The MMA Media Dropped The Ball
Or Dig, Dig, Dig
Thursday was one hell of a day for the UFC.
First, Conor McGregor was over in Moscow setting off all kinds of smoke bombs to get the MMA media talking about anything but the two ongoing sexual assault investigations surrounding him. Then we had Nate Diaz bumping McGregor from the headlines with the announcement that he was pulling himself out of the main event of UFC 244 unless the UFC and USADA get their shit together and figured out how his drug test showed elevated levels of a banned substance.
The MMA media jumped on both stories and covered the surface issues well. UFC president Dana White was asked if McGregor was indeed scheduled for a fight in January and USADA was asked about Nate Diaz's claims that he had elevated levels of a banned substance show up in his drug test. Unfortunately, that's where the questions seemed to stop, which is exactly what the UFC has always wanted, a media that doesn't dig too deeply into a story.
The problem with that is it lets the UFC and USADA off the hook.
Do you know something about UFC, USADA, an MMA manager or a fighter, that I should know? You can email me at trent.reinsmith@gmail.com or contact me via secure messaging on Telegram at trentreinsmith.
When asked if McGregor was coming back in January, as he announced during his PR appearance, White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto, "Yes, we are targeting that date for Conor's return but no deals are even close to being signed."
The natural follow up question to that response is, "How can you justify booking a fighter who is under investigation for two sexual assaults?"
Even if you know that White is going to say something about "innocent until proven guilty" or decide to try out some more victim-blaming, it's still worth asking that question because it forces White to answer. Assuming you know what the answer is going to be does a disservice to the fans and followers of the sport.
As for the Diaz statement, he said he was told to keep quiet about the elevated levels test result. That's worth digging into. Sure, there's a chance Diaz misunderstood what he was told, but to not try and find out who told him what is dropping the ball. Diaz very well might have been told to zip it. If that is the case it's the media's job to find out who said that and why they would do so.
Now, before you start to ask why I don't ask these questions, know that I do. I do not get answers from the UFC. I don't even get a "no comment." I have been keeping a (growing) list of the questions I ask the UFC. I will publish them at some point. I don't even get replies when it comes to something as simple as asking if the promotion can confirm how many fights Paige VanZant has on her contract.
I will, however, share on Twitter when I do ask the UFC a question, so everyone at least knows that I am trying to do my job and not just being a scold to other media members.
