The controversial broadcaster shared some scathing opinions during the post-fight show of UFC 246 in 2020.
Stephen A. Smith is currently making headlines due to his public feud with LeBron James that has been a consistent talking point over the past month.
The ESPN analyst has never been afraid to say what he thinks and that has often landed him in hot water with athletes and fans.
He has shared opinions on MMA in the past with Smith recently heaping praise on Jon Jones last year despite the fans being critical of ‘Bones’ at the time.
Smith has also produced some hot takes regarding Conor McGregor and back in 2020, he even featured on the broadcast as ‘The Notorious’ returned to the Octagon to take on ‘Cowboy’.
Dana White and Joe Rogan weren’t fans of the way Stephen A. Smith criticized Donald Cerrone
Stephen A. Smith’s several appearances throughout the broadcast for UFC 246 weren’t exactly welcomed by fight fans or the people around him.
Many found that his very critical takes on certain fighters was disrespectful which was especially true when he gave his analysis of the main event on the post-fight show.
Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone had been criticized in the past for crumbling under pressure despite his legendary status as a Hall of Famer whose name is all over the record books.
In January of 2020, Cerrone didn’t get a chance to really test a returning Conor McGregor who ran through him in just 40 seconds.
When sharing his reflections on the fight, Smith was particularly critical of Cerrone and his performance, stating that he was ‘quite disgusted’ with the veteran.
“When you look at ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, that did not look like a fighter that was prepared to fight tonight,” he said. “We knew Conor was going to be ready. We wondered whether or not he would take him out early, because obviously, the later the fight goes on, ‘Cowboy’ is the bigger, stronger guy – supposedly. But for him to be get hurt in 15 seconds, get away from the clinch, and still just let Conor come right back at him. C’mon, you smarter than that – except tonight.”
Joe Rogan disagreed with Smith’s stance on the fight during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience where he said that it wasn’t fair to talk about the sport in this way.
“For Conor to smash ‘Cowboy’ like that in front of his wife, his kid, his grandma and the whole world, you’ve got to have some respect for that man, and this sport demands a different perspective,” Rogan said. “It’s not the same thing as a ball going into a hoop. It’s not the same thing as crossing a line with a football. It’s different. It’s very intense and very personal, and it’s also very dangerous and to play it off like it’s just a game, I don’t agree with it.”
UFC president Dana White took a similar stance when asked by MMA Junkie to give his thoughts on Smith’s comments and Rogan’s response.
He said that whilst there is a place for what Smith does, it isn’t what they want in the UFC having disliked seeing it be done in boxing.
“Listen, you’re tuning in and buying the pay-per-view because you love these guys and you respect these fighters, and you’re a fan of the sport. The last thing you want to do is hear somebody ripping them apart. I’m not into it. Rogan is not into it. You don’t see that in the UFC. There will be times where I’m pissed off at a guy, and I’ll voice my opinion on what he did or whatever – or if a fight is really bad or somebody did something. What we don’t do is, when a fight is over and a guy loses, we don’t go in and rip them apart. It’s just not our style.
“We’re fans. We don’t do it. I think Rogan was reacting to that. That’s our philosophy here. For Stephen A. Smith, that’s his thing. That’s what he does. It’s going to happen. You’re always going to have people who have difference in opinions, especially when you have two very opinionated guys like Stephen A. Smith and Joe Rogan.”
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The UFC broadcast has stayed true to Dana White’s words
As Dana White said himself in the above interview, you don’t want to tune into an event only to have the fighters you came to see be torn down.
This would certainly create conversation and it does happen frequently in MMA but you don’t tend to see it take place on a UFC broadcast.
The commentators and analysts share their opinions without doing what Stephen A. Smith did when he questioned Donald Cerrone’s heart and mentality.
Following the reactions from White, Rogan, Cerrone and the fans, a clear line was drawn for what works in other sports that doesn’t have a place in the UFC.