Zach Arnold: "We're not twisting anybody's words!!"

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

The **** hit the fan

Look. This scandal never would have happened if it wasn’t for Petruzelli himself saying what he did. The MMA media hasn’t ‘twisted his words’ one bit. Why? There’s been no need to twist any words. Petruzelli’s comments were made during a radio interview. The audio clips from that interview are easy to access online and accurate transcriptions of those comments are also available for anyone to access online. The Internet can be a very unforgiving place, especially when it comes to attempts to re-write history.

To have two big articles on this scandal in two major media markets (LA & Boston) is real bad. To have the comments that Gary Shaw made in the LA Times is devastating in terms of credibility.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

Luke Thomas:

What does have place is the right to demand information and ask pointed, difficult questions - about EliteXC, about Slice and his bubble, about Petruzelli's comments and about ProElite's health. Officials associated with EliteXC are free to do as they like and treat this situation as they see fit. And we have a responsibility until further information is revealed to not accuse anyone specifically of any wrongdoing. But the universe between that and asking questions about this matter is enormous. However uncomfortable this may make Jeremy Lappen or Jared Shaw is irrelevant; we have a right at all times to ask what is happening, why and what's going to be done about it. Conversely, everyone involved with Saturday's EliteXC show is allowed to either provide the information or not. They are free to deny, dismiss or investigate Petruzelli's comments if they wish.

But do not let anyone tell you we are out of bounds or hysterical for raising this issue. Even if Petruzelli misspoke, it's a major, major, major gaffe. The truth is his two stories are radically different in terms of their ethical implications and character. To first suggest he was nudged by officials at EliteXC to stand which caused him to abandon his gameplan of shooting in to something admittedly innocuous requires complete and total explanation. It's up to you readers to decide if EliteXC has answered those questions satisfactorily, but do not let anyone tell you demanding the information in the first place is something only tin foil hat donning banshees require.

It's not. What it is is plenty ethical, plenty reasonable and worthy of real concern. There is no room to convict anyone with the current information, but there is plenty of room to force an answer that makes sense. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Ever.