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Bloody Elbow

Bloody Elbow is a news website that covers the sports of mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and other traditional martial arts and combat sports. Founded in 2007, the site has been notable for its investigative reporting, breaking news coverage, opinion and analysis. Bloody Elbow operated as part of the SB Nation network of sports blogging sites owned by Vox Media until January 2023, when the blog separated from Vox and was acquired as an independent publication by its founding editor.[2] One year later in March 2024 the website was sold to GRV Media.[3] The website is a part of the growing collection of MMA focused media outlets and provides analysis as well as commentary of multiple aspects of MMA.[4][5]

BloodyElbow.com
The official logo for Bloody Elbow, an independent combat sports website
Type of site
Mixed martial arts news
Available inEnglish
OwnerGRV Media
Created byNate Wilcox[1]
EditorDonagh Corby
URLbloodyelbow.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationNone
LaunchedFebruary 2007; 17 years ago (2007-02)
Current statusActive

Overview

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Founder Nate Wilcox (Kid Nate) recruited Luke Thomas to help run Bloody Elbow on May 21, 2007.[6] Thomas worked as editor in chief of Bloody Elbow until 2011.[7] Brent Brookhouse served as Bloody Elbow's managing editor from 2011 to 2015,[8] before being replaced by Anton Tabuena from 2015 to March 2024.[9]

Called "critically acclaimed" by the New York Post,[10] Bloody Elbow was reviewed as one of the best MMA news & media blogs online.[11][12][13] Currently it is the third most popular MMA media & news website in the US, according to Similarweb.[14] In 2017, Bloody Elbow editor Karim Zidan appeared on an episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel to discuss his work covering Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov's influence in the world of mixed martial arts.[15] The New York Times cited Bloody Elbow in a June 2023 article detailing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg competing in a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament.[16][17] In the same month, Vox included statements from Wilcox on the MMA fans of younger generations in an editorial piece examining rumors of a future official cage fight occurring between Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Elon Musk.[18] In July 2023, in an article about combat sports audiences, The New Yorker quoted Wilcox while identifying the Ultimate Fighting Championship's predatory business practices aimed at their fighters.[19] The following month, Jacobin Magazine quoted a Bloody Elbow featured post in an August article detailing UFC president Dana White's Power Slap fighting series and its integration into the UFC's event programming.[20] A week later, Ariel Helwani cited Bloody Elbow on The MMA Hour when asked about the ongoing UFC class-action lawsuit.[21]

Among Bloody Elbow's regular contributors was Eugene S. Robinson, lead singer of the band Oxbow (band).[22] Other notable contributors to Bloody Elbow have included UFC veterans such as the late Josh Samman,[23] women's MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi,[24][25] and Ben Saunders,.[26][27] Over the years Bloody Elbow has featured interviews with hundreds of professional MMA fighters[28] as well as characters outside of the sport including Anthony Bourdain[29] and Ed O'Neill.[30] In October 2023, Bloody Elbow art director Chris Rini was featured in an article by the Copenhagen Post concerning Danish culture and female violence in the MMA sphere.[31]

In January 2023, Bloody Elbow almost became defunct when Wilcox and other Bloody Elbow editorial staff were laid off by Vox Media in a wave of company downsizing that primarily affected Vox-affiliated sports publications.[10][32] Following a series of discussions with Vox, Wilcox acquired the rights to Bloody Elbow and purchased the site from its former parent media company in March.[33] Bloody Elbow was removed from Vox's content management system in the process, and Wilcox recruited seven web developers through a public online request for help with establishing the blog and its content on a new platform.[34] During the redevelopment of Bloody Elbow, the payroll and operation expenses of the site were funded by reader donations, paid subscriptions, and Wilcox himself.[33] After the site's migration and transfer of ownership, most of the original Bloody Elbow editorial staff were retained and continued to publish content for the mixed martial arts blog.[35][36]

In March 2024, GRV Media acquired the website and social media assets of Bloody Elbow.[37] No staff or contributors moved across to GRV following the sale.[3] A month after the acquisition, GRV Media hired Donagh Corby and announce the formation of a Bloody Combat Sports Group which incorporated Bloody Elbow (MMA/UFC), Bloody Knockout (Boxing) and Bloody Slam (Wrestling).[38] Following the acquisition, the popularity of Bloody Elbow continued to grow. In October 2024 the site achievied a record high of over 4.3m unique users[39]

