CTV Sportsnet's "Showdown" Joe Ferraro might have stepped into an empty octagon before, but that certainly didn't help his credibility last week after falsely reporting that the UFC Vancouver pay-per-view had been cancelled.
He calls himself “Showdown Joe” and ironically, the name of the show he hosts on CTV Sportsnet is entitled “MMA Connected.” Yet, you would never have known that Joe Ferraro has any knowledge or connection to the sport with the way he inserted himself into the UFC-Vancouver courtship last week, which revolved around his shoddy reporting that put the now-secured deal in serious jeopardy.
Before I get into the story of how everything went down last week, here are a couple of excerpts from a from an interview Joe did where he described how he broke into MMA broadcasting:
“From there, we started sponsoring fighters at various events and then I met up with some promoters. They fell in love with the knowledge that I had and how I could break down fights into what this guy needs to do to win and what that guy needs to do to win, and then during the fight I would explain what guys needed to do to get out of a position and they said, “Did you ever think about doing commentary?”
“About three or four month in, the guys from Sportsnet started getting into MMA, they started covering the UFC and they decided, “We need an analyst; someone who is involved in the sport and can pick up the phone and call Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture.” So they started looking around and realized that The Fan 590 is owned by the same company as Sportsnet – Rogers Communications – and said, “Who’s this Showdown Joe guy? Let’s bring him in.”
Humble and not at all self-absorbed, as you can clearly see.
Now let’s examine Joe’s breaking news from last week, and his supposed chat with UFC president Dana White, which he still will not confirm with any certainty in spite of repeated emails from me.
Last Monday, the UFC and the City of Vancouver were deep in meetings regarding the proposed June event after weeks of trying to get a deal done. Now in spite of reports to the contrary (which I will cite in a second), the reason that things took so long is not because Council was holding things up, or that bureaucrats were running amok within the walls of City Hall.
Simply, the City of Vancouver will be the first host city of a UFC pay-per-view where a province or state sanctioning body does not exist. As an example, there have been two successful UFC events held in Montreal, both of which were facilitated by the Quebec Alcohol Racing and Gaming Commission (QAC). This provincial sanctioning body is responsible for the rules, regulations and parameters of such contests, which in turn insulates the City of Montreal from potential legal action.
Pretty simple stuff. But in the midst of the talks about Vancouver’s UFC future, these are the kinds of headlines that started seeping out, unbeknownst to anyone involved in the negotiations at the time:
“Source says UFC Vancouver show is off, may be switched to Cincinnati”
“Vancouver UFC show likely moving to Cincy”
So who was this “source”? Was it someone within the city? Or maybe a representative from UFC like VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner or Lawrence Epstein, the organization’s general legal counsel?
No. It was Showdown Joe, who allegedly received confirmation from Dana White. As I mentioned, I sent Joe a few emails last week to find out what exactly White allegedly told him, and was greeted with complete silence. No surprise there, I guess, in consideration of the fact that a deal was indeed reached just 3 days after Joe’s initial claims became public.
Now Joe was correct about one thing – the show in Vancouver would have been moved to Cincinnati if terms were not reached.
But I have deep reservations about what Ferraro is claiming Dana White told him.
And before Ferraro goes and claims that it was his reporting of White’s supposed utterance that changed the course of the negotiations, let me tell you that I hear it simply caused bitter feelings and miscommunication between the two parties rather than helping to speed the process along.
The fact is that talks never failed, and never stopped. There were issues that came down to the wire, without a doubt, but at no point did the City of Vancouver back away from trying to make something happen.
As an example, the requests for indemnification and insurance protection for the city were drastically altered by City Manager Penny Ballem and her staff to ensure that Vancouver didn’t lose out on what could prove to be a cash infusion of approximately $20 million.
Take a look at this interview from Joe on the day that his network was looking for answers as to who was responsible for the “show being choked out in Vancouver.”
He claimed that “it’s the politicians over there that are apparently making this extremely difficult for the UFC and any mixed martial arts events in general from occurring on their soil.”
WRONG. As soon as Council passed the motion lifting the ban back in December, they had little to do with the day-to-day negotiations. Actually, the Mayor, from what I hear, was the only one who was actively encouraging, not obstructing, officials to get a deal signed.
