Dana’s war on online Internet news sites continues. The latest rounds between Sherdog, one of the larger independent online news sources for MMA, and the UFC have really heated up.
According to Whaledog, Dana White sent the following text message to Jeff Sherwood, owner of Sherdog.com, during the K-1 event.
You are my enemy until the day I die. F****** embarrassing.
We do not know the whole story on why this text message was sent or if there were any provocations from Sherwood towards Dana that might have spurred such an outburst, BUT...Dana White is the CEO and President of a major multi-million dollar corporation. He should be held to a higher standard and because of his responsibilities and position should always be taking the higher road. Engaging in personal vendettas and threats should not be one of his job responsibilities.
If this were the only outburst or actions from Dana and his organization, it would probably not merit more than just a footnote, but it's not. The UFC has an axe to grind against all online Internet news sites, as detailed in a previous article here on Komikazee.
Mainstream media is finally picking up on this feud between the UFC and online news sites. The Oregonian had some odds and ends that stemmed from the recent con call on UFC 73. The part we found interesting and was pertinent to this topic was the following:
One of the more surprising feuds to surface in recent months has been between the UFC and Sherdog.com, the largest independent MMA Web site that recently partnered with ESPN.com.
White recently stated his disdain for Sherdog.com and other MMA Web sites on a Sacramento radio show. Given the importance of Internet buzz in creating the UFC juggernaut, the statement was surprising.
"I have had a lot of battles with those guys," White said. "I have no respect for Sherdog. Half their stories are a complete (expletive) lie. It's like a tabloid.
"Plus, they went and found out who the finalists were for season four of The Ultimate Fighter and ran them. Of all the scumbaggish things. When you burn me like that, it's forever. I will never trust them or like them."
Sherdog editor Josh Gross reacted with surprise, Just as he had reacted when the UFC pulled Sherdog's media credentials two years ago.
"I dare him to point to one story we reported that we had to retract or move away from. He can't," Gross said via email. "Regarding TUF, yeah well sometimes news happens to be something people don't want out. TUF 4 was different than every other season, as it was intended to crown No. 1 contenders in two weight divisions. We're not talking about some kids no one had heard of. These were veteran fighters. And so we had who was in the finals, and reported as discreetly as possible; we warned anyone that didn't want to know that they should turn down their radios.
"Also, that doesn't explain why we were denied in Oct. of '05 when the TUF news was reported in June of '06."
Komikazee will continue to keep you informed about this online feud as it evolves. Will it spread to more sites? Will Dana White's wrath be solely contained against Sherdog? The past facts supports the latter and not the former but only time will tell.