Tag: Editorials

Editorial: Pennsylvania Athletic Commission Dropped The Ball At UFC Fight Night 83

dbag

To those who have ever fought MMA in the north east of the USA know the headaches involved in the state of Pennsylvania. This was made public by Brian Stann this weekend via twitter. He was appalled enough to tweet some of the issues that UFC fighters had to endure this past weekend in Pittsburgh. The main culprit of the constant fiascos is the commissioner Greg Sirb.

https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/701160376612888576

https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/701174779047501824

As a fighter myself from the state of Pennsylvania but now resides in Florida, I have felt the wrath of this man and his absolute ridiculous power trip. This will allow me to shed some real light on the problems he has caused. I hold him personally responsible for ruining two weekends of my career.

I don’t want to make this personal but it surely is and when I saw those tweets from Brian Stann this weekend, it vindicated everything I felt and experienced dealing with Sirb. He can actually ruin the fighters entire experience and has done so many times hearing many promoters stories over the years. Stann’s comments ignited an anger in me that has sat for a few years. You try to forget but when you are “wronged”, it never goes away then infuriates me finding out he still is up to his old tricks.

Here is the way the process is supposed to take place during weigh-ins and this is consistent everywhere you go. There are no exceptions to this process and it’s pretty much set in stone. The fighters expect it to be run this way because they are the ones that have weight cuts and have to plan around the protocol. If things change they suffer and their process becomes more difficult and that could affect their performance on fight night that they have been preparing for 6 to 8 weeks. When big money is on the line and UFC contracts are in balance, this is serious business.

  • The fighters show up the night before the event for weigh-ins and physicals. At this time they fill out paper work and go through physicals. Most fighters are on weight at this time and just going thru the motions waiting for their time to step on the scale. It’s done every where the same and no state or commission makes their own rules. It’s the commissioner’s job to schedule and organize the entire process.
  • After the fighters weigh-in, they are free to eat , sleep and relax anyway they seem fit. It is also customary for the fighters to sleep in on fight day because of the exhaustion of making weight and traveling the days plus the long day of stress ahead. They usually do not have to be at the venue until that evening no earlier than 6pm for sign in and a meeting. This gives each and every fighter a fair shake to come away with a victory.

Brian Stann tweeted that the doctors were late and the fighters weight cut was interrupted when they finally showed as they were forced to stop thus stopping there sweat and then building back up again. Obviously Greg Sirb dropped the ball and mis-scheduled everything. You could call it a mistake but it’s happened repeatedly and it’s mostly because he makes his own rules. He holds himself and his way above protocol with no concern or respect for the participants or organization. This is the exact reason the UFC rarely comes to Pittsburgh and choose Newark,New Jersey over Philadelphia. The UFC grew tired of his antics and choose not to deal with the commission.

https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/701174970576199688

https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/701176193580597248

The second thing Brian Stann tweeted was the female fighters were subjected to last minute specific tests after their weigh in when they were ready to eat. So this is another example of doing things his way out of the ordinary and different from any other state or athletic commission on earth. Those female fighters were ready to leave and eat but were subjected to more unforeseen testing. That is WRONG !

Please realize the UFC puts events on all over the world and there has never been an issue of doctors being late or any protocol being interrupted. This is just gross example and proved exactly what I always thought.

In 2012 at a World Cagefighting Championship held in a Greensburg, Pennsylvania, I was scheduled for the main event. I expected a certain process just like my previous 10 plus pro fights but I was completely wrong. I showed up at weigh ins the evening before and Greg Sirb was not there nor were the doctors. This card was a professional/amateur combo event so there were only 3 pro fights scheduled and therefore Greg Sirb scheduled all of us to show up the next morning at 9AM. That meant other pro fighters had to drive in an hour leaving their house by 8am on fight day !!!! They are forced to wake up at 8am to drive to a physical that should have been done the night before when weighing in. That is obscene really.