When asked why Vancouver was any different than Montreal in terms of securing an event, Joe responded with “It’s very difficult to try figure out, only because…uh…I’m trying to understand what are the liabilities, because every commission out there, be it North America or around the world, that regulates mixed martial arts, they’ve got the same issues so why can they still hold these events?”
Well Joe, that is also WRONG. As I mentioned above, Vancouver is breaking new ground because of the fact that the province of British Columbia has no sanctioning body for MMA, making it different from any other past UFC host city.
So no Joe, the City of Vancouver COULD NOT “follow the model that’s been successful for all these different states and provinces that continue to hold mixed martial arts events” – not without the provincial government.
Joe’s clearly one of those reporters that revels in the access he has in the big names of UFC, whether it is Dana White or Tito Ortiz. In fact, as you can see above from the excerpt I posted from the print interview with Ferraro, he flashes his ability to “pick up the phone and call Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture” as one of his selling points.
Good for you Joe. That is a real feather in the cap of an MMA reporter.
But next time you want to make use of those speed dial numbers you have programmed into your phone, maybe you should do a little more digging into the facts before you insert false stories into the mix and almost compromise an event of such importance – particuarly to your profession.
Interesting article, but if I may:
1. I do not work for CTV Sportsnet. Rogers purchased Sportsnet form CTV in 2001. It’s been called Rogers Sportsnet for nearly a decade now.
2. I never inserted myself into the Vancouver story; I was asked for my thoughts on the story that the Canadian Press broke, and I did some investigation to see what I could conjure up.
3. I’m still trying to figure out how all of my reporting was based on “facts” that I had received from numerous sources, be them from the UFC, the VAC and more. You call it “shoddy”, I call it “gathering the facts, putting them out there, and letting the public formulate their own opinion”.
4. “Humble and not at all self-absorbed” – based on? I gave a Cole’s Notes version of how I got into broadcasting. Without access to these parties, I would have not been offered the position. I’m not sure what you’re reasoning is to take shots at me.
5. “…he still will not confirm with any certainty in spite of repeated emails from me.”…may I ask which email address you sent these emails too? I generally reply to all emails, and I do not recall receiving anything from you. I’ve checked both my email addresses (inbox, sent and trash folders).
6. Of these four headlines you list ( “Source says UFC Vancouver show is off, may be switched to Cincinnati”, “Vancouver UFC show likely moving to Cincy”, “UFC Vancouver show is off: source”, “UFC down for the count in Vancouver“), not one was a story written by me, YET, you it appears you are accusing me for writing them. Interesting logic there.
7. I’ve already acknowledged in multiple interviews, that Dana White was one of my sources, that informed me they were working on moving the show to Cincinnati. This is fact, not fiction, not my opinion…fact.
8.”…it simply caused bitter feelings and miscommunication between the two parties rather than helping to speed the process along.” – my job is to report the information and facts that I have, both from the UFC, the VAC, what I could gather from City Council and GM Place. It’s then up for public consumption. With all due respect, the end result speaks for itself.
9.”but at no point did the City of Vancouver back away from trying to make something happen.” – please share with me where I made this accusation?
10. My quote “it’s the politicians over there that are apparently making this extremely difficult for the UFC and any mixed martial arts events in general from occurring on their soil.” – did you not hear, see or read the word “apparently”? Based on the multitude of info that I had received up until that point, including multiple sources directly accusing the City, I simply reported that based on the info I had ““the politicians…are apparently making this extremely difficult for the UFC…etc”.
11. Whether Municipal, State or Provincial AND whether UFC or a grass roots promotion is the event, a commission is still a commission. Just check the commission within Alberta (Enoch, Calgary, Edmonton, etc) or even BC (Prince Georges and yes Vancouver, who voted unanimously to sanction the UFC event). And YES, they could have followed the model that is set forth by other jurisdictions.
12. When you state “maybe you should do a little more digging into the facts before you insert false stories into the mix and almost compromise an event of such importance – particularly to your profession”. This is is a serious accusation, and perhaps you should re-read what you wrote, look in the mirror, and review the previous eleven points.
