UFC ringside announcer, Mike Goldberg, has a dream job … just ask him and he will tell you so.
That’s exactly what we did the other day, in fact.
“Goldie” has been all over the map when it comes to broadcasting. He was a sideline reporter during the Chicago Bulls dynasty, he was the voice of the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild, and broke into the sports broadcasting world calling CFL games back in the day.
He’s been around the block in the sporting world and when asked how he got his start with the UFC he’ll tell you that “Jerry Garcia said it best; ‘It’s been a long strange trip.’”
Although Goldberg is Octagon-side calling all of the UFC events and hosting Spike TV’s “UFC Unleashed,” he still feels like he hasn’t worked a day. First and foremost he is a fan of MMA. He is extremely dedicated to his job and feels blessed and fortunate to be doing what he is doing.
Charles Ruocco of MMACanada.net recently caught up with Goldberg. And when asked what the hardest part of his job was he replied:
“Challenging would be a better term, the most challenging part of my job is staying on top of all the news, doing my homework and keeping up with the growing sport of MMA. I feel the fans deserve this.”
In this in depth interview find out why Goldie thanks Canadian fans for saving the UFC in its early days, what he does to stay educated and on the cutting edge of the sport, and what he has to say about his and Joe Rogan’s relationship on air and off.
The audio interview is a long one, but if you have some time, it is definitely worth the listen. Click here.
43 Comments »
I like it when Joe Rogan laughs at Mike Goldberg’s comments. Sometimes I think the fans know more about the sport than he does.
Goldie is very well sought in the sports world. I think at one time (dont know if he still does) he worked with some broadcast company for NCAA football. Word is the WWE threw all kinds of $$ at him to get him to come to them, he didnt. He, Rogan, and Bruce Buffer really seem at home with the UFC… as does Maz, and formerly McCarthy.
He says some stupid stuff sometimes. He also has little rat eyes. But the Rogan-Goldberg combo is still better than what they’re offering over at elite xc. the ex-pride guy is carrying all the weight over there.
I wonder if Goldberg stared at the interviewer very creepily as he does during all of the UFC broadcasts with Rogan.
can’t stand him. totally unknowledgable. he’s always asking Rogan questions and seems totally retarded about what is actually happening inside the octagon. My favorite is when Couture fought Gonzaga and busted his nose up. They were trying to figure out wheere it happened and what caused it. First they show Couture sticking Gonzaga with a stiff jab to which Goldberg says “Right there Joe you can see his nose explode.” This never happened and was quite clear on the replay that Couture didn’t even touch Gonzaga’s nose. Then there is a basic take down by Couture to which Goldberg says. “OK yep. That was it right there. His nose hit the mat and broke.” Again this wasn’t even close and Gonzaga actually landed on the side of his face. Finally it showed where it happened during that slam that Randy gave him and it was Rogan who had to tell him that that is where it happened. Goldberg had no clue. what a fool.
I don’t really care for Goldberg because he says stuff I already know, but he’s good for newer fans that are starting to get into it. Someone needs to get him and Joe Rogan a thesaurus though because they say the same thing over and over. “Its all over!!”, “He’s dropping some bombs”, and “He got rocked!”. It wouldn’t be UFC without him though. You can’t have a post without memorable Goldy quotes!
on Travis Lutter
Mike Goldberg: “He’s like the Michael Jordan of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!”
Joe Rogan: “No, he’s not”
Mike Goldberg: “Larry Bird?”
Joe Rogan: “Uhm, no.”
Mike Goldberg: “Kobe Bryant?”
Joe Rogan: “…”
During UFN 12 Omigawa vs Tavares
Mike Goldberg: “You can hear the corner speaking portuguese!”
Joe Rogan: “Uh, that’s Japanese, brother”
Mike Goldberg: “I should have known that.”
Joe Rogan: “You’re the one married to a Japanese chick.”
Mike Goldberg: “That is correct.”
on “Lil’ Evil” Jens Pulver vs. John Lewis after “Lil’ Evil” Jens Pulver knocked Lewis out*
Goldberg: “”Lil’ Eagle” flies again!”
and here’s a vid of him messing up http://youtube.com/watch?v=ueQ6rPrnQ5A
Why is everyone bashing him? He asks questions a lot because those are usually the questions people that are newer to the sport would be asking. Him and Rogan are perfect for this job. Rogan is there for the true MMA fans, and Mike is there clearly for the new fans, the ones who don’t know as much. He does make some mistakes, but he isn’t there to know everything about the sport. He’s there because he knows enough to keep the casual fans informed. That, and he’s got a voicce for the job, or he wouldn’t have been doing broadcasting for sports for so long.
