LAS VEGAS (AP) " The president of Ultimate Fighting Championship angrily blasted a mixed martial arts journalist in a profanity-laced video blog posted to YouTube, attacking her and a story about the league's backstage policies for managers and agents.
In his video rant, part of a regular UFC blog, Dana White also used a gay slur. The video was removed from the league's YouTube channel after its release, then re-posted by others on the video sharing site. A UFC spokeswoman did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said in its blog that the group had spoken with White, who apologized for using the gay slur.
Loretta Hunt, who writes for mixed martial arts news Web site Sherdog.com. wrote in a story published Wednesday that Zuffa LLC, the Las Vegas-based parent company of UFC, was telling managers and agents that they could no longer be backstage with fighters at events. The story, which cited anonymous managers and agents, said some managers believed the league's move was part of a larger attempt to wedge them out of business and deal directly with fighters.
Hunt told the AP on Thursday night that she had not spoken to White since the video was released.
"I stand by the story, it's accurate," she said. "His reaction, I think it's more of a distraction from the actual story about the UFC and the managers and what's going on with them. Me, personally, I don't want to get involved in this.
"I'm a journalist, and journalists, sometimes you do stories that people don't like," Hunt said.