"And if the opportunity came up to broadcast MMA, I don't think I'd have any issues doing it. I wouldn't be wearing the black hat. I wouldn't be doing all my pro wrestling cliches. You wouldn't hear any slobberknockers or any of the phrases I've coined over the years, like "business is about to pick up" or "he's beating him like a government mule." You wouldn't hear that. But I think people would be very surprised at what they would hear, simply because I'm passionate about their game. Once you're a broadcaster and you're a storyteller, and you understand competition and the rules of engagement, it all falls together... I've really gotten hooked on MMA. I enjoy watching it and studying it. I'm learning more about the heritage and history of it. It's been a unique metamorphosis for me to become such a passionate fan of mixed martial arts. It hasn't replaced my love for my established business. I just added it to my daily routine. It's become so interesting to me that it has joined my work and my hobby of watching football. It joined that group because I made room for it. And I'll keep watching everything I possibly can."
-WWE announcer turned MMA enthusiast Jim Ross talks to Heavy.com about getting hooked on the sport and how he would fare as an announcer for MMA.
Penick's Analysis: I would be 100% behind Good Ole' JR getting into MMA broadcasting. As a longtime pro wrestling fan growing up, JR is and always has been #1 when it comes to announcing "sports entertainment," and he's consistently touted his appreciation for MMA on his blog for some time. As one of the most recognized voices in broadcasting for his longtime work in the WWE, Ross would add a lot to any organization that would take him on as a broadcaster. He's clearly got a passion for the sport and I would love to hear what he could bring to calling a fight, so I hope he gets his chance.
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agreed 100%. it's not like he could be any worse than goldie. i'd love to
so ole' j.r. in the ufc. :)
Mark
15 Mar 2010, 10:13
Umm, no disrespect intended, but if I can levy some constructive criticism
to the MMATorch guys here, I don't believe that MMA fans are all that
interested in what some pro wrestling character thinks about MMA. Don't
you guys have a site for that pro wrestling nonsense? Post that crap
there. I think it's insulting for MMA to be connected even slightly to
these phonies. The last time I watched pro wrestling, I was a kid (which
is how it should be!), and I believe Vince McMahon was the announcer. But
who cares? I don't care what these steroid-taking actors think about MMA.
Please remove any references to these clowns from your MMA site, or you
will never be taken seriously. And nobody watches the NFL based on who is
broadcasting the game. This is not a story on any level. Just trying to
help...
The Unknown
15 Mar 2010, 20:27
Mark,I don't mean to disrespect you either,but do you even realize the
history between the two?Numerous Pro Wrestlers have competed in MMA and
most have had either good to great success,including Kazuyuki
Fujita,Masakatsu Funaki,Akira Maeda,Nobuhiko Takada,Ken Shamrock,Dan
Severn,and the greatest Pro Wrestler turned MMA Fighter of all time KAZUSHI
SAKURABA.The kimura is named after Masihiko Kimura who was a mixed martial
artist,but he was also a pro wrestler.At the UFC 5 tournament,Dan Severn
won the finals and held up the title belt and also held up the NWA Pro
Wrestling belt.Not to mention the group of Japanese Professional
Wrestlers(Ken Shamrock being one of them)that got together and formed
Pancrase.There are other examples to show the history,but you already know
this right?RIGHT?
The Unknown
15 Mar 2010, 21:10
And one other thing,just because a pro wrestler wants to compete in MMA,and
wins,it doesn't de-legitimize the sport of MMA.Kazushi Sakuraba won the UFC
Ultimate Japan Tournament back in 1997 and after the fight, got on the
microphone and famously stated,"In fact,Professional Wrestling is indeed
strong."
Mark
16 Mar 2010, 07:59
The Unknown,
I don't have an issue with pro wrestlers who wish to transition to MMA.
That's not my point. My point is, this is an MMA site, so pro wrestling
news should not be a part of it. If I want to learn about pro wrestling, I
can go to a pro wrestling site.
Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Brock Lesnar took paychecks from professional
wrestling companies, and who can blame them? But MMA fans respect them for
things they've done in the cage, not in the cartoon world. That's all I'm
saying.
And furthermore, no company that wishes to be seen as legitimate would want
to be associated with pro wrestling. Sorry, but it's true. Why do you
think Linda McMahon's political opponents use it against her in her
campaign? But you already knew that.
Because something is associated with pro wrestling, we're not going to not
report it. A high-profile announcer on a major network sports-themed drama
series (WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown) commented on MMA. If a NASCAR announcer,
NFL announcer, or actor who plays an announcer on Friday Night Lights talks
about MMA, we'll report it.
Ross's job calling simulated fights isn't a lot different than calling
legit fights, and I have little doubt he'd instantly become the best
play-by-play announcer in MMA history if he were hired to call MMA. He's
incredible at what he does. He's often talked about as a candidate for the
Oklahoma Sooner's football games. He was excellent calling XFL games.
Linda McMahon's political opponents are using her history with pro
wrestling against her not because it's pro wrestling in and of itself, but
because of the scandals associated with WWE, such as inconsistent drug
testing, classifying wrestlers as independent contractors and not paying
medical insurance, etc.
You're right. A pro wrestler who becomes an MMA fighter should be respected
as a fighter for what they do in the Octagon. But that goes without say.
Lesnar playing the part of a champion pro wrestler in WWE with no pretense
that what he was doing was anything but highly skilled athletic acting
simulating exciting fights isn't different than Gina Carano or Cung Le or
Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell acting in movies or on a TV show.
Mark
16 Mar 2010, 11:31
Wade, I see your point. But here's mine: I can go to a bunch of other MMA
sites to get my news (MMA Mania, Bloody Elbow, Sherdog, etc.), but I come
here. Ir just seems that, far too often, I am getting pro wrestling news
on this site, when it's an MMA site.
Yes, I understand that Brock Lesnar used to be a pro wrestler. That was
years ago. He was also in Vikings training camp a few years ago. Does
that mean when Cris Carter gets elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
you're going to report that here?
Brock Lesnar, from what I understand, disowned just about everyone from the
pro wrestling world. He too understands that associating with them makes
him look foolish.
If you're a pro wrestling fan, great. I'm sure there are hundreds of sites
that cater to that fanbase, but I'm tired of people that assume that,
because both professions contain tattooed musclemen, that they have
anything at all in common. They do not. I have been following MMA since
UFC 1 in 1993, and, at all the events I have been to, I have yet to meet
anyone who is a pro wrestling fan.
