Alan Jouban is the latest fighter hoping to make the transition from Octagon to broadcast booth.
Alan Jouban is planning his next career move in mixed martial arts and it may involve him leaving the gloves behind in exchange for a headset.
The longtime UFC welterweight recently spoke with Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie about shifting his focus from fighting to commentating after nearly seven years with the promotion. Jouban has previously served as an analyst for a few UFC events, including UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami and UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Dos Anjos.
While he certainly has experience as an analyst, Jouban now hopes to make more frequent appearances in the coveted role of color commentator for the UFC, if the opportunity were to arise one day.
“Being a part of the broadcast team has been a long-term goal of mine since I joined the UFC,” said Jouban. “At 39, I really don’t know what’s next for my career. I kind of feel how Paul Felder did where he took a step back for a while. But obviously, I couldn’t do it too long if I wanted to come back.
“In the meanwhile, I’ve loved working the desk lately on a lot of fights and absolutely have color commentary in the UFC as my main goal. I started working some color with LFA recently, and it’s been a great experience and learning experience to get more reps.”
Should Jouban get the job, he would be one of few former and current fighters with the distinction. Names such as Paul Felder, Dominick Cruz, Dan Hardy and Daniel Cormier have all graced the broadcast booth in recent years.
Jouban made his first appearance under the Legacy Fighting Alliance banner at LFA 97: Brown vs. Estrázulas, where he served as commentator alongside veteran broadcasters Ron Kruck and Laura Sanko. He makes his return to the booth for the next scheduled event, LFA 98: Fremd vs. Oliveira.
As far as his fighting career goes, Jouban recently earned a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gooden at UFC 255. It was his first win in 18 months following a controversial split decision loss to Dwight Grant at UFC 236.