While my job as an “MMA Analyst” is to offer up an opinion, I only do so once I have gathered as many facts as possible. I weigh them out, then will either make my opinion, or lay out all the facts for the public to decide on their own.
Hi Joe,
I dont understand where this journalist is coming from. You clearly are doing an amazing job with your show and relaying information to the general public. It seems as tho this person needs to get his facts straight before bashing your credibility. Keep up the great work .
B
This is why you’re just a blogger. You just got bitchslapped by Joe.
Well, in order:
1. You’re right….you got me…I said CTV when I should have said Rogers. You have just gained a point in your defense even before you get into the meat and potatoes of the issue. Congratulations.
2. You were quoted as stating:
“The information I received is, it’s time to move on. They’ve got to announce their show, they can’t wait any longer, and the city is still far from being able to let them announce a date. They’d still love to come to Vancouver, there are no hard feelings, they know that a show here would be incredible and open the area up to a whole new fan base. But they can’t wait around for any longer,” Ferraro told The Vancouver Sun.”
That does not seem like “thoughts” or conjecture. That is presented as fact in your phrasing. Furthermore, as the final result proves, your “investigation” was quite shallow.
3. I am also trying to figure out how your reporting was based on “facts” in consideration of what happened in the end. From what I can tell, it wasn’t, hence the title of this post.
4. Based on comments such as:
“They fell in love with the knowledge that I had and how I could break down fights…”
“We need an analyst; someone who is involved in the sport and can pick up the phone and call Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture.”
Very few reporters I encounter openly speak about their high opinions of themselves in public, even if that is truly what they believe deep down. Why? Because it tends to hurt their credibility and compromise their distance from their stories.
5. Clearly I was sending things to the wrong email address.
6. Who cares if it was written by you? Your quote that you provided to the Vancouver Sun, as an example, is pretty unequivocal. Unless, of course, you are denying ever saying it.
7. You didn’t state that they were “working on moving the show to Cincinatti.” You did, however, state that a) “it’s time to move on” and b) “they can’t wait any longer.” Well, obviously they could wait the additional three days, as once again I point out, a deal did get done.
8. The end result does speak for itself…you were 150% wrong. And if your job is to “report the information and facts” that you have, then you didn’t do such a great job on collecting this time around.
9. You didn’t. However, negotiations never halted, as you seemed to suggest.
10. You used the word “apparently”…wonderful. The fact is that once again, the information you received about the politicians obstructing the process was completely false.
11. No, they could not have followed past models, because as I said, Vancouver is the FIRST city to hold a UFC event without a provincial or state sanctioning body, which insulates the host city from insurance and indemnity issues. A commission is still a commission, but responsibility and legal liability are not uniform by any stretch of the imagination.
12. I have reviewed my post, and your rebuttal, and still come back to the same conclusion: you said that a deal was dead because UFC was moving on, and the facts are that that utterance was completely premature and ultimately false.
As an analyst, opinion does play a part in your job. As someone claiming that an event is not going to happen, however, you must do a better job of tracking down facts that match up to reality. In these kinds of situations, your opinion just doesn’t cut it.
He calls himself _____, insert name of the person who didn’t want to attach his name to this article. You seem to have a lot of hatred towards Joe. Did you lose out on the job to host MMA Connected? I do not know Joe or even like his suit jackets or shoes but he has been one of the best MMA Analysts for Canadian viewers. He Constantly takes us behind the scenes of the world if MMA, updates us on the regular as to whats going on in the world of MMA. You on the other hand are the kind of critic that everyone laughs at(not in a good way), you find one issue and blow it up into something that makes no sense at all. But as i seen in Joe’s 12 points you probably know that now.
Enjoy the comments to follow by other MMA Fans that feel the same.
P.S Its professional to have your name at the end of the article you write,see below. Just a suggestion
Nick Lupo
Nick Lupo seems to practice the same level of fact checking as Joe does. If you go into the profile of this page, who I am is clear. But of course, why click your mouse to find out who is behind this blog when you can run to the defense of some seriously flawed reporting about how the UFC is pulling out of Vancouver.
I, by the way, am a rabid fan of the sport, so this has nothing to do with being a critic of MMA.
