Fighters Only

Issue 152

March 2017

After two decades calling fights inside the Octagon, ‘Goldie’ looks back on providing the soundtrack for a generation of fans.

How will you look back at nearly two decades with the UFC?

Early on, big things would happen from time to time. Then it became every single time.

I think back to the times in Lake Charles, Louisiana, pretending we were in New Orleans and having all these great shots of Bourbon Street but the fight was in Tenner. It was really easy to get tickets for friends because you had a bunch to give away.

Now I realize the effect I was able to have on the product, the fighters and fans. It has been really overwhelming and humbling. I am really grateful for every single person who has reached out to me. It warms my heart because I have never really been able to step back and look at it the way I have been able to now.

How was your first MMA experience at UFC Ultimate Japan?

When I got to Japan I knew nothing about the sport. When I walked into the hotel I met Elaine McCarthy. She was in charge of everything.

In the lobby, she told me about the Gracie family and Helio Gracie and the little man on the bottom.

Then I found myself in this huge ballroom with Jeff Blatnick and ‘Big’ John McCarthy. John is laying on the ground, telling me to come over. He wanted to show me guard and half guard and everything. I was a hockey player, not a wrestler. I’m like: “Dude, no. This is weird. What is going on here?”

He showed me a bit of the ground game. I will never forget it. I was a sponge and I was proud to be a sponge.

How important was it for you to tell every fighter’s story?

I was already a good storyteller and I was really good at preparation from my ESPN days. I immediately implemented that into my UFC preparation. If a kid is walking into the Octagon for the very first time, what a journey it has been to get there.

Every single fighter would (say) the same: “It is my lifelong dream. This is what I have worked my entire life for.” It was my obligation. I needed to understand and respect these warriors who worked so hard. It would be total disrespect and unacceptable for me not to do my homework.

Can you describe your relationship with Joe Rogan?

Joe and I always call each other ‘powerful partner’. Before a pay-per-view, we do the fist bump and blow it up.

Joe used to do this pat on the forehead. It was part of his comedy act. That was our ritual.

We just have a magical bond. We don’t sit down and talk about fights over lunch. We don’t rehearse. From day one it just worked. It was a chemistry – not my words but the words for the masses – that was as perfect as any sports broadcasting duo in history.

It’s hard for me to say that but the chemistry that we had was so easy. It just fascinates me still that we just bonded from day one.

What did it mean to have him by your side for so long?

Way back when I was still doing hockey for the Minnesota Wild, the night Rich Franklin knocked out Nate Quarry, I did the Wild playoff game.

Joe did my job. Phil Baroni was the color commentator. All of a sudden Joe had Bruce Connal, our producer, in his ear. I saw Joe later and he told me I couldn’t ever miss a show again. We have always laughed about that. I took a lot of pride in setting up Joe and made sure he didn’t have to worry about any of the other minutiae.

When you have a talent like Joe as your partner you showcase that talent. From day one until UFC 207 nothing was ever forced. There was never any type of arguments or disagreements. I love him as a brother.

What are some of the toughest parts of the job?

Every live sports event is a story that develops in front of you and you have to go with that story. If I have a stat on Demetrious Johnson’s takedown defense and his opponent doesn’t try to shoot on him at all and I try to use that stat, it’s forced. But I have it just in case.

The thing that people don’t understand is the chaos of that night and how a quick knockout changes everything in the format, how a kick in the groin changes everything.

A kick in the groin late in an FS1 prelim at 6:54 when we are going live on pay-per-view at 7:00 scares the heck out of everybody.

How do you look back on some of the criticism you got?

I know CB Dollaway didn’t beat CB Dollaway. I get it. I laugh at it too. I am a human being. If you start doing the math I probably have done over 4,000 hours of UFC content.

I haven’t seen one of these goof reels that is over ten minutes long. If you do the math, I’m really not that bad (laughs). Only one time did I ever do a premature ‘it is all over’.

It was the Sean Sherk (vs. Evan Dunham) fight. If you look at the replay it does look like he tapped when he was going down. It’s live TV. You are going to make mistakes.

I am cool with it. The only thing that aggravated me was the flat-out disrespect and the way they went about it. When Twitter started it was so fun. Then social media just got ugly. It should be fun.

What don’t people realize about your role?

I have a studio in my house. I do all the combos beforehand. I write a lot of the transitions and leads. I write and voice all of that. I sit in the truck on a Friday afternoon for hours and we go item by item.

People don’t understand how much work goes into that production before I put on the headset. When I put on the headset, that’s when the fun begins.

What makes a great play-by-play commentator?

The best moments came when I knew not to talk. As I matured and grew as a play-by-play announcer I knew when to let the crowd the raw emotion of the fighter take over. They always say ‘let it breathe’.

I have a habit of putting my arms out when we reach those seminal in-fight moments as if to say ‘quiet’. Those are the moments that I am most proud of – when I let the raw emotion of the moment take over. I don’t want it to be about my voice or to try to scream over the crowd. I got out of the way of the moment.

What’s your proudest on-air moment?

To pinpoint one right now, after 225 UFC events, the greatest moment is Michael Bisping winning the title against Luke Rockhold. I had the whole story line: 26th UFC fight, first title fight, coming in on two weeks’ notice.

You saw the reaction of Joe and I. I didn’t know I jumped out of my seat the way I did. That is love, passion and raw emotion for the moment. That was a moment where I feel we nailed the call.

How did you feel after fans’ tributes to you after UFC 207?

It has been so insane and so humbling.

After UFC 207, a rollout with me calling some old fights – sure that would have been awesome. I wanted to say something to Joe and I know he wanted to say something to me, too. I did thank the closest members of our production family.

The way it played out at UFC 207 and the reaction of the world because of it is the best tribute I could ask for.