The Voice of MMA

There are many commentators in MMA; there are many color commentators in MMA. From Strikeforce's Gus Johnson or Pride's Mauro Ranallo to UFC's Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. Sometimes we'll even get lucky enough to hear fighters, active or retired make the calls beside the cage. Guy Mezger, Randy Couture, Frank Mir and Bas Rutten all take their turns on the mic, providing an intimate, personal look at what's going on during a fight. So with all of these voices, who best represents the sport? Who can use their knowledge of the game to not only describe, but to teach the viewers about the astonishing and technical aspects of the sport.

To say who the best commentator in MMA is, we should look back to the sport's not-so-humble beginning...

November 9, 2003. Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo Dome. 67,450 spectators fill the arena. A voice comes over the loud speaker. An enthusiastic Dutchman welcomes the viewers to Pride Final Conflict 2003. Bas Rutten is that Dutchman. Rutten is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion with over 30 proffessional fights to his credit. Starting in King of Pancrase, Bas Rutten is a self-trained submission expert and muay thai ace. Going undefeated in his last 20 fights and not having lost since 1995, Bas Rutten knows the fight game. As an announcer he provided a thrilling, knowledgable and often comical commentary style and paired with Mauro Ranallo, Rutten provided commentary for some of the most memorable fights of all time. Rutten now makes guest spots commentating for Strikeforce and a few Regional Dutch MMA Organizations. As far as the color commentator in MMA is concerned, Bas is where it started. But Bas is not the voice of MMA.

That brings us to Mauro Ranallo. A lifetime proffessional wrestling fan, Ranallo is not as well-versed in MMA as some, but his over the top antics have created many memorable moments in MMA. Unfortunately for Ranallo, this wrestling persona garners as much resentment from fans as it does adulation. In a sport that is more athleticism than it is entertainment, a level of realization is needed to inform viewers of what is going on; and sometimes with Ranallo, entertainment value comes before what is actually going on in the cage. Ranallo brought theatre to MMA commentary. But Ranallo is not the voice of MMA.

Gus Johnson of Strikeforce, is irrelevant.

Mike Goldberg, the straight man of the UFC is typically jeered by fans for saying some of the most ridiculous things in sports commentary. Originally, Goldberg was sports commentator in Minnesota, calling games for the local NHL team. Through many years of experience, and calling fights for the biggest organization in MMA, it's understandable that a nickname mix-up here or there might happen. Having been in the commentary game for years before beginning in MMA, Goldberg brought a straight-forward, refined style to MMA commentary. "Goldie" provided MMA commentary with it's level of proffessionalism. But "Goldie" is not the voice of MMA.

The UFC is also the home of color analyst Joe Rogan. Joe Rogan is a stand-comedian, actor, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt under Eddie Bravo and a world champion kickboxer. Joe Rogan knows the ins and outs of Mixed Martial Arts having trained in (alongside Jiu-Jitsu and Tae Kwon Do) amateur wrestling and boxing. Joe Rogan is an entertainer that is also trained as a mixed martial artist. When Joe Rogan is calling a fight, he provides an intelligent and informed analysis of the technical aspect of the game, along with an entertaining commentary style that fans world-wide adore him for. Joe Rogan is Bas Rutten, Mauro Ranallo and Mike Goldberg. Joe Rogan is the voice of MMA.



But, it is not without the contrasts in styles that the perfected commentary would be created. It took the failings and faults of all the men before him that has provided Rogan the means to do what he does so well. He should not be applauded alone. It has been a long road in the evolution of MMA commentary and it hasn't yet come to a hault. But for now if you're looking for the Voice of MMA, the UFC's Joe Rogan is the man to listen to.