Jonathan,
As the journalist who interviewed Ferraro for the quoted Coles Notes version of how he got into the business, and having spoken to him on several occasions beyond that call, I can tell you that you’re way off base with your assessment of his character.
When someone asks you how you got to the position you’re in, you tell them. Having the abilities he has and connections he’s made helped Ferraro get to where he is. It’s not being self-absorbed – it’s factual.
As for your slant on his involvement in the UFC 115 situation, for starters, do not for a second make it out like Showdown Joe Ferraro was the only person reporting a potential switch in venues. That news was all over the MMA community and confirmed by very credible sources.
The VAC called a special meeting to try and save things, and Mayor Gregor Robertson became involved in the 11th hour… the potential demise had nothing to do with reporting; it had to do with liability and indemnity issues, concerns the city could have been addressing in the years since they last held sanctioned MMA in Vancouver, or even the three months since passing the two-year trial period.
And make no mistake about it – this show was on it’s death bed and moves were in fact being planned. On Monday of last week, no reporters knew the VAC would hold an emergency meeting to try and save the show. All we can do is report the information before us – as Mr. Ferraro, myself and countless other journalists did.
If I may ask, what are your credentials / qualifications? I know what Mr. Ferraro brings to the table, but I’m always interested in knowing what makes someone who is willing to sling mud and offer scathing criticism of a successful, reliable and respected journalist qualified to do so, other than owning a keyboard and having an opinion?
Those are valid enough reasons in their own right, but when you’re calling someone out for shoddy reporting, I think you should have some quality reporting chops of your own to back you up…
Basically a hack article, as far as I’m concerned. Mainly because of the four stories you link to Showdown Joe, but were simply not written by him. Secondly, because you take personal shots at him, which has nothing to do with his fact gathering or reporting on the whole UFC / Vancouver situation. Mind you this is just my opinion, which I’m sure you will rip apart yourself.
I agree with this article. Joe is a hack.
I follow both Dana and Showdown on Twitter. I saw Dana make those comments VIA twitter then Showdown ReTweeted what Dana White had just mentioned. I would say Dana Whites twitter is a good source of information. I believe the person who wrote this article is ‘calling out names’ to bring his name to the forefront. This article is garbage.
Wow…what is with the hostility towards Joe? Really you are going with personal attacks, this is what you call good reporting? I didn’t find his comments about how he got the job arrogant at all. Simply stating the facts, sounds like you have a little inferiority complex Jonathan.
Listen the world is not a black and white place, Joe is a reporter and it is his job to get breaking news. He made a judgment call based on the information he had at the time. He reported it and at the time it may have been correct, people do change their minds in negations.
I think a good writer could have made an interesting article here about the complexities of the negotiations and how many people, not just Joe, were lead to believe they had broken down. Instead you turn to juvenile mud slinging. Sad.
“Showdown Joe” has done more the the sport of MMA in Ontario and Canada then anyone. You clearly have some serious insecurity or jealousy issues causing you to publicly bash him.
I feel that YOUR credability is damaged here by such an immature and childish post NOT Joe’s.
Ok so Bob Ross, I (the viewer) am not a journalist or analyst so fact checking is not what i do. So your name should be at the bottom of an article you have written so viewers can see it in plain view and not have to look for it. I never said you were a critic of MMA, i just said your a critic. Someone that dissects every little thing and turns it into something that its not. Hope you enjoy the life you lead.
Nick Lupo (example # 2)
Oh, and more thing, Lupo: if you read the title of the post, it clearly says “Posted by Jonathan Ross.”
So your claims of me not wanting to attach my name to the article are about as accurate as stating that the UFC is pulling out of Vancouver.
Like Joe said, the end results speaks for itself, meaning that no one was pulling out or giving up on Vancouver. Was it down to the wire? Most definitely. But at no point was it dead.
Also, if Dana White “informed” Joe like he states, then he is not simply referring to White’s Twitter post. He is indicating that he had a conversation, or at least some kind of interaction.
So, I am wondering if Joe will come out and state unequivocally that Dana White told him directly that the show in Vancouver was not going to happen, and that they were packing up and moving things to Cincinnati.
