The controversial broadcaster shared some destructive opinions during the post-fighting show of UFC 246 in 2020.
Stephen A. Smith is currently getting the headlines because of his public feud with LeBron James, which has been a consistent conversation point in the past month.
The ESPN analyst has never been afraid to say what he thinks and that has often landed in hot water with athletes and fans.
In the past he shared opinions about MMA with Smith, who recently praised Jones last year, despite the fact that the fans are critical of 'bones' at the time.
Smith also produced a number of Hot Takes with regard to Conor McGregor and in 2020, he could be seen on the broadcast when 'The Notorious' returned to the Octagon to hire 'Cowboy'.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dana White and Joe Rogan were not fans of the way Stephen A. Smith Donald Cerrone criticized
Stephen A. Smith's various performances during the broadcast for UFC 246 were not exactly welcomed by Vecht fans or the people around him.
Many discovered that his very critical view of certain hunters was disrespectful, which was especially true when he gave his analysis of the main event at the show after the fight.
Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone was criticized in the past for crumbling under pressure despite his legendary status as a Hall of Famer whose name is everywhere in the record books.
In January 2020, Cerrone had no chance to really test a recurring Conor McGregor that will go through him in just 40 seconds.
When sharing his reflections on the fight, Smith was mainly critical of Cerrone and his performance, and stated that he 'pretty disgusted' by the veteran.
“If you look at 'Cowboy' Cerrone, it didn't look like a hunter who was willing to fight tonight,” he said. “We knew that Conor would be ready. We wondered if he would play him early or not, because the later the fight goes clearly, 'Cowboy' is the larger, stronger guy – supposedly. But for him to be injured in 15 seconds, get away from the clinch, and still just to come back to him.
Joe Rogan did not agree with Smith's position about the fight during an episode of the Joe Rogan experience, where he said it was not fair to talk about the sport in this way.
“For Conor to break 'cowboy' for his wife, his child, his grandmother and the whole world, you must have some respect for that man, and this sport requires a different perspective,” said Rogan. “It is not the same as a ball that goes into a hoop. It is not the same as crossing a line with a football. It is different. It is very intense and very personal, and it is also very dangerous and to play it as if it is just a game, I don't agree.”
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
UFC President Dana White adopted a similar attitude when MMA Junkie was asked to give his opinion about the comments of Smith and Rogan's response.
He said that although there is a place for what Smith does, it is not what they want in the UFC who didn't like to see it being done in boxing.
“Listen, you coordinate and buy the pay-per-view because you love these guys and you respect these hunters, and you are a fan of the sport. The last thing you want to do is hear someone ripping apart. I am not of it. Is a fight over and a man loses, we don't go inside and tear them apart.
“We are fans. We are not doing it. I think Rogan responded. That is our philosophy here. For Stephen A. Smith, that is his thing. That's what he does. It will happen. You will always have people who have a difference in opinions, especially when you have two very idiosyncratic guys such as Stephen A. Smith and Joe Rogan.”
Dana White cannot bring herself to support Stephen A. Smith for his post-PuC 246 comments about Donald Cerrone and beef with Joe Rogan: “I am not in it.” pic.twitter.com/8wru0vbugr
– MMA Junkie (@mmajunkie) February 7, 2020
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The UFC broadcast has remained faithful to the words of Dana White
As Dana White said in the interview above, you do not want to coordinate with an event to have only the hunters you came to see.
This would certainly create a conversation and it often happens in MMA, but you do not tend to see that it takes place on a UFC broadcast.
The commentators and analysts share their opinion without doing what Stephen A. Smith did when he interviewed the heart and mentality of Donald Cerrone.
After the reactions from White, Rogan, Cerrone and the fans, a clear line was drawn for what works in other sports that has no place in the UFC.
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