---

Every Wednesday, Administrative Editor Jordan Breen welcomes a member of the mixed martial arts media into “Press Row” on the Sherdog.com blog. This week, Breen is joined by veteran MMA journalist Mike Russell.

On June 18, Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight veteran Tim Hague passed away after injuries sustained in a second-round knockout to Adam Braidwood in a boxing match in Edmonton, Alberta two days prior. News of the tragedy quickly transcended beyond just the combat sports realm, becoming mainstream media fodder, not just in the sports world, but also in national Canadian headlines. Breen and Russell dig into the political malfeasance at play in the sanctioning of Braidwood-Hague, the myriad complaints and issues surrounding the Edmonton Combat Sports Commission and the importance of the man at the center of it all, ECSC Executive Director Pat Reid.

Breen and Russell also discuss how UFC veteran Cody McKenzie of all folks became a crucial whistleblower in this story, how Alberta's laws can facilitate poor local regulation and what this tragedy means for UFC 216, scheduled for Sept. 9 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

Grab your credential and get a seat in “Press Row.”

The above file can be saved in MP3 format here.

Reader comments are active below.