Known for investigative reporting, Bloody Elbow has been among the first to uncover and report in-depth on the finances of MMA promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship,[40] Bellator MMA,[41] and ONE Championship.[42][43][44] Bloody Elbow was also first to report and go in-depth on the major class-action antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC by its fighters, who are calling for "fair" business practices and better pay.[45][46] Bloody Elbow is among a number of media organizations and professionals that are currently blacklisted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[47] The website has been a useful resource for academics studying MMA culture and trends.[48][49][50][51]

Awards

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Bloody Elbow has been nominated as Media Source of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2014,[52] 2015,[53] 2017,[54] 2018[55] 2019[56] and 2023. Brent Brookhouse was nominated for MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2016.[57] Karim Zidan was nominated for MMA Journalist of the Year at the World MMA Awards in 2017,[54] 2018[55] and 2019.[56]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bloody Elbow original front page". Bloody Elbow. Nate Wilcox. Archived from the original on 2007-02-18. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ^ Draw, Nate Wilcox, EIC The MMA. "The New Bloody Elbow Podcast Starts Now". www.themmadraw.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b "GRV Media Ltd Acquires Bloodyelbow.com" (Press release). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  4. ^ Ford, Simon James (2015-03-09). "Co-evolutionary processes and positive feedbacks in the growth of the ultimate fighting championships". Sport, Business and Management. 5 (1): 31–49. doi:10.1108/SBM-11-2011-0083. ISSN 2042-678X.
  5. ^ Feldman, Todd (2020). "The Way of the Fight: An Analysis of MMA Judging". Journal of Applied Sport Management. 12 (2). doi:10.7290/jasm120205. ISSN 2327-0187. S2CID 232919273.
  6. ^ "MAD SQUABBLES: A Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Blog". 2007-12-19. Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  7. ^ papiblez (2009-07-04). "Better Know a Blogger: Bloody Elbow's Luke Thomas". Blog Huddle. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  8. ^ Brookhouse, Brent (2015-01-14). "Thank you, Bloody Elbow". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  9. ^ Writing & Fighting, May 14th, 9:00am, Anton Tabuena, Managing Editor of Bloody Elbow, retrieved 2022-10-07
  10. ^ a b Glasspiegel, Ryan (January 20, 2023). "Vox's sports sites hit hard as company lays off seven percent of workforce". The New York Post. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Bemis, Brian. "Great MMA Web sites: My Top Choices". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  12. ^ "Best MMA Blog Sites - Top Picks - MMA News | Kick Ass MMA Directory". 2010-09-15. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  13. ^ "TSJ's Top 10 MMA Websites | THE SPORTS JUNKIE". 2011-01-11. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  14. ^ "Bloody Elbow rank on similarweb". similarweb.
  15. ^ Harris, Scott. "Ramzan Kadyrov: The Most Dangerous Man in MMA Is Not a Fighter". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  16. ^ Bernstein, Joseph (2023-06-02). "Mark Zuckerberg Would Like You to Know About His Workouts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  17. ^ Bernstein, Joseph (2023-06-02). "According to a referee at Mark Zuckerberg's first Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament, the Meta boss was choked unconscious". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  18. ^ Kim, Whizy (2023-06-23). "Who would win in a fight, Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg? We might actually find out". Vox. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  19. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (2023-07-28). "Why the Best Boxers Don't Draw the Biggest Crowds". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  20. ^ Debets, Jacob (12 August 2023). "UFC's "Power Slap" Is a Case Study in Regulatory Capture". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  21. ^ Goodman, Jed (16 August 2023). "Post | Jed I. Goodman". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  22. ^ Haynes, Stephie (2022-05-23). "Crooklyn's Corner 30: 20 Random Questions with Eugene Robinson". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  23. ^ Simon, Zane (2016-10-21). "What will your verse be: A tribute to Josh Samman". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  24. ^ Al-Shatti, Shaun (2022-02-08). "Happy trails to 'The Happy Warrior': 20 years of stories celebrating MMA pioneer Roxanne Modafferi". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  25. ^ Modafferi, Roxanne (2022-10-05). "Dear Roxy: 'Did fighting without glasses ever bother you?'". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  26. ^ Saunders, Ben (2017-11-01). "Some insight on my issues with Colby..." Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  27. ^ Saunders, Ben (2016-01-20). "Somtimes [sic] you win, sometimes you lose..." Bloody Elbow. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  28. ^ "UFC Interview - Bloody Elbow". www.bloodyelbow.com. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  29. ^ Haynes, Stephie (2014-08-22). "Sucking a little less". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  30. ^ Zidan, Karim (2015-01-15). "Married With Jiu-Jitsu". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  31. ^ Bossi, Leticia (2023-10-11). "The Copenhagen Post". The Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  32. ^ Simon, Zane (2023-01-24). "Kid Nate is to blame". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  33. ^ a b Simon, Zane; B, Tim; Elbow, Bloody; Tabuena, Anton; Bissell, Tim; Zidan, Karim (2023-03-04). "The New Bloody Elbow Starts Now". Bloody Elbow Newsletter. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  34. ^ Bissell, Tim (2023-04-02). "How a team of Bloody Elbow readers (and full-time tech pros) built the new BE". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  35. ^ Tabuena, Anton (2023-03-19). "The New Bloody Elbow Podcast Starts Now". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  36. ^ Snowden, Jonathan (2023-01-22). "A Few Words About "Kid" Nate Wilcox, MMA Blogging God". Hybrid Shoot. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  37. ^ Abner, Logan (2024-03-14). "Bloody Elbow acquisition by GRV Media". WeBrokr, LLC - Website & Online Business Broker. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  38. ^ Past, Sophie (2024-04-17). "GRV Media Forms The Bloody Combat Sports Group, Hires Donagh Corby". GRV Media. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  39. ^ Past, Sophie (2024-11-01). "Bloody Elbow and Vamo Futebol Hit All-Time Record Highs". GRV Media. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  40. ^ Nash, John S. (2015-10-26). "What do we know about the UFC's finances?". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  41. ^ Nash, John S. (2020-02-06). "An in-depth look at Bellator's finances". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  42. ^ Tabuena, Anton (2022-10-04). "ONE Championship reports record high $110 million in losses for 2021, $383 million in total". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  43. ^ Nash, John S. (2021-09-14). "ONE Championship's 2020 finances: $48 million more in losses, and a curious $400 million transaction". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  44. ^ Nash, John S. (2018-10-17). "An in-depth look at ONE Championship's finances". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  45. ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2014-12-16). "Cung Le, two others file lawsuit against Zuffa LLC". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  46. ^ Wells, Adam. "UFC Sued by Fighters in Class-Action Lawsuits: Latest Details and Reaction". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  47. ^ "UFC president Dana White's attacks on the media sure seem familiar". The Guardian. 2021-02-18. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  48. ^ Walters, Jared V. (2019-12-03). Narratives of Canadian Identity at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (PhD dissertation). University of Western Ontario.
  49. ^ MacDonald, Katie E.; Lamont, Matthew; Jenkins, John M. (2019-11-02). "Ultimate Fighting Championship Fans: Foundations of Subcultural Stratification". Leisure Sciences. 41 (6): 441–459. doi:10.1080/01490400.2017.1344164. ISSN 0149-0400. S2CID 148693662.
  50. ^ Channon, Alex; Matthews, Christopher R. (2015-07-03). ""It Is What It Is": Masculinity, Homosexuality, and Inclusive Discourse in Mixed Martial Arts". Journal of Homosexuality. 62 (7): 936–956. doi:10.1080/00918369.2015.1008280. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 25603357. S2CID 21630768.
  51. ^ Arthur-Banning, Skye G.; Waliaula, Solomon, eds. (2015-01-01), "Transgender Women in Sports: Should They Be Allowed to Compete against Women", Sports Global Influence: A Survey of Society and Culture in the Context of Sport, BRILL, pp. 87–96, doi:10.1163/9781848883871_010, ISBN 978-1-84888-387-1, retrieved 2022-10-08
  52. ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2014-12-22). "2014 World MMA Awards nominees". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  53. ^ Tucker, Bryan (2015-01-30). "World MMA Awards 2015 Results". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  54. ^ a b Newswire, MMA Fighting (2017-01-09). "2017 World MMA Awards nominees announced". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  55. ^ a b Newswire, MMA Fighting (2018-05-15). "2018 World MMA Awards nominees announced". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  56. ^ a b Tucker, Bryan (2019-04-25). "2019 World MMA Awards nominees announced". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  57. ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2016-01-01). "2016 World MMA Awards nominees announced". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
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