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”

“UFC Vancouver show is off: source”

“UFC down for the count in Vancouver“

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.

(the sports edition)

• This is a satisfying story to read about as a former Grizzlies fan that was crushed when that bastard Heisley moved them to Memphis.  The  team’s ticket prices are lowest in the league and attendance was second lowest in the NBA last year. Add the two together and the Grizzlies generated only $322,000 per game, which is one sixth of what the LA Lakers pull in at the gate.  Maybe it wasn’t Vancouver after all.

• I am not as happy to hear about this prediction, however.  Are sponsors, or a lack thereof, the determining factor as to whether the games are a success or not?  Not entirely.  But I have a feeling that the tourist element in Vancouver is also not going to be as strong as earlier forecasts.

• A propagandist?  Wow, thanks Charlie!  Once again, I wish that such a title was accompanied by that elusive cheque that Charlie is so hotly pursuing.  Alas, it unfortunately isn’t, which will likely force Charlie to go back to the hard hitting stories about Vision Vancouver colour schemes that has earned him the reputation that he so richly deserves.

• I am very excited about the picking of the Olympic Men’s Hockey team which will be announced on December 30 by GM Steve Yzerman.  I don’t mind these predictions, although if Stamkos doesn’t make it just like Crosby didn’t four years ago, it will be a huge mistake…mark my words.

• Don’t hold your breath, Canucks fans.  It has been a rough first half for you guys and for my  beloved Habs, although they have just won 3 in a row with the return of Markov.  If the Canucks make it, so too will the Habs.  If they don’t, I think both teams miss.  Somehow I have a feeling that their fates are linked.

• This will be fun.  In fact, pulling football (Br) and football (Am) away from the dome will be more of an impetus for myself and many other quasi-fans to make more of an effort to attend games.  I absolutely hate BC Place, and no amount of renovations are going to change that.  Like I have previously stated, this is the stadium that is going to be responsible for the worse opening ceremonies in Olympic history.

That’s it for today, and for the next few, folks.  Merry Christmas to you and your families.  I will see you back here after Boxing Day.

Reimer Against (smaller promoters boxed out, Canadian Criminal code, inherent violence in marketing)

Woodsworth Against (not enough time with staff report released yesterday particularly because federal and provincial legislation is on the way, police costs, concussion risk, gang concerns, too many serious questions unanswered)

Jang For (sport has evolved, not all about violence, positive values can be taught to kids)

Deal For (about time to move forward, report answers all possible questions)

Chow For (balances interests of citizens with practicality, and comfortable with trial basis)

Anton For (looks forward to attending the event, staff report was very informative, an in relation to Louie’s amendments, let the legal department do their jobs – Council should not get involved in setting indemnity and insurance dollar thresholds)

Stevenson (finally arrived) For (was at Metro Vancouver meeting, report is thorough and he has thought about the issue for a while, previously ambivalent but now supportive, safety concerns now have been cleared up for him, don’t impose morals on people – this is about proper regulation)

Meggs For (pros should contribute more cash to amateur sports)

The motion passes 6-3. MMA is back in Vancouver for at least two years.