"I have never seen so many cowards in my life."

Paulie Malignaggi recently went on a rant against the boxing media (see video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyWLxjqjCKQ)

"This press conference rant is all over the place without much focus or context. So, rather than try to logically dissect Paulie Malignaggi’s comments, I’ll just present them to you in unedited form. You can respond to whatever portion of his rant that you would like.

OK, I change my mind. A couple of comments. His heart is in the right place and I understand where he’s coming from here. So, as a general opinion, he’s at least in the right neighborhood with his criticisms.

Here’s the problem: for those of us who do write about the dirtier side of the business and have made efforts to clean up the business, we very get little support behind the scenes. I think I am actually qualified to speak on this topic given how I went after PRIDE for being a yakuza dummy company and for all the various issues involving state athletic commissions. Ask Che Guevara in California about the politicians who paid attention to my writings. It’s easy for fighters and managers (and some regulators) to come to me with their grievances and have me write about them. However, time after time, there are countless stories in which people have asked me to carry their water only for those same people to back out when there’s any sort of response or pressure from those they accuse of hurting combat sports. In a sport where you have to fight for survival, I have never seen so many cowards in my life.

I don’t write because I want show tickets. I’ve never accepted credentials for a show in my life. No freebies, no gifts. No desire to do so. I never got into writing to make money and that’s why I’ve always been realistic about what covering combat sports is worth. I’ve never sold out to a promoter once in my life. But I understand that I’m the rare ugly duckling in the fight media sector and I don’t begrudge anyone who tries to cash in by cutting a deal with a promoter or a television network as long as they are open & transparent about it. Just don’t count me in that group because I have no desire to be a paid PR flack..."

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Bottom line is, without the key people pushing back, there will be no changes in combat sports.

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Ugh. Zach Arnold.

People would take him more seriously if he weren't so overwhelmingly negative, boastful and hyperbolic all the time.

And LOL at talking about going after PRIDE for being a yakuza front. He'd been after PRIDE for years before the scandal finally hit, probably because the US office of PRIDE refused to hire him full-time. The guy knows how to hold a grudge, that's for sure.

Brian J DSouza - 


Bottom line is, without the key people pushing back, there will be no changes in combat sports.


Will combat sports ever be able to commit to training and paying their officials in the same way the NFL, NBA and MLB do? If not, then there is no amount of push back that is going to make any real difference.

in for later

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MMA Playwright -
Will combat sports ever be able to commit to training and paying their officials in the same way the NFL, NBA and MLB do? If not, then there is no amount of push back that is going to make any real difference.

 

Are you aware of what the specific issues afflicting judging are?

It's not the promotion's job to train/pay officials in the US or Canada. The athletic commissions have that responsibility. And they do have the funds, expertise and ability to do a better job. Corruption and various inefficiencies must be addressed for this to happen.

Read about the Texas, Florida and California AC's are going through.

I hear you, Brian, but the current model is going to have to change. I fully understand the landscape.

i think a big issue is the fans. most people don't care about this kind of stuff. people card about ring card girls and what dana has to say. most people don't care about the problems plaguing mma 

LOL @ "get your shit right"!!

Paulie is good for the sport!

Team GDP - 


i think a big issue is the fans. most people don't care about this kind of stuff. people card about ring card girls and what dana has to say. most people don't care about the problems plaguing mma 



The way I see it, a small fraction of all MMA coverage should focus on these issues. Say one news article out of 50 or two minutes of a TV/radio broadcast each month. That, or throwing in a paragraph here and there when there's a relevant tie-in. For example, "Velasquez-Dos Santos should have been stopped sooner. The Texas AC is incompetent." 



In boxing, it is very common for fans to know which promoters are greedy or which hangers-on in the entourages are dishonest. In MMA, those using TRT are well-known and fans bring the issue out.



For the few who do care about the sport, you can always read FightOpinion.com once a month and a site with pics of ring card girls the rest of the month, like CagePotato.com: http://www.cagepotato.com/category/ring-girls/



Whether you contribute to the sport by attending AC meetings, donating money or asking the right questions on messageboards, you're doing something that attacks the root cause of the problems instead of treating the symptoms after it becomes impossible to get the shit back in the horse.

Brian J DSouza - 
Team GDP - 


i think a big issue is the fans. most people don't care about this kind of stuff. people card about ring card girls and what dana has to say. most people don't care about the problems plaguing mma 



The way I see it, a small fraction of all MMA coverage should focus on these issues. Say one news article out of 50 or two minutes of a TV/radio broadcast each month. That, or throwing in a paragraph here and there when there's a relevant tie-in. For example, "Velasquez-Dos Santos should have been stopped sooner. The Texas AC is incompetent." 



In boxing, it is very common for fans to know which promoters are greedy or which hangers-on in the entourages are dishonest. In MMA, those using TRT are well-known and fans bring the issue out.



For the few who do care about the sport, you can always read FightOpinion.com once a month and a site with pics of ring card girls the rest of the month, like CagePotato.com: http://www.cagepotato.com/category/ring-girls/



Whether you contribute to the sport by attending AC meetings, donating money or asking the right questions on messageboards, you're doing something that attacks the root cause of the problems instead of treating the symptoms after it becomes impossible to get the shit back in the horse.



i love fight opinion. zach is a great guy. lots of coverage of things that other sites refuse to touch. 



i see from your twitter profile (followed you btw) that you're a journalist. where can i find your work?

Bravo Zach Arnold-and props Brian for the find.

Much TRUTH to everything written--I echo Zach's comments. 

I write for a bunch of publications, but this was my latest for CagePotato.com, the article that probably inspired Malignaggi's speech: http://www.cagepotato.com/shill-em-all-part-3-the-almost-famous-fanboys-of-mma-media/

Brian J DSouza - 


I write for a bunch of publications, but this was my latest for CagePotato.com, the article that probably inspired Malignaggi's speech: http://www.cagepotato.com/shill-em-all-part-3-the-almost-famous-fanboys-of-mma-media/



that's where i knew you from. i saw you're tweet that zach rt'd the other day about fighters and 'fast-living' but you're name sounded familiar from something else. that series was great. 

wolf tickets

TTT

Brian J DSouza -


I write for a bunch of publications, but this was my latest for CagePotato.com, the article that probably inspired Malignaggi's speech: http://www.cagepotato.com/shill-em-all-part-3-the-almost-famous-fanboys-of-mma-media/

This is a good article. Way too much MMA journalism falls into two bad categories
1. Fannish puff piece about how wonderfully fighter X's deltoids glitter in the moonlight

2. Smug nerd shows how much he knows about MMA by criticising the finer points of a fighter's performance where the guy is clearly exhausted and semi conscious at best. Obviously you can discuss where someone screwed up but no need to be a dick about it. Phone Post 3.0