As I stated earlier, this is completely wrong and not in the contract but Sirb scheduled the doctor to look at all of us at the same time. Since amateurs weigh in same day, the pros were thrown right in to that group. So basically I am an experienced Pro MMA fighter in the Main Event and my schedule, preparation and fight day wake up time is the same as the amateurs meaning I could be side by side with a debut amateur waiting for my turn. That is completely unfair but it got worse.

The next morning when I showed up to the “physical”, Greg Sirb brought the 6 pros up front and handed us a paper to sign and said, “Ok guys, see you at 4pm for the physical”. Sirb woke us up to sign a piece of paper only to cut our day even shorter telling us to come back way earlier than expected! I should have walked from the card at that point but had a lot of family and friends that I sold tickets to coming. My rest and prep was being severely interrupted as was my opponents but as an older fighter from out of state, I needed a smooth process. Couple this with the fact he barely approved the fight due to me being inactive for a year. My opponent had the same record and fights as myself and I had to call and plead to let me fight. I am in super shape and train all the time and this guy judges me from six states away not to mention I was 2-0 in PA at that point. Dealing with him was already exhausting.

Let’s not forget the other pro fighters that drove in for weigh ins then came back to sign a piece of paper to only be told to be back at 4pm. This is completely wrong.

He made his own rules and schedule to suit him. When I asked him why we were there to sign a piece of paper on fight day. He replied by saying he likes to see the fighters in the morning. That is pure disrespect and disregard for the fighters preparation and their time but it got worse.

If your sleep was interrupted to wake up after a restless night then you’re infuriated by the fact you are up to sign a piece of paper then told to return at 4pm, I ask all you fighters out there…. When do you eat your last meal before the fight ? If your packing any food or eating before, you probably have to leave the hotel at 2:30 to have to time to get the venue or you eat a quick lunch and starve they the doctors then rush off to eat right after.

The Doctors giving the physicals did not show until 5pm thus putting us all behind for out pre-fight meal. Not to mention he moved the show start time up to 7 from 7:30. He probably did that to allow him to get home sooner.

I could go on and on about my personal experience and the lack of sleep and meal time prep he caused me and others on that card that evening. It was my first fight back after a while and in my hometown. I surely did not need to feel like I was fighting Greg Sirb and his undermining ways that weekend. I was so upset and mad at him that few days on top of the other factors, I did not perform even close to my potential and that is upsetting.

But who do you appeal to or file a complaint to ? There is no one higher. The next year he would not approve a fight I was matched up with saying the guy was 3-4 and not good enough. That is laughable considering the money on the purse and the fact I was 40 years old and my opponent would have been younger than 30. Not to mention I was inactive that full year as well. Heaven forbid I have a builder fight to gain confidence or start a streak.

So if your keeping track, one year I am not active enough and the next I am too good for the opponent. It makes zero sense.

This what I mean by him holding back the PA fighters. He will not work with fighters to reach a bigger stage. He is there to crush your hopes and ruin your chances. I know a guy in Florida and many others who have fought 3-18 guys and another who fought a 3-8 guy in the WSOF card in Tampa but I am discouraged as many others on fighting anyone short of a future UFC bid for peanuts.

This is Greg Sirb’s way of control. He has zero fights and claims he was a good wrestling back in the day but who knows. He will surely fill you in. All I know is he does more bad than good and should be removed. The state of Delaware already ceased using him as the PA commission covered their events.

Now he most likely made the UFC brass have no desire to come back thus ruining many fighters chances of moving up. Take note of the lack of PA guys on the undercard and Pittsburgh guys in the UFC. They do not get the exposure due to this ego maniac blocking their progress.

Let me explain it more thoroughly for everyone. Greg Sirb does not care about MMA not does he endorse events across the state. He obviously wants to keep the sport down and make it difficult to “rise up” both individually and as a sport. He must know what people think of him and can read all the negative comments online. He just does not care and makes his own rules. He thinks he is a sheriff of a small town and the UFC is a visitor. I guarantee Dana White lost a lot of sleep concerning this event.

One more example would be forcing out of state fighters to do all their medicals in PA. He has demanded that fighters see his doctors to get cleared.

