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Prominent ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has addressed the indications that the network and its journalists are downplaying the significance of UFC President Dana White’s physical altercation with his wife. On New Year’s Eve, Dana White …
Prominent ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith has addressed the indications that the network and its journalists are downplaying the significance of UFC President Dana White’s physical altercation with his wife. On New Year’s Eve, Dana White was captured on video slapping his wife, Anne, in retaliation to being struck by her inside a Cabo nightclub….
Continue Reading Stephen A Tackles Narrative That ESPN Is Shielding Dana White at MMA News.
Former ESPN broadcaster Jemele Hill is not happy with how her former colleague Stephen A. Smith responded to the Dana White controversy. White remains in hot water after footage of him hitting his wife during an argument on New Year’s Eve went vi…
Former ESPN broadcaster Jemele Hill is not happy with how her former colleague Stephen A. Smith responded to the Dana White controversy. White remains in hot water after footage of him hitting his wife during an argument on New Year’s Eve went viral. He has since apologized to his wife for his role in the…
Continue Reading Jemele Hill Slams Stephen A & ESPN For Coverage Of Dana White Incident at MMA News.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya had no choice but to remind Stephen A. Smith who the real champion is during a playful faceoff. At UFC 281, Israel Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight championship for the sixth time when he takes on …
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya had no choice but to remind Stephen A. Smith who the real champion is during a playful faceoff. At UFC 281, Israel Adesanya will look to defend his middleweight championship for the sixth time when he takes on his former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in Madison Square Garden. One person…
Continue Reading Watch: Israel Adesanya Puts Stephen A. Smith In His Place During Faceoff at MMA News.
Renowned sports personality Stephen A. Smith came to the defense of mixed martial arts (MMA) during a recent heated discussion with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. Despite still being in its relative infancy, MMA has grown rapidly since the creation…
Renowned sports personality Stephen A. Smith came to the defense of mixed martial arts (MMA) during a recent heated discussion with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. Despite still being in its relative infancy, MMA has grown rapidly since the creation of the UFC in 1993. Now, the developing sport is the fastest growing financially, with a…
Continue Reading Stephen A Defends MMA Against “Mad Dog” Russo’s Attacks at MMA News.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has spoken out in defense of former ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith, who has been a polarizing figure when it comes to the coverage of mixed martial arts. Smith has established himself as one of America’s most well-known sports television personalities. Through his SportsCenter appearances and analysis of sports like basketball,…
Continue Reading Helwani Defends Stephen A. Smith Against “Silly” MMA Criticisms at MMA News.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has spoken out in defense of former ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith, who has been a polarizing figure when it comes to the coverage of mixed martial arts.
Smith has established himself as one of America’s most well-known sports television personalities. Through his SportsCenter appearances and analysis of sports like basketball, the 54-year-old has amassed a large following, including close to four million on Instagram and over 5.5 million followers on Twitter.
But if there’s one sport that Smith has struggled to find a place in when it comes to the fanbase, it’s MMA.
Since ESPN became the exclusive broadcast partner of the UFC in January 2019, Smith has become a more active pundit in the sport, which has included appearances at some high-profile pay-per-views. Perhaps most notable was his work at UFC 246 in January 2020.
Following Conor McGregor’s dominant and fast victory over Donald Cerrone, Smith suggested that “Cowboy” quit inside the Octagon, a comment that was disagreed with by color commentator Joe Rogan, sparking a brief social media feud between the two analysts.
While his appearances on UFC broadcasts have remained scarce, they still get fans talking, many of whom do so negatively, as was evident last July at UFC 264 when Smith joined Dominick Cruz and Michael Bisping at the ESPN desk.
But one of Smith’s former ESPN peers believes that he receives underserved slack.
During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani, who departed ESPN last year, praised Smith for his kindness and positive attitude. The Canadian also branded the controversy over Smith’s Cerrone comments as “silliness.”
“Stephen A isn’t a bad dude. Stephen A actually would come up to me — like, are his takes off? No, we could debate that. That’s all inconsequential crap,” said Helwani. “Stephen A, for me personally, every time I would see him at the Seaport, on campus, he would go out of his way to be kind to me, to give me props, text me, shout me out — why would I hate that man?
“As far as I’m concerned, Stephen A was a good teammate. Like what? So he spoke about Donald Cerrone, oh wow! Silliness,” concluded Helwani.
Interestingly, Cerrone later came out and admitted that he simply didn’t want to be inside the cage that night against McGregor, seemingly giving credence to Smith’s comments.
Do you agree with Ariel Helwani? Does Stephen A. Smith receive unnecessary criticism from MMA fans?
Continue Reading Helwani Defends Stephen A. Smith Against “Silly” MMA Criticisms at MMA News.
Former Bellator lightweight contender, Josh Thomson and current promotional color commentator, John McCarthy have both taken umbrage with recent comments from analyst, Stephen A. Smith following UFC 272, urging the ESPN reporter to revert to covering basketball rather than mixed martial arts. Smith, who has received his fair share of criticizm since his transition to […]
Former Bellator lightweight contender, Josh Thomson and current promotional color commentator, John McCarthy have both taken umbrage with recent comments from analyst, Stephen A. Smith following UFC 272, urging the ESPN reporter to revert to covering basketball rather than mixed martial arts.
Smith, who has received his fair share of criticizm since his transition to analysing mixed martial arts, infamously received major flak after he claimed Donald Cerrone quit and turned in an “atrocious performance” during his UFC 246 loss to former two-weight champion, Conor McGregor in January 2020.
Reacting to last weekend’s UFC 272 headliner between former interim welterweight champion, Colby Covington, and Jorge Masvidal – Stephen A. Smith claimed Masvidal’s lack of wrestling defense was “inexplicable” as he eventually gave up six total takedowns over the course of five rounds en route to his loss to Covington in a unanimous decision display.
Sharing their thoughts on Smith’s comments, former referee, McCarthy, and former UFC lightweight contender, Thomson both criticized Smith’s take on Masvidal’s performance.
“The reason you (Stephen A. Smith) don’t understand, is because you never wrestled a day in your f*cking life,” John McCarthy said on Weighing In. “And to not understand – Jorge (Masvidal) was ready for the wrestling, it’s just that – hey, Colby (Covington) brings a pressure that wore him down. Go back to basketball.”
“Yeah, go back to covering sports where you think you know so much about,” Josh Thomson said. “Countless, countless other athletes have just talked sh*t about you. And this is why – it’s ‘cause you’re clickbait. You are the epitome of what it wrong with social media right now, and the news, and sports talk and all this other crap. Your show, ‘First Take’ all this other sh*t that you guys do, is f*cking trash. It’s always been trash. And ESPN continues to tell you guys you’ve been doing a good job, it’s garbage. You guys are all clickbait, you and all the other guys that you work with, it’s all trash.”
Thomson further claimed that Smith should not cover the sport anymore in tandem with the UFC and their broadcast partners, ESPN.
“It’s really sad that the UFC has to use you (Stephen A. Smith), because you work for ESPN,” Josh Thomson said. “And it’s a slap in the face to our athletes and our fighters. It’s embarrassing and I think, I honestly believe they need to get rid of your ass, working with the UFC at all. ‘Cause everytime, you put your foot in your mouth and say sh*t like this – it adds to the clickbait material you are used to doing from your other shows, and it’s trash…”