[quote comment=”358660″]I don’t really care for Goldberg because he says stuff I already know, but he’s good for newer fans that are starting to get into it. Someone needs to get him and Joe Rogan a thesaurus though because they say the same thing over and over. “Its all over!!”, “He’s dropping some bombs”, and “He got rocked!”. It wouldn’t be UFC without him though. You can’t have a post without memorable Goldy quotes!
on Travis Lutter
Mike Goldberg: “He’s like the Michael Jordan of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!”
Joe Rogan: “No, he’s not”
Mike Goldberg: “Larry Bird?”
Joe Rogan: “Uhm, no.”
Mike Goldberg: “Kobe Bryant?”
Joe Rogan: “…”
During UFN 12 Omigawa vs Tavares
Mike Goldberg: “You can hear the corner speaking portuguese!”
Joe Rogan: “Uh, that’s Japanese, brother”
Mike Goldberg: “I should have known that.”
Joe Rogan: “You’re the one married to a Japanese chick.”
Mike Goldberg: “That is correct.”
on “Lil’ Evil” Jens Pulver vs. John Lewis after “Lil’ Evil” Jens Pulver knocked Lewis out*
Goldberg: “”Lil’ Eagle” flies again!”
and here’s a vid of him messing up http://youtube.com/watch?v=ueQ6rPrnQ5A/quote
lol, he’s a duesh.
idk i think goldberg just says a lot of shit that sounds really stupid if you have an idea of whats going on but for like a general audience he raises some decent points and then lets rogan explain them
not a bad tactic if you ask me…and its tough for a guy that didnt fight to be totally on top of the action the way somebody like bas or even frank mir are
I always wanted Tank Abbot to be the color commentator. He’s great at it.
[quote comment=”358637″]I wonder if Goldberg stared at the interviewer very creepily as he does during all of the UFC broadcasts with Rogan.[/quote]
HAHAHAHA Dude I have noticed that too. me and my friends all look at how he stares the entire time. You can tell Rogan is frustrated by the stare down.
GOLDBERG SUCKS. No one likes to hear himself talk more than that guy. “History will always remain historic.” -Goldberg on Gracie vs. Hughes.
I Dont mind him because like others said he isn’t afraid to ask questions, which generally are the same questions someone knew to the sport would ask. would you rather they have two guys that just talk about the technical aspect and leave the average view clueless? if they did i bet you the sport wouldn’t exactly grow because the new viewer would be lost and change the channel.
besides he’s infinately better than that meathead bill goldberg.
for a guy thats been commentator for so long, the type of comments he makes is the kind that I would expect from a new fan: not really technical- just words of excitement, empty redoric, wrong facts, funny 1 liners. lol.. how many fights do you think he got in his life? if any, how many do you think he won? But the guy cracks me up! Rogan / Mike Goldberg combo is claasssssic. TALE OF THE TAPE!!
I love Goldie. he’s perfect for the sport. who is NOT entertained by this guy’s occasional goofs? (No disrespect intended for Goldie — everyone F’s up).
My favorite all-time Goldie quote was during a Kevin “The Shaman” Jordan fight (i think he was fighting Gonzaga). Jordan was entering the ring, and Rogan kept talking about his nickname “The Shaman,” saying things like (i’m paraphrasing, not quoting): “Why is he called the Shaman? A shaman is someone who acts as an intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds.” It sounded like Rogan was reading from the dictionary, it was hysterical. and kinda dumb.
Then Goldie comes in with: “You know what I’m thinking? Cheeseburger Royale?”
(crickets chirp)
Rogan has no clue what he’s talking about.
Goldie again: “Cheeseburger Royale?”
Rogan finally realizes Goldie means “Royale with Cheese” from Pulp Fiction–and that The Shaman slightly resembles Samuel L. Jackson.
Rogan says: “Are you one of those white guys who think all black guys look alike?”
classic. Goldie’s the only one who can make Rogan look brilliant at a time when he was sounding like a stoner. i love these two guys together!
My favorite Goldberg quote was from 82 when he was plugging the Spanish language broadcast as being for the, “Latin speaking audience”.
[quote comment=”358730″]I Dont mind him because like others said he isn’t afraid to ask questions, which generally are the same questions someone knew to the sport would ask. would you rather they have two guys that just talk about the technical aspect and leave the average view clueless? if they did i bet you the sport wouldn’t exactly grow because the new viewer would be lost and change the channel.
besides he’s infinately better than that meathead bill goldberg.[/quote]
I would still like to see an extremely technical person like Mir added to the group but the sometimes stupid comments create a degree of comic relief. Just not from the comic. Most casual fans would not catch half of it anyhow and those that do are knowledgable enough to probobly not even need announcing.