In all fairness, Joe did just respond to me to say that he is on the road and will not be able to take a look at my rebuttal to his points until this evening.
So until then…
seriously Jonathan are you in high school?
you sound like a bitter 15 year old cause joe got something you wanted
I for one am glad someone has taken Showdown Joe to task for his reporting of the “facts” and his opinions on MMA. When someone is given a national platform, it seems that it can sometimes go to their head. Although Joe does a good job of getting access to fighters for interviews, it usually ends up being little more than softballs lobbed their way or fawning over GSP.
Thankfully MMA fans have much better choices once they change the channel past Rogers Sportsnet (a tv channel that can’t even replay an event properly, eg. UFC on Versus). We have great Canadian options on The Fight Network and also The MMA Show hosted by a much more credible and knowledgeable commentator/analyst/play-by-play in Mauro Ranallo.
Time for people to check out good reporters like Kevin Iole of Yahoo! and Ariel Helwani of Sirius Radio and AOL and just move on past Showdown Joe.
Who gives a shit? At the end of the day Joe was reporting what he knew. The show is on so it’s a dead matter anyway. Leave it alone.
Joe is one of the trusted and best known voices for Canadian MMA fans. He is helping to get MMA in Ontario and he puts the names of atheletes who would never be heard from anywhere else out there.
What’s your deal dude? U just one of those keyboard tough guys with to much time on your hands? Go roll and train to burn off that extra energy. We will all be better off for it. If u put as much into training as u do into blogging u might be good enough to make us all proud of u when u step into the cage with a maple leaf on your shorts. And Joe would happily report the results in an unbiased proffesional manner win or lose.
Gentlemen,
With all do respect, I believe the goal at this point is to get MMA legalized in Canada across the board.
Do you think the Governing bodies, who ever they may be at any given time, will not have their underlings searching EVERYWHERE for information on the sport before tendering their final decision?
Do you think they will not see the quasi infighting of this article? Do you not think it will have an effect on their position?
How about we keep everything in a positive light until MMA shows are booked across the board legally.
At that time feel free to have at it.
Like grand ma used to say: “fight with each other all you want, but lets not air our dirty laundry to the whole world”.
I have to agree with Jonathan here…. I can’t see anything wrong with him calling Showdown Joe out here!! Maybe Showdown didn’t write the articles but he is “in FACT” Sportsnet’s supposed “expert”. Being as it may Joe’s rebuttal was very weak and really pointless as he didn’t win a single argument in his favor!! Stating that you didn’t write stories that are published on a site that you are the “expert” on doesn’t bode well for your rep! Not to mention trying to be clever with the “Rogers” Sportsnet thing come on seriously are you like 10?? Anyway Joe I do read your articles and do follow you to a certain extent but in this case you have been put in your place….
Maybe the best thing to do in this case is say you were in fact wrong and let Jonathan have his glory on this one. Jonathan you deserve it this time so relish it and Joe remember it is ALWAYS good to have knowledgeable followers there to help you when you do fall down. The fact that Jonathan took the time to correct you and left himself out there to all verbal and written jabs by you, your colleagues and fans says a lot to me!!
P.S Nick your a tool!!
Spencer why would he have to have “chops” to call someone a shoddy reporter when in fact he has cited actual facts supporting his story? He needs NOTHING at this point as far as I’m concerned his ability to correctly write what he is written is enough “chops” for me. He has a lot more balls that some of you reporters do….. At least he had the balls to correct someone in Joe’s position, not to mention the admission of his mistakes….. Something NO reporters have the balls to do!!!
(For Nick)
MIKE JENSEN
Little name reporter trying to attack someone who has done more for MMA in terms of media then anyone else. Not a way to get ahead in the business , but I am sure this site has a few new readers with Joe’s name on it
Wow, what a douche.
Joe, you responded politely and professionally to this ridiculous post. I follow you closely on twitter, facebook, and your show is set up to record on my PVR so I never miss an episode. Whenever I comment or write to you, you write back, and that blows me away that you take the time when you’re obviously such a busy guy.
