FOX Sports announced on Saturday that former UFC title contender turned FOX analyst Kenny Florian has been suspended following controversy over a recent article he posted on the FOX Sports website this week.
Florian, who published an article on Sunday’s main event between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz for the UFC Bantamweight Championship, is being accused of stealing significant parts of the story from a piece Lee Wylie of TheFightCity.com wrote about the career of legendary boxer Willie Pep back in December.
After becoming aware of the issue, FOX Sports added the following “Editor’s Note” on the article on their website, which reads as follows:
“Language in this breakdown borrows from written material in a video of an in-depth look at the defensive boxing prowess of Willie Pep by TheFightCity.com boxing analyst Lee Wylie. The original version of the story did not contain this credit. We regret the oversight.”
Wylie has since spoken to Florian about the issue and didn’t seem the least bit bothered, as he later wrote the following:
“Show me someone who hasn’t made a mistake and I’ll show you a liar. It’s not the end of the world.”
FOX Sports issued the following statement regarding the suspension of Kenny Florian:
“It is vitally important that Fox Sports and FoxSports.com maintain credibility and trust with their readers, viewers and fans. UFC on-air personality Kenny Florian is being suspended beginning immediately for a critical oversight in a story posted earlier this week on FoxSports.com. Florian has admitted and regrets his mistake and apologized for the error.”