Of all the sports I have watched and all the announcers I strongly agree that Bill Goldberg is one of the most unknowledgable meat heads there is. How would you like to pay him for some of the crap he says???
Goldberg and Rogan is the BEST MMA commentating team of all time!
Hes awesome and for those who look at his mistakes… last time I checked, we are all human, mistakes happen!
Other then that, greta job, the interview was awesome!
[quote comment=”358705″]idk i think goldberg just says a lot of shit that sounds really stupid if you have an idea of whats going on but for like a general audience he raises some decent points and then lets rogan explain them
not a bad tactic if you ask me…and its tough for a guy that didnt fight to be totally on top of the action the way somebody like bas or even frank mir are[/quote]
Yeah exactly. If he was as “technical” as Joe Rogan, the new views would be completely lost with what was going on. He asks questions about the fight and Joe Rogan answers them, not because Mike needs to know, but because they want to educate the fans.
Whats with the Goldie bashing? I think he is great for the newer fans that need educating. On another note, the guy that was interviewing him sounded like he was stoned or something
The Tavarez/Omigawa moment when he thought that Omigawa’s corner was speaking Portuguese, while he’s married to a Japanese girl was one of my favorite.
On a recent PPV inbetween fights when the camera is pointed up at the rafters, Goldy said “Boy, this UFC stuff is pretty cool, huh Joe?”
Goldy is necessary for the new fans. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring back the like of a Kenny Florian to the commentator booth. I really like it when they have a fighter there calling the fight. That is what makes the announcing of the WEC (Mir) so good. Bas is also good, but I don’t even know the name of they guy he announces with in IFL.
“good left by anderson silva!” When silva actually was hitting marquardt with his right - easy mistake to make I suppose!
Rumour is Mr.T is gonna be new announcer
i forgot which TUF finally it was(maybe griffen vs bonnar) but it was getting really messy and then out of nowhere he goes “SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ULTIMATE FIGHTER?!?! HUH?!” like as if it was a challenge to the audience. wtf? i don’t know why its funny but i could still hear him saying that.
Goldberg is goofy, but who cares I still like him. He is way better than any other announcer out there. Including guys like Mir. The bottom like goldberg is there for fan entertainment, and he does a good job at it. Rogan/Goldberg is a perfect combo.
[quote comment=”358801″]The Tavarez/Omigawa moment when he thought that Omigawa’s corner was speaking Portuguese, while he’s married to a Japanese girl was one of my favorite.
On a recent PPV inbetween fights when the camera is pointed up at the rafters, Goldy said “Boy, this UFC stuff is pretty cool, huh Joe?”
Goldy is necessary for the new fans. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring back the like of a Kenny Florian to the commentator booth. I really like it when they have a fighter there calling the fight. That is what makes the announcing of the WEC (Mir) so good. Bas is also good, but I don’t even know the name of they guy he announces with in IFL.[/quote]
There is no better announcer in all of mma than Bas Rutten. I dont mind Joe Rogan at all, and I hope he keeps his job at the UFC for a long time. Mir is very good and will probably have a permanent position awaiting him in some organizations booth as soon as he retires from fighhting.
I really am starting to miss Couture’s commentary at UFC events. Hopefully he can eventually make ammends with the UFC so at the very least we can get him back in the commentary booth, or better yet the Octagon!
IMO The Dream commentary team of mma would be:
Joe Rogan
Bas Rutten
Randy Couture, all together.
I used to always enjoy PRIDE events, when Randy would usually be there supporting Dan Henderson, and Randy would often get in the commentary booth. Him and Bas Rutten calling the same fight was excellent
Worst commentator performance in the History of MMA:
Dana White, When he did the commentary with Bas Rutten during Chuck Liddells fights in the 2003 PRIDE middleweight grand prix! Especially the Chuck vs. Rampage fight, Dana sounded like a fool, stating over and over again that Chuck was loosing to Rampage because he didnt implement the game plan of throwing Leg kicks. Thats all he said, but he said it throughout the whole 13 minute MAULING Rampage delivered to Liddell.
That was by far the worst commentary ever heard in mma.