If you want more examples and don’t believe me, just Google “Greg Sirb”. You will find more than you bargained for. Maybe someone will be smart enough to start a petition soon to push him out. That would be the best news for PA and the northeast MMA allowing fighters a fair shake in climbing the ranks into bigger promotions. Otherwise as Connor McGregor would say, “This state is stuck in the mud.”

The views expressed in this editorial are solely those of the author, James Brasco. 

dbag

To those who have ever fought MMA in the north east of the USA know the headaches involved in the state of Pennsylvania. This was made public by Brian Stann this weekend via twitter. He was appalled enough to tweet some of the issues that UFC fighters had to endure this past weekend in Pittsburgh. The main culprit of the constant fiascos is the commissioner Greg Sirb.

As a fighter myself from the state of Pennsylvania but now resides in Florida, I have felt the wrath of this man and his absolute ridiculous power trip. This will allow me to shed some real light on the problems he has caused. I hold him personally responsible for ruining two weekends of my career.

I don’t want to make this personal but it surely is and when I saw those tweets from Brian Stann this weekend, it vindicated everything I felt and experienced dealing with Sirb. He can actually ruin the fighters entire experience and has done so many times hearing many promoters stories over the years. Stann’s comments ignited an anger in me that has sat for a few years. You try to forget but when you are “wronged”, it never goes away then infuriates me finding out he still is up to his old tricks.

Here is the way the process is supposed to take place during weigh-ins and this is consistent everywhere you go. There are no exceptions to this process and it’s pretty much set in stone. The fighters expect it to be run this way because they are the ones that have weight cuts and have to plan around the protocol. If things change they suffer and their process becomes more difficult and that could affect their performance on fight night that they have been preparing for 6 to 8 weeks. When big money is on the line and UFC contracts are in balance, this is serious business.

  • The fighters show up the night before the event for weigh-ins and physicals. At this time they fill out paper work and go through physicals. Most fighters are on weight at this time and just going thru the motions waiting for their time to step on the scale. It’s done every where the same and no state or commission makes their own rules. It’s the commissioner’s job to schedule and organize the entire process.
  • After the fighters weigh-in, they are free to eat , sleep and relax anyway they seem fit. It is also customary for the fighters to sleep in on fight day because of the exhaustion of making weight and traveling the days plus the long day of stress ahead. They usually do not have to be at the venue until that evening no earlier than 6pm for sign in and a meeting. This gives each and every fighter a fair shake to come away with a victory.

Brian Stann tweeted that the doctors were late and the fighters weight cut was interrupted when they finally showed as they were forced to stop thus stopping there sweat and then building back up again. Obviously Greg Sirb dropped the ball and mis-scheduled everything. You could call it a mistake but it’s happened repeatedly and it’s mostly because he makes his own rules. He holds himself and his way above protocol with no concern or respect for the participants or organization. This is the exact reason the UFC rarely comes to Pittsburgh and choose Newark,New Jersey over Philadelphia. The UFC grew tired of his antics and choose not to deal with the commission.

The second thing Brian Stann tweeted was the female fighters were subjected to last minute specific tests after their weigh in when they were ready to eat. So this is another example of doing things his way out of the ordinary and different from any other state or athletic commission on earth. Those female fighters were ready to leave and eat but were subjected to more unforeseen testing. That is WRONG !

Please realize the UFC puts events on all over the world and there has never been an issue of doctors being late or any protocol being interrupted. This is just gross example and proved exactly what I always thought.

In 2012 at a World Cagefighting Championship held in a Greensburg, Pennsylvania, I was scheduled for the main event. I expected a certain process just like my previous 10 plus pro fights but I was completely wrong. I showed up at weigh ins the evening before and Greg Sirb was not there nor were the doctors. This card was a professional/amateur combo event so there were only 3 pro fights scheduled and therefore Greg Sirb scheduled all of us to show up the next morning at 9AM. That meant other pro fighters had to drive in an hour leaving their house by 8am on fight day !!!! They are forced to wake up at 8am to drive to a physical that should have been done the night before when weighing in. That is obscene really.

