It's not impossible for sportscasters to cover an athlete or team with which they are personally affiliated.
But that sort of professionalism is not automatic, especially when a media member also happens to be a competitor.
This dual role is not unusual in MMA, and many who occupy those roles don't seem, for whatever reason, to pay a lot of mind to the boundaries between those vocations. In extreme—though maybe not that extreme—cases, athlete-analysts unabashedly break down fights or select winners through the rose-colored lens of their own friendships. Phrases along the lines of "I can't pick against my guy" are not uncommon during pre-event studio shows.
Don't count Dan Hardy among that contingent.
In 2014, the former welterweight contender launched a new career as a color analyst for European events airing on Fight Pass, the UFC's subscription streaming service. This weekend, Hardy debuts in the Fox Sports 1 studio as an analyst for UFC Fight Night 85, which takes place in Brisbane, Australia.
Can't wait! https://t.co/MohmlbEZie
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) March 15, 2016
When the red light blinks on, Hardy, 33, will have as much opportunity as anyone to tilt the scales of perception toward or away from individual fighters. Heavyweight Frank Mir, who faces Mark Hunt in the main event, is a former training partner. Hardy's buddy and fellow Brit Ross Pearson competes on the undercard.
But he won't befoul his airtime with personal bias, he says, because in his mind, it's not the right thing to do, for any party involved. Simple as that.
"Ross Pearson is a good friend, but you can't assume he's given more than [opponent] Chad Laprise," Hardy said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "There's nothing worse than listening to a commentator in any sport and hearing them favor a particular athlete or team. These guys are all sacrificing."
Though Hardy is careful not to name names, he said an attitude of bias spreads well beyond just the MMA media. To hear him tell it, judging—the professionalism of which is, in a frictionless universe, a cornerstone of the sport—is not immune to subjectivity.
Hardy knows because it happened to him.
Known in his fighting days for a red-striped mohawk and punk-rock swagger, Hardy's persona worked against him in the eyes of at least one judge.
"A judge had a preconception of who I was. I heard the talk," Hardy recalled. "The judge thought I was a thug. So now I'm competing against not just my opponent but the judge."
Hopefully, that sort of thing is an isolated incident. Given that commentators air their grievances and affinities in front of cameras or behind microphones, bias there is easier to detect. And while media opinions certainly carry less weight than those of a judge, they still make an impact.
"You can compete against the commentators as well," Hardy said. "What they think about you or what they're saying can be a distraction. To me, it's not fair to fans or fighters."
Agree or disagree, Hardy's commitment to avoid using his own proclivities as conversation pieces is notable. He's happy to disclose his relationships and share insights gleaned from them, but he never gets too close, always seeming to stop short of letting personal endorsements or denouncements creep into his coverage. It may be unusual, and it's definitely by design.
"I like to hear a commentator talk about someone they're familiar with," Hardy said. "I just want to be objective about it. It doesn't matter to me where they train. ...They've given everything they've got to be here. I just want to give everyone a fair shout."
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. Scott is available on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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