It’s not impossible for a sportscaster to have a relationship with an athlete or team he or she is covering and still be professional in the coverage. It’s just that, sometimes, particularly in MMA, sportscasters don’t seem to mind crossing that boundary. Fight analysis and picks are openly made based on friendships and gym affiliations. Phrases along the lines of “I can’t go against my guy” are not uncommon on pre-fight shows.
Don’t count Dan Hardy among that contingent.
The former UFC welterweight contender has found a new life as a color analyst for European events aired on Fight Pass, the UFC’s subscription streaming service. On Sunday, Hardy will take a new step when he enters the Fox Sports 1 studio as an analyst during UFC Fight Night 85, which goes down from Brisbane, Australia.
It’s not that Hardy doesn’t have opportunities to tilt the scales of perception toward or against a certain competitor. It’s that he doesn’t want to.
Can’t wait! https://t.co/MohmlbEZie
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 15, 2016
When the curtain rises in Brisbane, Hardy will have a former training partner—heavyweight Frank Mir—competing in the main event.
Hardy’s buddy and fellow Brit, Ross Pearson, appears on the undercard. But don’t expect to hear Hardy carrying water for his homies.
“Ross Pearson is a good friend, but you can’t assume he’s given more than [opponent] Chad Laprise,” Hardy said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “There’s nothing worse than listening to a commentator in any sport and hearing them favor a particular athlete or team. These guys are all sacrificing.”
Though Hardy, 33, is careful not to name names, he said an attitude of bias pervades multiple corners of MMA. To hear him tell it, judging—the professionalism of which is, ideally, a cornerstone of the sport—is not immune to subjectivity.
Hardy knows because it happened to him.
Known in his fighting days for a red-striped mohawk and punk-rock swagger, Hardy’s persona worked against him in the eyes of at least one judge.
“A judge had a preconception of who I was. I heard the talk,” Hardy recalled. “The judge thought I was a thug. So now I’m competing against not just my opponent but the judge.”
Hopefully, that sort of thing is an isolated incident. Given that commentators make their comments in front of cameras or behind microphones, bias there can be easier to detect. And while broadcasters’ opinions or preferences certainly carry less direct weight than those of a judge, they still carry weight, Hardy said.
“You can compete against the commentators as well,” he said. “What they think about you or what they’re saying can be a distraction. To me, it’s not fair to fans or fighters.”
Agree or disagree, Hardy’s commitment to avoiding these preferences in his own media work is noticeable. He’s happy to share inside information but always seems to stop short of endorsements or denouncements.
“I like to hear a commentator talk about someone they’re familiar with,” Hardy said. “I just want to be objective about it. It doesn’t matter to me where they train. …They’ve given everything they’ve got to be here. I just want to give everyone a fair shout.”
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. Scott is available on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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