As I stated earlier, this is completely wrong and not in the contract but Sirb scheduled the doctor to look at all of us at the same time. Since amateurs weigh in same day, the pros were thrown right in to that group. So basically I am an experienced Pro MMA fighter in the Main Event and my schedule, preparation and fight day wake up time is the same as the amateurs meaning I could be side by side with a debut amateur waiting for my turn. That is completely unfair but it got worse.

The next morning when I showed up to the “physical”, Greg Sirb brought the 6 pros up front and handed us a paper to sign and said, “Ok guys, see you at 4pm for the physical”. Sirb woke us up to sign a piece of paper only to cut our day even shorter telling us to come back way earlier than expected! I should have walked from the card at that point but had a lot of family and friends that I sold tickets to coming. My rest and prep was being severely interrupted as was my opponents but as an older fighter from out of state, I needed a smooth process. Couple this with the fact he barely approved the fight due to me being inactive for a year. My opponent had the same record and fights as myself and I had to call and plead to let me fight. I am in super shape and train all the time and this guy judges me from six states away not to mention I was 2-0 in PA at that point. Dealing with him was already exhausting.

Let’s not forget the other pro fighters that drove in for weigh ins then came back to sign a piece of paper to only be told to be back at 4pm. This is completely wrong.

He made his own rules and schedule to suit him. When I asked him why we were there to sign a piece of paper on fight day. He replied by saying he likes to see the fighters in the morning. That is pure disrespect and disregard for the fighters preparation and their time but it got worse.

If your sleep was interrupted to wake up after a restless night then you’re infuriated by the fact you are up to sign a piece of paper then told to return at 4pm, I ask all you fighters out there…. When do you eat your last meal before the fight ? If your packing any food or eating before, you probably have to leave the hotel at 2:30 to have to time to get the venue or you eat a quick lunch and starve they the doctors then rush off to eat right after.

The Doctors giving the physicals did not show until 5pm thus putting us all behind for out pre-fight meal. Not to mention he moved the show start time up to 7 from 7:30. He probably did that to allow him to get home sooner.

I could go on and on about my personal experience and the lack of sleep and meal time prep he caused me and others on that card that evening. It was my first fight back after a while and in my hometown. I surely did not need to feel like I was fighting Greg Sirb and his undermining ways that weekend. I was so upset and mad at him that few days on top of the other factors, I did not perform even close to my potential and that is upsetting.

But who do you appeal to or file a complaint to ? There is no one higher. The next year he would not approve a fight I was matched up with saying the guy was 3-4 and not good enough. That is laughable considering the money on the purse and the fact I was 40 years old and my opponent would have been younger than 30. Not to mention I was inactive that full year as well. Heaven forbid I have a builder fight to gain confidence or start a streak.

So if your keeping track, one year I am not active enough and the next I am too good for the opponent. It makes zero sense.

This what I mean by him holding back the PA fighters. He will not work with fighters to reach a bigger stage. He is there to crush your hopes and ruin your chances. I know a guy in Florida and many others who have fought 3-18 guys and another who fought a 3-8 guy in the WSOF card in Tampa but I am discouraged as many others on fighting anyone short of a future UFC bid for peanuts.

This is Greg Sirb’s way of control. He has zero fights and claims he was a good wrestling back in the day but who knows. He will surely fill you in. All I know is he does more bad than good and should be removed. The state of Delaware already ceased using him as the PA commission covered their events.

Now he most likely made the UFC brass have no desire to come back thus ruining many fighters chances of moving up. Take note of the lack of PA guys on the undercard and Pittsburgh guys in the UFC. They do not get the exposure due to this ego maniac blocking their progress.

Let me explain it more thoroughly for everyone. Greg Sirb does not care about MMA not does he endorse events across the state. He obviously wants to keep the sport down and make it difficult to “rise up” both individually and as a sport. He must know what people think of him and can read all the negative comments online. He just does not care and makes his own rules. He thinks he is a sheriff of a small town and the UFC is a visitor. I guarantee Dana White lost a lot of sleep concerning this event.

One more example would be forcing out of state fighters to do all their medicals in PA. He has demanded that fighters see his doctors to get cleared.

