ESPN passed on Max Holloway, Daniel Cormier MMA show
MMA fans were nearly blessed with an ESPN show hosted by Daniel Cormier and Max Holloway, but ESPN elected to pair the double champ with Ryan Clark to create “DC & RC.”
In 2021, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani left ESPN, which caused his show with Cormier, DC & Helwani, to collapse. Helwani ended up rebounding well, but Cormier was left hunting for a new co-host. According to Holloway, he was approached for the role and was turned down.
Holloway discussed the situation on Andrew Schultz’s “Flagrant” with Akaash Singh.
“Before that show (DC & RC) happened, DC hit me up and was like, ‘Look, Max, ESPN is coming to me they have a show idea,’” Holloway said. “He was like, ‘People let me talk about my best friend, that can be the opening’. I was like, ‘Bro, I’m down’, but I told him ‘I’m still fighting so we gotta just figure out a schedule so let me know.’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll let you know.’ It goes f—–g quiet for weeks, months. Boom, RC and DC show. I’m like ok DC, I see you.”
It is worth noting that Holloway is telling the story in a joking manner. Still, the point stands. ESPN picked Clark over Holloway.
At first glance, it would be hard to do a show with Holloway since he is still fighting and lives in Hawaii, but the logistical issues could have easily been sorted.
“Would you have gone to wherever they shoot the show? Would you have lived out of there or worked out of there,” Schultz asked.
“So that’s the hard thing–well no it’s not,” Holloway said. “DC does the show from his house. DC is a fraud bro, his background is a TV that he changes anytime. DC calls me up like, ‘Yo Max, I’m shooting the show. Yo Max watch this I can change my background. Look, I got a gym, I got a bookshelf, I got my belts.’ I was like, ‘DC you’re a fraud.’ I hung up the phone.”
This is a massive fumble for ESPN. Holloway and Cormier have a joking rivalry that has produced hilarious moments. If this came to fruition, the pair would have likely made one of the best shows across MMA media.
If you are unfamiliar with the Max Holloway and Daniel Cormier rivalry, Holloway has jokingly called out Cormier over the years and the two are in a battle for the title of Daddest Man on the Planet. Watch the clip below for evidence.
Instead of creating one of the best MMA shows out there, ESPN kept the hire in-house and gave Clark the job. That’s right, ESPN picked an NFL player to host an MMA show. At least they saved some cash and didn’t have to hire anyone.
In the midst of this, Clark is apologizing for a joke he made about Tua Tagovailoa. Maybe ESPN could have given Cormier a better co-host.
The craziest part is that ESPN has a broadcast deal with the UFC so you think they would attempt to create high-quality MMA content. Well, on the boxing side of things, ESPN fired Max Kellerman and Andre Ward so maybe this is their attempt at great MMA content.
The best part of this entire situation is that Holloway’s interview with Schultz is miles better than ESPN’s MMA content. It is painfully obvious ESPN dropped the ball on this one.
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