was able to tape a quick interview with UFC President Dana White. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but it really caught me by surprise since there has been very little “official” contact between any member of the UFC organization and any online MMA media site. For Dana White, the figurehead of the UFC, to take time out and do a video interview with Sherdog.com, seemed to signal to me that perhaps the UFC was softening its hardline stance with the online media. At the end of the interview Dana White even sticks his face close into the camera and says, “Back on Sherdog…”
However, I wake this morning only to find that perhaps I was a little hasty and too easy to believe Dana and the UFC were changing their tune. It seems that a video crew from Sherdog was filming the open-to-the-public weigh-ins when, close to the end of the event, the head of UFC public relations, Jennifer Wenk, approached the crew and told them they were not welcome they were not allowed to film the event. Jason Gatties wrote a rather blunt post on his site regarding Sherdog being denied permission to video the weigh-ins for tonights Ultimate Fight Night 5 card.
It appears that the UFC is not going to be giving credentials to the online MMA media again any time soon, and that the Dana White video interview may have just been a drunken mistake as some other sites think
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Dana should have known better than to go on a drunken rant around anyone with recording equipment and Sherdog should have known that Dana would get all pissy about it beng posted. Stupidity committed by all.
True, but it was funny to watch Dana make a fool of himself…
…as usual!!
Just to clear something up…Sherdog was never asked to leave. They were simply asked to stop filming. Its funny how the story breaks this morning and by the evening it becomes a different story.
I understand that they were not technically “asked to leave the premises,” but in essence they were asked to stop filming a public event. If you watch the clip, you can hear Wenk say that they can’t have “pro” equipment to film. Its a bit of a joke. If they were just a few no-name guys in there with a video camera it would have been fine, but since they were known to be Sherdog.com employees and had “pro” equipment they couldnt film the weigh-ins? They have been able to film every other weigh-in. What makes this one different?
I’m not saying the should be granted open credentials to UFC events, but they shouldnt be restricted from doing what any other non-”pro” fan can do.