If you want more examples and don’t believe me, just Google “Greg Sirb”. You will find more than you bargained for. Maybe someone will be smart enough to start a petition soon to push him out. That would be the best news for PA and the northeast MMA allowing fighters a fair shake in climbing the ranks into bigger promotions. Otherwise as Connor McGregor would say, “This state is stuck in the mud.”

The views expressed in this editorial are solely those of the author, James Brasco. 

Bellator Needs Changes after Dada 5000 Scare

001_Kimbo_Slice_and_Dada_5000.0.0

On Friday, Bellator 149 saw the historic return of Royce Gracie facing Ken Shamrock in a rubber match. Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 faced off in the co-main event in a clash of two well known street fighters. The event had mixed reactions and even a controversy of the main event where Royce Gracie won by 1st round TKO. Allegedly, Ken Shamrock was kneed in the groin before he was knocked out before the referee could even see it.

But the main focal point that should be discussed is Dada 5000 and the heart failure he suffered after his loss to Kimbo Slice. According to numerous reports and confirmed by Bellator, Dada 5000 was taken out of the cage in a stretcher after he lost due to exhaustion.

He had severe dehydration and high levels of Potassium after the bout. Dhafir Harris’s family put out a statement that suggested that his extreme weight cut could have been the culprit for his heart failure. Harris is in stable condition now but this is a serious wakeup call for Bellator.

Scott Coker has made no secret that he wants to put on fights that fans want to see.

“We want to put on the most entertaining events possible for you,” Coker said in an open letter to fans. “Our goal is to make every Bellator event big.”

Coker has gone out to make fan favorite fights such as Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock and “King Mo” vs. Rampage Jackson. But Friday saw what happens when things do not go the way they should have.

Dada 5000 had no place to be fighting in a sanctioned MMA fight. His last fight was five years ago and is mostly known for his street fighting credentials. He came in at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds and clearly showed his fatigue and novice MMA experience inside the Bellator cage. Joe Rogan went to Twitter to call his bout with Kimbo Slice, “the worst fight i’ve ever seen.”

By the mid-way point of the 2nd round, both Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 were exhausted. Both fighters did not have much left in the tank. This is not the type of fight that fans should be seeing on national television. Mixed martial arts should be a display of incredible athletes and their incredible skills.

We did not see many skills or forms of martial arts from Slice and Dada 5000. It was a ‘street fight’ as advertised and saw one fighter suffer a serious medical condition. There is a platform for street fights and sloppy backyard fighting called YouTube. But national television should be a display of true forms of martial arts.

001_Kimbo_Slice_and_Dada_5000.0.0

On Friday, Bellator 149 saw the historic return of Royce Gracie facing Ken Shamrock in a rubber match. Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 faced off in the co-main event in a clash of two well known street fighters. The event had mixed reactions and even a controversy of the main event where Royce Gracie won by 1st round TKO. Allegedly, Ken Shamrock was kneed in the groin before he was knocked out before the referee could even see it.

But the main focal point that should be discussed is Dada 5000 and the heart failure he suffered after his loss to Kimbo Slice. According to numerous reports and confirmed by Bellator, Dada 5000 was taken out of the cage in a stretcher after he lost due to exhaustion.

He had severe dehydration and high levels of Potassium after the bout. Dhafir Harris’s family put out a statement that suggested that his extreme weight cut could have been the culprit for his heart failure. Harris is in stable condition now but this is a serious wakeup call for Bellator.

Scott Coker has made no secret that he wants to put on fights that fans want to see.

“We want to put on the most entertaining events possible for you,” Coker said in an open letter to fans. “Our goal is to make every Bellator event big.”

Coker has gone out to make fan favorite fights such as Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock and “King Mo” vs. Rampage Jackson. But Friday saw what happens when things do not go the way they should have.

Dada 5000 had no place to be fighting in a sanctioned MMA fight. His last fight was five years ago and is mostly known for his street fighting credentials. He came in at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds and clearly showed his fatigue and novice MMA experience inside the Bellator cage. Joe Rogan went to Twitter to call his bout with Kimbo Slice, “the worst fight i’ve ever seen.”

