Mainstream Media Errors: UFC Champ Paige VanZant? Nick or Nate Diaz?

Michael Hutchinson looks at the many errors that come from big news outlets covering the niche sport of MMA.

When an event like UFC 196 happens, MMA fans get to cherish that our little niche sport gets to be the focus of the public eye for a weekend. With the good always comes the bad.

You have to listen to your friends who only watch the big PPV events give their uninformed but strong opinions on who’s going to win. Even worse than that, you have to listen to mainstream sports shows discuss the sport in a less than educated manner.

Then there are the many errors that occur when mainstream media outlets attempt to report on a sport that is not as relevant as football, hockey or basketball. This is when fighter names get mixed up, faux accomplishments are handed out and long-retired fighters are brought back to relevance.

UFC Champion Paige VanZant?

It was announced this week that popular UFC strawweight Paige VanZant would be starring on the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars”. Naming VanZant a star might be a little bit of a stretch but CNN made a really big stretch when inaccurately describing her as a “UFC champ and model”.

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Nick Diaz or Nate Diaz?

I understand getting the Nogueira brothers confused, but getting the Diaz brothers mixed up is something that MMA fans don’t take lightly. It’s even less understandable when it comes from a major sports outlet that has a very competent and well respected MMA journalist on the team in Brett Okamoto.

ESPN was not the only outlet that mixed up the two brothers. Across the pond in Britain, the Independent was a little too focused on the Irish Conor McGregor to notice the mistake.

Current UFC Star Randy Couture

At UFC 129, former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture announced his retirement after a sensational knockout loss to Lyoto Machida. Couture has managed to stay retired for the past five years, even while remaining close with the elders circuit of Bellator MMA.

The fact that Couture hasn’t fought in five years and is now close with the UFC biggest competitor is why this error is particularly funny. In this article by the Ottawa Citizen called “What is UFC?”, the author explains to the audience who the biggest stars in the UFC are.

Did you see an error done by mainstream media while covering MMA? Shoot me a message @TheMikeyHutch on Twitter.