Long before MMAValor was even born, Dana White was telling those complaining about not being credentialed to “buy a ticket”. While this may not be the most practical business model, it can be done but only to a point.

Being credentialed to a major event is what most MMA websites (non blogs) strive for and while it doesn’t preclude you from covering any event; it does have its advantages. It is not logical to think that everyone can be credentialed by the UFC/ZUFFA for obvious reasons and those that aren’t learn to adapt by covering from a distance or from the cheap seats.

For UFC 132 we at MMAValor covered the event from the cheap seats of sect. 220 in the MGM grand Garden Arena. Upon entering the arena we were told out section “no longer existed” and to see the man behind the table over there to get out new and better seats, which ended up being sect. 110.

There is nothing like being at a live MMA event, especially a UFC pay per view in Las Vegas. The atmosphere in the arena blows away any regular baseball, football or basketball event has to offer. With the action inside the Octagon, along with the solid music playing between the fight and the fan interaction via text messaging and you have yourself a great event.

Sitting there alongside the fans that pay to watch the sport they love is a treat, for the most part. Take away the drunk woman screaming “punch him in the face” or the dude stomping his feet yelling stand them up” and you’ll have the passionate fans routing for their favorite fighter. These fans, while understandably bias, are extremely knowledgeable and rout as if they were in the cage with “their” guy.

It’s a side of the sport the media doesn’t see or can convey sitting four feet from the Octagon with their nose to the grindstone. It is also not something you can grasp watching / covering the event from the confines of your home.

Having said all that though, attempting to actually cover the event, like it should be, from my seat was next to impossible. Armed with only a smart phone I was relegated to social media only, that was until the phone died because you’ve been using it for several hours straight inside a concrete bunker. Now without a phone it’s time to file out of the arena and head back to the room to play catch up, while important things like interview and the post fight presser go own.

Having no laptop, internet access or a power plug for that matter, makes cover an event in person tough yet you’ve there experiencing it live. Covering the event from home is easier and more convenient but you loss something very important by not being there live. Cover MMA as part of the media is a privilege not afforded to many but for those not, it doesn’t mean you cannot cover MMA.