JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Megan Olivi was bothered by Stephen A. Smith forgetting to mention her when recently praising the talent on UFC broadcasts.
Following UFC 260 in March, ESPN talking head Smith put out a tweet giving credit to the quality of the UFC on-air talent. However, there was one notable absence: Olivi (via Twitter):
Forgive me for bragging, but we’ve got the best @ufc coverage in the world on ESPN+. Ya got @dc_mma, @joerogan & @Jon_Anik cage side. @ChaelSonnen & @bisping providing color. My bro @michaeleaves Hosting post-fight coverage and @bokamotoESPN & @arielhelwani always on scene.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 28, 2021
Forgive me for bragging, but we’ve got the best @ufc coverage in the world on ESPN+. Ya got @dc_mma, @joerogan & @Jon_Anik cage side. @ChaelSonnen & @bisping providing color. My bro @michaeleaves Hosting post-fight coverage and @bokamotoESPN & @arielhelwani always on scene.
It was noticeable that Olivi was left out, and she took exception to it with a response to Smith, who has ruffled the feathers of the MMA community on multiple occasions before (via Twitter):
Ummm hey there – you’re forgetting someone
— Megan Olivi (@MeganOlivi) March 28, 2021
Ummm hey there – you’re forgetting someone
Although it’s been roughly a month since the incident occurred, Olivi said it’s still resonating strongly with her. She felt slighted by being the only reoccurring member of the UFC pay-per-view broadcast team to not be mentioned in Smith’s tweet and said it messed with her emotions.
“That was actually tough for me,” Olivi told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a Q&A following Friday’s UFC 261 weigh-ins. “I don’t love social media in general, but then to play such a big role in terms of pre- and post-fight interviews, like, I’m the one onsite doing them. Then to do all the hits on the broadcast and be a part of this team and literally the only women on the pay-per-view team – there’s no other desk host, there’s no one on the pre- or post-show. It’s literally just me. And I’ve worked to be here. I wasn’t handed this. It’s been a very long journey, as people who have seen me 10 years ago I’m sure can attest to. I’ve done everything the right way to get here, and to not get the acknowledgement as my male colleagues got, I genuinely was so hurt. It was nice to see the MMA community have my back on that.”
Olivi said she doesn’t think there was intended malice attached to Smith’s tweet. He’s been criticized before for his lack of in-depth education of the MMA game, and Olivi speculated this scenario could be part of his tweet.
“It’s unfortunately something the women in this room have dealt with before and will have to continue to deal with,” Olivi said. “I don’t think he did it on purpose. I don’t think there was any (bad) intent. I don’t think he was trying to be rude by any means. I just think it didn’t really matter to him. … I don’t know how much he actually watched. I know he’s supposed to be an MMA insider and he does his best, but he has a lot on his plate, as well. I don’t know how much he actually sees. … I don’t want to make it about me and be like, ‘I don’t know how much he noticed me.’ I just don’t think he was genuinely paying attention.
“I also wonder if he was helped with the tweet, if maybe it was just, ‘OK, here are the people on the broadcast.’ Because I don’t know if he knows everyone on the broadcast, in general. So, it’s difficult to be overlooked and not take it personally. I’ve tried not to, and I’ve tried to use it as a moment – I don’t want to say a learning moment – but for me to just realize you go on whether people notice you or not. I think what I do is important, especially when I can tell the stories of these athletes.”
Ultimately, Olivi said she’ll continue to do her thing on the UFC broadcasts going forward. As MMA Junkie previously reported, she’ll be the roving reporter for the UFC 261 broadcast on Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Olivi clearly holds some resentment toward Smith, however, and she said she’s hopeful that he’ll eventually make things right.
“Funny enough, Stephen A. Smith and I have had nice conversations in person,” Olivi said. “It would be nice if he was like one day like, ‘Oh sh*t,’ I didn’t see this. But I don’t think that’s the character we’re dealing with.’”
Megan Olivi was ‘genuinely so hurt’ by Stephen A. Smith leaving her out of praise for UFC broadcast