Tag: Jimmy Smith UFC

Jimmy Smith Reveals Date Of First UFC Color Commentary

Former voice of Bellator and current UFC commentator Jimmy Smith is set for his UFC debut. After Bellator recently chose not to agree to terms and renew his contract, the UFC was quick to hop on the longtime color commentator, signing him rapidly to join their ever-growing commentating team. Smith will be making his live […]

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Former voice of Bellator and current UFC commentator Jimmy Smith is set for his UFC debut.

After Bellator recently chose not to agree to terms and renew his contract, the UFC was quick to hop on the longtime color commentator, signing him rapidly to join their ever-growing commentating team.

Smith will be making his live color commentary debut at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, according to Smith himself via Twitter:

Smith’s debut happens to coincide with Joe Rogan’s new UFC contract, which precludes him from covering international events. Many fight fans and pundits alike have suggested that Smith will eventually take over Rogan’s commentary duties once he finally bows out from the promotion.

Smith made his official UFC broadcasting debut at UFC 220, where he worked the FOX Sports 1 desk in Los Angeles while the card took place in Boston, Massachusetts. The longtime voice of Bellator formally signed with the UFC after failing to reach an agreement with his former employer.

UFC 221 takes place on February 10, 2018, and will feature former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold taking on Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight title with Mark Hunt taking on Curtis Blaydes.

Interim champ Robert Whittaker was originally sent to fight in the headlining fight but came down with an extremely serious case of staph infection that forced him off the card.

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NFL Insider Jay Glazer Joins Broadcast Team At Bellator 192

Bellator is continuing to make big-money moves after Spike’s recent rebranding as the Paramount Network. Previously signing Mike Goldberg, the longtime voice of the UFC and recently signing respected MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy, they’ve now added Jay Glazer to the mix as well. Glazer previously provided pre and post-fight coverage for the UFC, but […]

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Bellator is continuing to make big-money moves after Spike’s recent rebranding as the Paramount Network.

Previously signing Mike Goldberg, the longtime voice of the UFC and recently signing respected MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy, they’ve now added Jay Glazer to the mix as well.

Glazer previously provided pre and post-fight coverage for the UFC, but joined Bellator in an announcement released on Tuesday.

Bellator President Scott Coker was extremely happy with acquiring Glazer’s services:

“I’m excited to welcome Jay Glazer to the Bellator family. Jay’s knowledge and experience in sports television speaks for itself and he will be a great addition to our incredible broadcast team. As Bellator moves to Paramount Network, I look forward to having him involved with some of the biggest fights of the year.”

Glazer will continue to work as an NFL insider for FOX Sports, but will now be covering Bellator fights instead of UFC cards.

The first Bellator event Glazer will cover will feature some of the promotion’s biggest names, with Chael Sonnen taking on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to kick off Bellator’s heavyweight Grand Prix, as well as Douglas Lima defending his welterweight belt against Rory MacDonald.

Bellator and the UFC have been trading MMA commentators lately, with former Bellator play-by-play announcer Jimmy Smith jumping ship to the UFC just last week.

How will Jay Glazer fit with Bellator? What do you make of all the recent changes to Bellator and the UFC’s commentary booths?

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Jimmy Smith Declares He’s ‘Not Here To Replace Rogan’

Former Bellator commentator and newly acquired voice of the UFC, Jimmy Smith says he’s not looking to be another Joe Rogan. Smith has often been compared to Rogan, both are bald, muscular and have a similar sounding voice and approach to MMA commentating. Rogan recently praised Smith and excoriated Bellator for letting him go, and […]

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Former Bellator commentator and newly acquired voice of the UFC, Jimmy Smith says he’s not looking to be another Joe Rogan.

Smith has often been compared to Rogan, both are bald, muscular and have a similar sounding voice and approach to MMA commentating. Rogan recently praised Smith and excoriated Bellator for letting him go, and with Rogan looking for an out from the UFC in the near future, Smith would be a perfect replacement.

Smith revealed on The Three Amigos Podcast how smoothly things went when signing with the UFC and how Rogan played a hand in his employment:

“People know that Joe [Rogan] has been trying to bring me over to the UFC for more than four years now. He’s been talking me up to them for a long time and there had been negotiations before when I was in between contracts, so it’s no surprise. Now, they have the best opportunity to have my whole career. I was a free agent with no contract for the first time, but they were very friendly and things went really well.”

Both Bellator and the UFC have been shuffling the deck in terms of commentary; Mike Goldberg left the UFC for Bellator just a few months back, and now Smith leaving Bellator for the UFC. Brian Stann is no longer providing his voice for commentary either.

But for Jimmy Smith, he’s right where he wants to be following a short period of unemployment:

“I’m thrilled to be here. It’s been a long time coming and I’m actually getting jittery because I’m looking forward to it so much. It’s a whole new world of fights and fighters, a whole new team—everybody over there has told me how excited they are that I’m coming over—it’s like I’m starting over again. I’m the new kid at a brand new school and I’m really excited about everything coming up. I get to be a part of the best promotion in the world and that’s huge for me. It’s the pinnacle of my career.”

But don’t expect Smith to replicate or replace Joe Rogan’s style, despite the comparisons over the years.

“There are two things I want to make really clear. I’m not replacing Joe Rogan. Joe is still active with the UFC this year, so it’s not like I’m coming in and he’s leaving. The other thing I want to address is that people have some idea that I was somehow pushed out by Mauro [Ranallo] and Goldie [Mike Goldberg], that signing them kind of pushed me out. They were looking forward to working with me for years. They were easy to work with (and) fun to work with…”

How do you think Smith will fit in as UFC commentator?

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