I don’t know where he’s finding these facts but if he’s going to write about you BEFORE he’s had a chance to speak with you, it just shows what a moron he is. Wrong email? Good research buddy, that would be your first dumbass move in this list of bad researching. I’m a stay-at-home mom and I have personally been responded to by Joe on numerous occasions. Joe didn’t even get a chance to clear this up with you before you posted, and good on him for being as polite as he was. Someone’s gunning for a bigger spotlight and was hoping to get it at Joe’s expense.
Mike,
Anyone can call anyone out for something they don’t like; I don’t take issue with that. What I do disagree with is calling someone out for shoddy reporting and than having inaccuracies in your own work.
The other part is that there isn’t actually anything to correct; Joe, like countless others, reported the information they had, which as of Monday was that the Vancouver UFC show was not moving forward and the event would shift to Cincinnati. Things change all the time, in this sport and others, and this is just another case of that happening.
To then turn around and make that the basis of a scathing criticism that moves into personal attacks in wrong to me. Attack his work all you want, and deal in black and white to call him “wrong” on this case if you must, but keep in professional and respectful, because ultimately, Ferraro has done far more good than bad…
You both are terrible journalists.
Jon Ross, your article was shit. That was the first shit I’ve read from you, and it was horrible. You’re pointing out stupid little things. Quit nit picking at Showdown Joe’s life. What made you interested in this stupid story anyway? What kind of information are you trying to get across here? This is a ridiculous topic. and Showdown certainly “showed” you up, I don’t take any of your writing serious now. You lack evidence.
Joe, I just disagree with everything you say almost all the time. You sound so repetitive and mindless. I’ve heard your opinions in debates and their pretty weak. You came across like someone who just follows the media. But shit, YOU ARE the media, so there ya go.
Either way, I’m naturally better than the both of you at a lot of things. including your own profession
jajajajajaja
Mike Jensen, I’m a tool? why ? Because i basically did what Ross did to Joe? Call him out on his article. Its pretty pathetic isn’t it. I was hoping Ross would say something like that but you’ll have to do.
Thanks for the response big guy
Nick Lupo
WOW!
Stick to doing what you do best. Calling people out to a fight in the public realm is not your strong point. I will give you credit for capturing this discussion. Mind you Mr. Ferraro was the major impact on that happening. Mr Ferraro’s hard work is respected in the community and his success comes with the occasional barrage of verbal abuse. Success in anything is not an over night deal. It’s not respect you can purchase over the counter at your local all night convenience store.
If you are a RABID fan of the sport I would suggest you change your focus. be best suite. Ultimately I’m sure had you asked for some mentoring Mr. Ferraro would have done nothing but encourage your success my friend. Keep the main thing the main thing.
By the way the traffic flow to your blog is a clear and concrete public indicator of the level of reach YOUR message has been having prior to Mr. Ferraro’s influence on your reporting proving once again that his message is respected and has what myself and what my Coach would call IMPACT! I think you should apologize and thank him if anything. You insulted someone who has EARNED his reputation. Good luck recovering my friend.
This is not an issue of me trying to claim that I am a journalist (I am not), or me trying to rise in the ranks of the MMA world.
This is simply a post that calls out some shoddy reporting by a reporter that is recognized as one of Canada’s experts on MMA.
Simply put, Joe said that UFC had made a decision to move to Cincinnati, and he reported it as though it was a fact and in the past. I take issue with that kind of reporting, because as we all saw three days later, a deal with Vancouver was ironed out.
This is not about a war. This is not about getting traffic. This is about holding someone to account.
Great piece Jonathan. I think the Toronto and Ontario media elite are just mad that Vancouver got their act together before them. This kind of amateur hour reporting maybe explains why MMA and UFC are not getting anywhere at Queen’s Park. At least Toronto has the Pan Am Games to look forward to. In the meantime, Mayor and Councillors here deserve credit for doing what it took to overcome the obstacles they needed to get this done – including Joe’s poorly-timed intervention. And to Civic Scene, thanks for laying the Smackdown on Showdown. See you at the June show. We look forward to welcoming Joe and everyone from Toronto that are not allowed to see UFC there. Bring lots of money too.
“Yo yo yo and away we go” over Joe Ferraro? Come on Tom, Joe is the MMA man! Mauro is ok, but I prefer Joe any day.
Put this to rest guys. Joe, keep doing a great job buddy.
