Wikipedia has taken a shot at the UFC. The online encyclopedia has deemed that the first UFC on FUEL event is unworthy of having its own Wikipedia page and is contemplating deletion of the other FUEL event pages.
The subject was brought up for discussion on April 30, and the page was officially deleted on May 16.
However, the pages for the other FUEL events are still intact…for now. The entire log of complaints and arguments can be seen on the Wikipedia discussion page for the very first UFC on FUEL event, UFC on FUEL TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger.
The main argument the Wikipedia editors/UFC on FUEL detractors use is this: Wikipedia guidelines prohibit pages that are tantamount to routine sports statistics/coverage seen on your average sports websites. Thus, individual sports games don’t get their own pages (unless of course, that game is sufficiently notable—something the likes of the infamous Heidi Bowl).
Thus, the page about the first UFC on FUEL events was, in the eyes of the editors, little more than a rehash of the mainstream, regular sports coverage about the event and therefore worthy of deletion. After all, does each boxing match on EPSN event get its own page?
Furthermore, guidelines for assessing the notability of events dictate that for an event to be notable, coverage of it has to extend past the short news cycle, have in-depth coverage that extends beyond typical sources for the topic and have wide-reaching consequences.
Attempts to restore the page have so far proved futile, as indicated by the crossed-out or otherwise-refuted comments in the discussion page.
And it gets worse: The FUEL event pages that haven’t been removed yet are now candidates for deletion. Both the UFC on FUEL 3 and UFC on FUEL 2 pages may not last to the end of the month.
It’s unfortunate this had to happen to the UFC, and it’s a bit of a slap in the face that the UFC on FUEL pages are no longer considered notable, especially after the latest events drew dismal ratings.
Hopefully, UFC fans can storm Wikipedia and convince them they erred by not supporting the UFC on FUEL Wiki pages, lest the history of the sport is controlled by nerdy tinpot dictators seeking to extend the size of their…egos.
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