Most everyone has heard about Dana White’s recent video blog in which he lashed out at Sherdog reporter Loretta Hunt.
And most long time MMA fans know at least partially about the beef Dana and Sherdog have seemingly had for some time now. Only recently however, have both sides been willing to come out and talk about some of the causes behind their dispute.
The whole issue is rather fascinating in a way because it deals with MMA media, who is and who is not considered “legitimate” media, who is allowed UFC credentials, journalism, ethics, and much more.
In an April 15, 2009 interview on “Off the Record,” there was a discussion between UFC President Dana White and host Michael Landsberg. Here is a portion of what was said:
Michael Landsberg: “Why is Sherdog not accredited to be backstage?”
Dana White: “None of the MMA sites have been for years.”
Michael Landsberg: “Why?”
Dana White: “Cause I don’t want ’em there. Just because you own a website doesn’t mean you are a real reporter.”
Michael Landsberg: “So you are now able to measure what people say about your product. You are able to edit it by allowing certain people backstage and not allowing others.”
Dana White: “Actually we credential all the real media. Guys that are real media, they are credentialed. There’s guys that rip us but at least they are professional and they are fair and they do it the right way. Believe me, I don’t ever expect anybody to agree with everything I say or do. That’s never gonna happen. But we credential the guys that are real professionals. You think I should credential every guy that pops up with a website?”
Michael Landsberg: “But hold on, Sherdog is not every website, they have massive massive followers.”
Dana White: “Sherdog is just like every other guy, he’s just been out there longer.”
Dana goes on to say that Landsberg doesn’t know the whole story and the history between he and Sherdog founder, Jeff Sherwood. If you did not see the entire interview, it is recommended in order to get a more thorough picture of the situation. You can watch the “Off the Record” interview with Dana White HERE.
Just days earlier, on April 10, 2009, Sherdog founder Jeff Sherwood appeared on the Carmichael Dave radio show and talked about his history with Dana White and Sherdog’s relationship with the UFC past and present. Carmichael Dave tries to get to the root of what started the feud between the two highly successful MMA companies, who at one time worked rather closely together.
Jeff Sherwood (4-10-09) interview with Carmichael Dave pt.1
Part 1
Jeff Sherwood (4-10-09) interview with Carmichael Dave pt.2
Part 2
[…] Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Loretta Hunt, Matt Linland, Tom Atencio, Josh Gross, Frank Shamrock or Jeff Sherwood.