Speaking of the 2003 PRIDE Grand Prix, can anyone remember of the other commentators name that worked the event along side of Bas Rutten? that guy was an idiot but he was funny during the in between fight commentary from the bar, when he was acting all drunk and passed out, Bas pretended to wake him up and in his drunken voice he yelled “He’s wearing a Gi” LMFAO…it was funny! What was that dudes name? Not stephan Quadros and not the other famous Pride announcer… What was his name?
[quote comment=”358821″]”good left by anderson silva!” When silva actually was hitting marquardt with his right -
easy mistake to make I suppose![/quote]
Well Silva is a southpaw in his defence
[quote comment=”358843″]i forgot which TUF finally it was(maybe griffen vs bonnar) but it was getting really messy and then out of nowhere he goes “SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ULTIMATE FIGHTER?!?! HUH?!” like as if it was a challenge to the audience. wtf? i don’t know why its funny but i could still hear him saying that.[/quote]
THAT is actually a CLASSIC line. That was by no means a goof up. A great moment. I think he said it when Diego Sancez knee’d Karo’s tooth out his mouth too.
[quote comment=”358759″]My favorite Goldberg quote was from 82 when he was plugging the Spanish language broadcast as being for the, “Latin speaking audience”.[/quote]
HAHAHAHAHA…I remember thinking…”Wha? Only a handful of people actually speak latin”
For us Latin Speaking audience: “Vini Vidi Vici”, “Fortuna Caeca Est.”
Never mind Goldie, how brainless was that interviewer. Buddy has been spending way too much time in Woodbridge (joke for us Torontonians). He made Goldie sound like a genius!
But man can he ever talk! The interviewer only asked 4 or 5 questions and Goldie rambled on for over half an hour. Well, at least we won’t have to buy his life story when it comes out in hard cover…
I would prefer Goldie if he was
i) less biased.
ii) called the action more, often talks about some completely random crap when the most exciting part of the fight is taking place.
couldnt imagine UFC without Goldie. Definitely has his funny moments.
i feel embarrassed for him; he says some stupid stuff. CLUELESS
Imagine 2 Rogan types announcing? Forget it. Goldie is pure comedy.
Frick and Frack
You could NOT find a better combo than Rogan and Goldberg.
I think all the Goldberg bashing would go away pretty fast if people heard what a broadcast sounded like without him. Luckily that will probably never happen.
Goldberg is a living legend. Any UFC event without Goldie or Rogan is bland.
Goldberg is very good. His job is NOT to be an expert (that’s what color commentary is for), his job is to make the action accessible to as many fans as possible.
Yes, oh wise internet fan, that means sometimes he says things that seem stupid to you, but since we want the sport to grow, someone needs to do that. I think it’s great he asks questions to Rogan or whatever real fighter is in the 3rd chair, because it answers a lot of questions the newer, or more casual, fans might have.
Goldberg is very good. His job is NOT to be an expert (that’s what color commentary is for), his job is to make the action accessible to as many fans as possible.
Yes, oh wise internet fan, that means sometimes he says things that seem stupid to you, but since we want the sport to grow, someone needs to do that. I think it’s great he asks questions to Rogan or whatever real fighter is in the 3rd chair, because it answers a lot of questions the newer, or more casual, fans might have.
Mike Goldberg is fantastic. I just love that guy. He is so respectful, polite, and professional. He is my favorite employee of UFC for sure. Keep up the good work!
mike goldberg is retarded
Mike Goldberg, the hype man who works with Joe Rogan, needs to be advised on his over-sensationalism. Goldberg’s steady barrage and claims of Ken Shamrock being the “most dangerous man in the world,” is really shameful and disrespectful to the viewers, as being competent fans.
If he was so dangerous for Tito Ortiz, why was the match like Ali in his latter stage, vs Larry Holmes? Like the latest “Rambo,” Stallone? That announcer really seems to even make Rogan, uncomfortable.
To even have it as the “main event” was insulting to the viewers. Goldberg is as overly hyping as the NBA announcer, Mike Breen. Check him out. Breen seems to even announce when the players use the restroom, breathe, or even when they drink fluids. He’s boringly, over-informative. Goldberg is overly caffeinated? After Shamrock was easily defeated, Goldberg was shy and hesitant on calling him dangerous–even to flies.
With some commentating classes, Goldberg may be okay. As for now, he seems to only be hired for being a producer’s relative; or the great ability of being a “yes” man.
Frank Talk
goldberg sucks balls. he constantly says stuff that is totally wrong. half the time it looks like he is loaded. i dont know how many times ive heard him scream “not 1 person in the whole place is sitting at this moment!” when the camera shot is showing people just sitting there. the ufc should get rid of him as soon as possible.