WOW!! First of all, to Ed ^^^ That is such a rediculous thing to say. The Ontario media is jealous of BC getting their act together? HA HA HA. Yeah ok bud, Joe gets to go to every UFC event to cover it whether it’s in Vegas, Vancouver, or the middle of no where Outer Space. I really don’t think he’s jealous what so ever. You, sir, are a moron.
Jonathan Ross’ attack on Joe was an obvious attempt at a coffee break gossip chat by the water cooler to brag to his coworkers like “haha I got Showdown Joe to reply to me, i’m so cool”. Congrats, your lame plan worked. I hope you get a pat on the back from the boss man.
If it wasn’t for Showdown Joe and his relentless support for legalizing MMA in our country, we may not even have ANY progress in BC. His influence is huge as far as Canadian MMA media goes, and by him simply Tweeting a link to a website poll or making mention of an issue like this on his show MMA Connected gets the ball rolling in the RIGHT direction. Showdown Joe is THE man, don’t dare two face and try to shake his hand when he’s covering the UFC in Vancouver. (Then again that’s what snakes like you do isn’t it Jonny boy?)
And wow, Mauro Ranallo. I would hope that’s not really you calling Joe a “hack”. Your MMA Show on The Score get’s viewed by what, 100 people weekly? Funny how when Affliction broke news that they were not going through with their 3rd card, two days later on your MMA Show you talked about who possibly challengers for Fedor were gonna be as a replacement for Josh Barnett. Guess you were a little late on the news hey bud? Gong show.
How the hell did this turn into a a Toronto vs Vancouver thing? aren’t we all fans of mma? Damn I am from Toronto and couldn’t be happier Vancouver is getting it! Last thing we need is a bunch of stupid infighting. Showdown take the highroad and leave this blog alone.
Apologies for the delay in responding, as I was on the road taking care of a local shoot…
Jonathan – while I respect your opinion and sort of understand what you are trying to do here, again, I respectfully disagree.
At this point, based on your rebuttal and responses, there is clearly nothing I could do, short of physically showing you the various texts and emails I received from the UFC, VAC, etc, as well as have you personally listen in to the calls that were made during the three day frenzy that was this story.
Again, I reiterate: the CP broke the news. I made some calls, sent some texts and fired off some emails. The information I received was that the relocation rumours were “true” and that the UFC was “working on Cincy”.
At this point, I began informing folks that the UFC was enacting their “Plan B”, to relocate the show, but, they would still like to do a show in Vancouver.
I then got three separate stories from three different sources: the first was that negotiations were ongoing, but to not hold my breath. The second, the City didn’t want the UFC to hold their event there and the third, several items had to be addressed before the City was going to give the blessing, (and it all had to be addressed within 24-36 hours), items that had yet to be taken care of since their two year blessing was given in December.
This is the info I had, nothing fabricated but information that was given to me to work with. I based my opinion on this information and on numerous occasions, explained that I was crossing my fingers that the Vancouver event would still take place, EVEN after I was told it’s likely not going to happen.
Your opinion of “the end result” is obviously different than mine, but based on my experience and understanding how this type of “end result” often occurs, the UFC got the job done.
In my conversations with various local media members, I was told that much of what I had been saying was not taken well by the City, but that the pressure from all the different media platforms assisted in resolving the matter. I’m not sure I necessarily believe that, but it is what was told to me.
In doing my job, I try and retrieve all sides of the story. Oftentimes, they are completely opposite of each other. So, I lay it out there for the public to consume, while offering my opinion of the story.
What I sincerely believe you are missing here is the fact that I went with the info that I had.
When you say I was wrong, think about that.
Was I wrong, or was one of my sources wrong (of which I believe each one of them was truthful based on their side of the story). If one source tells me it’s “off”, the other says it’s “on” and a third says “maybe”, AND, I am about to go to air in two minutes, I’m going to give my opinion on what I believe is going on. I maybe right, I may be wrong, but for the public’s perspective, here is the info I have, here’s what I believe is occurring, and here’s where I see this story going.
The story changed several times – on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and even early Thursday.
I do not recall saying the show was ever off, and I never ONCE said it was on.
