A pair of familiar faces will welcome viewers to the inaugural event held under the World Series of Fighting banner, as veteran announcers Bas Rutten and Todd Harris have been selected to call the action of the Nov. 3 show, which will air on the NBC Sports Network.
The promotion announced the broadcast team in a Tuesday press release.
It is a change from the original direction, as WSOF officials had originally said that the grouping would consist of Rutten, Michael Schiavello and Kurt Angle. It was soon afterward announced that Angle would not be able to participate due to a conflict of interest, but no reason was offered for the shift from Schiavello to Harris.
Rutten, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has co-hosted “Inside MMA” since the show’s inception in 2007.
Harris was the voice of the WEC during its days on Versus, and has maintained his relationship with Zuffa since that promotion was shut down. He currently is the host of FUEL’s “UFC Tonight.” He has also continued to work for NBC Sports Network (the channel formerly known as Versus), a relationship that likely brought about his involvement in this project.
WSOF’s first show emanates from the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and features a main event pitting Andrei Arlovski vs. Devin Cole. Other familiar names including Anthony Johnson, Miguel Torres and Gerald Harris will also be featured.
The event is a one-fight deal with NBC Sports Network, which told MMA Fighting in September that it plans to air the inaugural show and evaluate any future relationship afterward.