LAS VEGAS, Dec. 23rd, 2014 — The FightersOnly World MMA Awards are a yearly institution in the world of MMA now, with the 2010 edition of the World MMA Awards where Ariel Helwani was crowned as the King of MMA Media and has yet to relinquish his throne just yet. Many have argued that Helwani has rotated away from pure journalism by taking a job with Fox Sports where he appears as an analyst for their UFC programming, or that it could even be seen as a conflict of interest, but the King does as the King wishes.
There should be no doubt in any of your minds when it comes to most of the important categories in this mockery of a poll. While I respect all of the candidates, it is clear that someone is trying to push their own narrative here by ousting the favorites. Any man that votes for World Series of Fighting over the UFC is not a real fucking fight fan, in this esteemed journalist’s opinion. The same can be said for any vote that is not for Dana White as the leading man of MMA. What kind of madness is this?
Don’t get me started on the MMA Journalist of the Year Award. Jack Slack doesn’t even have a photograph available, Dave Meltzer looks like he rolled out of bed and Luke Thomas’s photo is grainy. What is Luke Thomas trying to hide with that photograph? Compare that to the clean-cut image of Helwani in a tuxedo from a previous award ceremony, gazing thoughtfully through your screen at you. They even avoided showing the most important part of that photograph; the award in his hand.
How are you supposed to subconsciously know that Ariel Helwani is going to win if you don’t show the award in his hand? How can you know if you don’t list that he’s won the award in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 previously? Who is Dave Meltzer, other than a guy that got me in trouble for tweeting about Sting signing with the UFC? His photo doesn’t include trophies! This is a mockery of the sport of MMA and I demand that the status quo is respected and pushed, while these people trying to push their own narrative settle down. These awards are clearly for the UFC, as they always have been, so stop trying to make everything else happen, FightersOnly. It’s not a good look.
I smell Viacom involvement in this and I have to wonder if the organizers of this award show have been in contact with the legal team behind the UFC Antitrust lawsuit.