I said to my understanding, the UFC was working on Cincinnati. Dana and other MMA sites confirmed this (and I believe this was in the CP’s story as well). I told Sportsnet, City Tv and every media outlet that I would not say Yay or Nay, until the UFC, the VAC or the City told me otherwise. I did say “I’ll believe it when I see it”, referring to if and when the UFC would send out a press release (to which they did on Thursday).
I’ve been in these types of debates before – no matter what I say or how many times I explain it, you will dissect it many times over, in turn, making this a futile discussion.
I thank you for your time, your article and wish you the utmost in success. I harbour no ill will towards you or your blog and sincerely hope to meet you when I cover the event in Vancouver.
Respectfully,
Joe Ferraro
All Joe does it comb other popular MMA websites, lift news from them, and then synthesize them into poorly written articles for a website. The man has no formal training in journalism whatsoever, and it is embarrassing that a major sports network in Canada would hire him at all.
At least my boy over at TSN, Michael Landsberg, has enough sack to ask Dana White tough questions unlike “Showdown” Joe (nicknamed after a failed MMA clothing line), who lobs softballs like “How did you make the UFC so great?” and “What do you think about Canadian MMA fans?”. Dana is like a great white shark, and Joe is like the little worthless fish that swims under its belly, picking up the scraps.
Also, nice to see that Joe called in his internet posse via Facebook to come defend him! That Mitchywoo guy seems to have a tight grasp on Joe’s bean bag too! Usually you see guys jump to defend a girl from online abuse because they think that will somehow translate into them getting laid by said girl in real-life. Based on how Joe dresses, Mitchywoo may be getting lucky!
The problem, John, is that the Article reads like a personal attack and not a rebuttal of what you perceive to be poor or even incompetent journalism by Showdown. The focus was not so much on the problems but the person and I thought Showdown responded graciously to what he probably perceived as a personal attack.
To tell you the truth, John, I thought your post brought up some interesting points, but the post was a little inappropriate causing us to lose sight of what you were trying to say. Speaking of inappropriate, if it really was Mauro Ranallo who posted above: “I agree with this article. Joe is a hack.”… Wow. (For the record I have made no attempt to verify if Mauro Ranallo was the poster).
I’m grateful that Showdown (and many many other MMA journalist and bloggers including http://www.fightingwords.ca) were incorrect in their final analysis. This means MMA in Vancouver and for Canadian MMA fans that is a major victory.
We should be celebrating the legislation of MMA in another Canadian city and put all this behind us. Now can we all use our collective blogs, newspaper columns, tv, and radio shows to get this shit settled in Ontario?
Jesse Katz
FightingWords.Ca
Joe: respect earned!! Good job at staying classy in the final rebuttal!! I think the main problem is that fans although want to hear the facts, don’t want to hear opinions based one way when the decision goes the other!! I somewhat agree with your perception on sorting what is fact and fiction as a reporter it must be tough….. But in saying that, maybe it is best until you have a solid source pointing you in the right direction instead of taking a gamble and going the wrong way?
Maruo: You seem bitter and jealous of what Joe has go find a playground to harass!~!
Nick: Jonathan called Joe out based on FACTS…. You did NOTHING but try and claim he was afraid to put his name to his work and when he in fact did in CLEAR view you had NOTHING as far as constructive criticism to back yourself up with!! You STILL don’t!! hence the title (TOOL)!!
Spencer: I agree there are more tactful ways to get your point across and Jonathan’s dislike for Joe was quite evident. But like me everyone is welcomed to their own opinion. Although I didn’t see Joe’s comments on how he broke into this business as self absorbed or cocky I can easily see how someone could. I am an experienced and avid fan of MMA and even at times I know what a fighter must do to get out of certain positions. I on the other hand even if I did know the likes of Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell would NOT ever say publicly that I could in fact call them up at any given time!! Like I mentioned before I read a lot of Joe’s articles even though at times I agree and disagree, he IS doing a good job! But in this job you have to be open to criticism both good and bad and in this instance the followers on this blog would have preferred a wait and see attitude as opposed to the “deal is off” reporting job that was done!! Was Joe wrong?? Maybe not but his first rebuttal was very weak at best!
Mike Jensen