By the mid-way point of the 2nd round, both Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000 were exhausted. Both fighters did not have much left in the tank. This is not the type of fight that fans should be seeing on national television. Mixed martial arts should be a display of incredible athletes and their incredible skills.

We did not see many skills or forms of martial arts from Slice and Dada 5000. It was a ‘street fight’ as advertised and saw one fighter suffer a serious medical condition. There is a platform for street fights and sloppy backyard fighting called YouTube. But national television should be a display of true forms of martial arts.

Takeaways From The Debut Of Future CM Punk Opponent Mickey Gall

Mickey Gall & CM Punk (UFC Fight Pass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfwwOlsq9Tc

While the whole thing felt a bit very set up (though obviously not to the point of being a work), CM Punk’s first UFC fight has finally been announced. Mickey Gall, who was a 1-0 rookie hired by the UFC off calling out Punk on the promotion’s “Dana White: Looking For a Fight” YouTube reality show, quickly won his debut over 0-0 Mike Jackson in 45 seconds. Gall was a heavy favorite.

The fight itself was very simple: Gall knocked Jackson (a former pro boxer who also works as a MMA writer and photographer) with his first combination, a 1-2, and followed up with a rear naked choke to get the submission. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva introduced Gall to Punk in the cage after the match and posed them for photos In a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Punk said he doesn’t know when the fight will be, but he wants it to be at UFC 200 in June, which is slated to be the biggest card in UFC history. UFC President Dana White has stated in the past that he sees Punk’s debut as likely for the previous month’s UFC 199 card.

With the fight going 45 seconds, there’s not much more to learn about Gall. He looks like he has some pop in his hands which was somewhat surprising given that he’s a grappler first and foremost. His finishing instincts were excellent, realizing that it made more sense to go for the choke instead of throwing more punches on the ground. A lot of more experienced fighters don’t even do that, so that’s a plus in his favor. He looked about as good as could b expected and it sets him up well as a threat against Punk. As for Jackson, there’s not really anything else for him in the UFC unless Punk loses to Gall, wants to keep fighting, and needs an opponent.

Punk sounded much more nervous than usual when he was interviewed after the fight, but not necessarily in a bad way. He freely admitted that he was excited, as his long-awaited fight is finally a reality, though it’s still not slated for a specific card. It’s not a secret that a the MMA world is skeptical of how good he can get at his age without a combat or even high level athletic background, but he’s been training full time. That’s his big advantage, his financial security allowing him to not have to hold down a full time job between training sessions like a fellow greenhorn would have to.

Will it be enough? We’ll know this Summer.

Mickey Gall & CM Punk (UFC Fight Pass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfwwOlsq9Tc

While the whole thing felt a bit very set up (though obviously not to the point of being a work), CM Punk’s first UFC fight has finally been announced. Mickey Gall, who was a 1-0 rookie hired by the UFC off calling out Punk on the promotion’s “Dana White: Looking For a Fight” YouTube reality show, quickly won his debut over 0-0 Mike Jackson in 45 seconds. Gall was a heavy favorite.

The fight itself was very simple: Gall knocked Jackson (a former pro boxer who also works as a MMA writer and photographer) with his first combination, a 1-2, and followed up with a rear naked choke to get the submission. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva introduced Gall to Punk in the cage after the match and posed them for photos In a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Punk said he doesn’t know when the fight will be, but he wants it to be at UFC 200 in June, which is slated to be the biggest card in UFC history. UFC President Dana White has stated in the past that he sees Punk’s debut as likely for the previous month’s UFC 199 card.

With the fight going 45 seconds, there’s not much more to learn about Gall. He looks like he has some pop in his hands which was somewhat surprising given that he’s a grappler first and foremost. His finishing instincts were excellent, realizing that it made more sense to go for the choke instead of throwing more punches on the ground. A lot of more experienced fighters don’t even do that, so that’s a plus in his favor. He looked about as good as could b expected and it sets him up well as a threat against Punk. As for Jackson, there’s not really anything else for him in the UFC unless Punk loses to Gall, wants to keep fighting, and needs an opponent.

