Jeff Sherwood's Side of the Credentials Story

From Carmichael Dave's producer...





Many of you are familiar with the interview I did with Dana White a couple of Saturdays ago on the MMAsh. If not, listen here: CarmichaelDave.com 3.0



Much of what was spoken about pertained to Dana's blogs, and we spoke about the Loretta Hunt article a bit.



One part got quite a bit of reaction, and that was the story behind Sherdog.com losing their UFC credentials a while back.



Many of you had asked for the story behind it, and I thought it only right to bring Jeff Sherwood on the show, to get his side of the story.



A one-segment interview turned into a full show-interview, and I would like to thank Jeff for coming on and spending the time.



Here is the audio of last week's interview, in two parts:



Northern California's Sports Station KHTK - Mmash-The Mixed Martial Arts Show



Enjoy!

 ttt for after work

 www.sherdog.com/news/articles/The-Savage-Truth-Answering-Questions-4882














The Savage Truth: Answering Questions

 








The Savage Truth: Answering Questions

Thursday, June 29, 2006

by Greg Savage (greg@sherdog.com)





It was an interesting last couple of days to say the least, as I traveled to Las Vegas to cover the Ultimate Fight Night 5 slate and wound up embroiled in a Zuffa vs. Sherdog under card bout.



Both scraps shed light on some lingering questions.





As many of you already know, Sherdog.com was booted from the UFN weigh-ins on Tuesday afternoon. Well the saga didn’t end there. It seems word of my little confrontation with UFC public relations director Jennifer Wenk spread like wild fire through the Zuffa offices.



Before I elaborate any further, I just want to let everyone know I have absolutely no problem with Wenk’s actions. She, like me, was only trying to do her job. I have no hard feelings and intimated that to Jennifer just before UFN 5 got underway. Her reaction was mixed but as always she was cordial.



As for Sherdog.com ever getting credentialed for UFC events, the jury is still out. Personally, I always felt like it was a family feud that would be sorted out in the end. With this week’s developments, my confidence in that theory has been shaken.



 

 mmarant.blogspot.com/2006/06/im-back-on-sherdog-bitches.html

Wednesday, June 28, 2006



"I'm Back On Sherdog, Bitches"


The latest shot by UFC over the bow of the MMA media was fired at the weigh-ins of Ultimate Fight Night 5 when Jennifer Wenk asked staff from Sherdog.com to leave the event claiming that cameras were not allowed in the event. I have a feeling this had more to do with a video interview the site posted following the TUF 3 finale. In the interview, a clearly impaired White gives his thoughts on the finale, the upcoming Ultimate Fight Night and the return of Rich Franklin. When I watched the video though, all I could concentrate on was giggling at a drunk Dana White and laughed out loud when, at the end of the interview, Dana put his face in the camera and proclaimed: "I'm back on Sherdog, Bitches." I can't help but think that Dana severely regrets having that video posted. Given the level of criticism that Sherdog has leveled on UFC since the ban in October, I can't say I'm suprised by his reaction. This won't be the last run-in these two have with each other.



I've been critical of the Sherdog business model in the past. Their site is so overloaded with ads that the content has become exceedingly difficult to find. Further, they now have a subscription model for much of thier content. The site was, inexcusably, the last on the web to post any information about the Pride-FujiTV fiasco. The forum is overcrowded with people who contribute nothing to discussion threads. At the same time, it's without question the best place to go for interviews and media with fighters and MMA personalities. The fight finder is the single most valuable internet tool for MMA fans and the Beatdown Radio Show is well produced and highly entertaining.



UFC however, is trying to build itself as the biggest MMA brand in the world and with the recent problems at DSE may be in a position to do so sooner rather than later. Major players in any realm of business and politics know that executing some control over the media is critical in establishing their message. The problem is, the media doesn't want to be controlled. The debate over whether or not the media should have limits has raged on for decades in arenas much larger than MMA. The relationship between UFC and Sherdog was and, to some degree, still is symbiotic. In these types of relationships there is a pendulum effect that occurs where one side needs the other more at certain times. Right now the pundulum is clearly on the side of UFC. At some point I'm sure the pendulum will swing back to Sherdog and the rest of the MMA media. Until that happens though, Sherdog is going to have accept that UFC can and will react unkindly to negative treatment. I believe that when Dana saw himself intoxicated on the front page of Sherdog Sunday he reacted. He may have gotten some heat from other people within the organization or he may have reacted alone. Remember, UFC hired Mark Ratner for the very purpose of improving their image in the mainstream as a "sport not spectacle" organization.



I'm not taking the UFC side of this incident, just explaining it. I strongly disagree with the ban UFC has placed on providing media credentials to internet MMA media. The initial reason that was given that there were too many people using the credentialing process to get free entry into events doesn't make sense. Instead of weeding out the offending parties. UFC essentially threw the baby out with the bath water and in doing so, shunned their biggest supporters during the tough times. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Sherdog.com legitimately reports on MMA news and events. Figthsport.com is a completely different story. Why is it so difficult to grant one credentials, and not the other? This has been the regular practice for NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL press credentialing for years. If this blog was about the NFL and I tried to use it to get a press pass to the next Superbowl the NFL would essentially laugh at my request and throw it away. There is no reason why MMA-Weekly, Sherdog.com, and Full Contact Fighter shouldn't be allowed to cover the sport the way they have for years. It's not as though ESPN and Sports Illustrated are taking their spot in the press area.



In the future, I can see Sherdog and UFC getting along again. Both companies are in the middle of growth and changes. Both are still highly immature in stature. Both are being a bit stubborn about this. Until there is some resolution, we as fans are just going to have to remember these incidents when reading MMA news from both sides. Keep your B.S. filter clean and working.





Will

Zuffa tried to hire Gross? That's weird.