Punk sounded much more nervous than usual when he was interviewed after the fight, but not necessarily in a bad way. He freely admitted that he was excited, as his long-awaited fight is finally a reality, though it’s still not slated for a specific card. It’s not a secret that a the MMA world is skeptical of how good he can get at his age without a combat or even high level athletic background, but he’s been training full time. That’s his big advantage, his financial security allowing him to not have to hold down a full time job between training sessions like a fellow greenhorn would have to.

Will it be enough? We’ll know this Summer.

Archives: Why Kenny Florian’s Cover-Up Is Worse Than The Crime (2016)

Kenny Florian was briefly suspended for the plagiarism documented in the below editorial published six years ago. Today, he works as a commentator for The Professional Fighters League and is also the co-host of the Anik and Florian podcast.

On This…

Kenny Florian

Kenny Florian was briefly suspended for the plagiarism documented in the below editorial published six years ago. Today, he works as a commentator for The Professional Fighters League and is also the co-host of the Anik and Florian podcast.

On This Day Six Years Ago…

[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2016, 8:31 PM]

Headline: Kenny Florian & Why The Cover-Up Is Worse Than The Crime

Author: David Bixenspan

As noted earlier, former three-time UFC championship challenger turned UFC and Fox Sports analyst/color commentator has been suspended by the latter entity. His crime? He plagiarized large portions of his technical breakdown of T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz from boxing analyst Lee Wylie’s video breaking down 1040s boxer Willie Pep. Twitter personality The Naked Gambler deserves credit for pointing out exactly what Florian did:

Florian then decided to have a chat with Naked Gambler via direct message, where he explained that it was all a simple misunderstanding…or at least in his head it was:

This introduced us to Florian’s defense, which he later used in his public “apology;” That he keeps a running list of notes on martial arts technique, has for years, and it’s very jumbled with little effort to keep track of what he got where or which thoughts were his own. In and of itself, that would be fine, and it’s totally believable that he keeps those kinds of notes. But…then he went on to say that he must have forgotten that the notes on footwork taken from Wylie weren’t his own.

There are a few problems with this. The first is that even if he knew that even if he genuinely didn’t remember that the footwork notes weren’t his, since he did remember that not all of the notes were his, he’s still knowingly plagiarizing. Even if he didn’t know that those specific notes weren’t his, he knew there was a reasonable likelihood that it was the case.

However, in this specific instance, that doesn’t pass the smell test, either. Why? Wylie’s breakdown only went up on December 3rd, just last month. In addition, being a video (with Wylie’s notes contained in the video as on-screen graphics) as opposed to text in an article, Florian couldn’t have just absent-mindedly copied and pasted it without giving much thought to it. He would have devoted a good bit of time to transcribing the text by hand in the weeks leading up to the article, where he says that he “forgot” that the words weren’t his own.

Soon enough, the story hit Deadspin. At that point, it was probably just a matter of time that the story would really blow up (if it already happened), so Florian issued what he termed an apology:

Note the wording: Florian said that he was ““referenc[ing] perspectives on [something], which were originally articulated by [someone else],” when he was outright lifting Wylie’s analysis word for word. He was deliberately mischaracterizing what he did to obfuscate as well as minimize what he did. Worse, according to two tweets from Naked Gambler, he had attempted to defuse the situation by promising to try to get Wylie a job at Fox Sports.

Does this sound like someone who made a genuine mistake he was sorry for? Or does sound like someone who, for reasons known only to him, knowingly plagiarized large portions of an article and scrambled to cover it up when he got caught? He buried himself deeper every time he addressed the situation, and it’s a miracle that so far, he’s just suspended.

As for Lee Wylie? The poor guy who donates his time to creating cool analysis videos, who had his work stolen by a well-compensated television personality, has been made to feel like a jerk for no good reason:

Nice work, Kenny.

Continue Reading Archives: Why Kenny Florian’s Cover-Up Is Worse Than The Crime (2016) at MMA News.