UFC_Goldberg
4/12/11
2:50 PM
Page 3
G IT UP voi ce of the UFC not only talks the talk, but walks the walk By Curt Blakeney WITH A FORCEFUL FRONT KICK, MIKE GOLDBERG BACKS UP HIS OPPONENT before he unleashes a powerful right cross. Undaunted his opponent steps forward, then Goldberg fires off a left jab, that’s quickly blocked, an overhand right that grazes its target, and a roundhouse kick that misses. A quick jab, cross, hook combo hits its mark, and Goldberg nods with the steely resolve of a seasoned mixed martial arts fighter. Goldberg is throwing combo after combo, kick after kick, while at the receiving end is Goldberg’s trainer, Jason Bress of Jab Fitness. Goldberg, the silky smooth play-by-play voice of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is not turning in his microphone for the ring. On this sunny February afternoon in Phoenix, Goldberg is practicing Muay Thai, one of his favorite ways to keep in shape between UFC events on the road. Goldberg, who lives with his wife Kim and two kids in Arizona, works out several days a week with Bress. He’s been training in Muay Thai for 4 to 5 years. For Goldberg, the martial arts training has been beneficial to his health, as well as his job as a UFC announcer. “Muay Thai is great for my conditioning and cardio, and it’s enjoyable,” Goldberg said. “Plus it really helps me become more educated as a broadcaster. This way, I know the basics and what fighters are going through.” DREAM JOB Mike Goldberg’s name has become synonymous with the UFC, serving as the lead play-byplay announcer – working alongside color analyst Joe Rogan. Goldberg’s rise to fame has coincided with the sports mercurial rise in popularity. He actually came from a hockey background, having done about 800 NHL games for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and ESPN 2. After the Detroit Red Wings failed to re-new his contract
in 1997, he explored other career options. That’s when the UFC came calling. Replacing former play-by-play announcer Bruce Beck, Goldberg first joined UFC in 1997 for UFC: Ultimate Japan (billed as “UFC 15.5”), which was the organization’s debut outside the United States. Upon his arrival in Yokohama, he spent a few hours getting a hands-on jiu-jitsu demonstration from UFC referee Big John McCarthy, to get acclimated to the sport. Goldberg has an appreciation of how far the UFC has come since that debut … he remembers the salad days of the fledgling organization. “I've been through the dark days if you will," said Goldberg. "I'd been through going to the arenas down in Alabama or in Mississippi and everyone thinking this was going to be the last show.” For more than a decade, Goldberg and Rogan have called the epic moments in the careers of UFC legends like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, and many more. Rogan also began working for the UFC in 1997, so the two have developed a great chemistry that has evolved with the sport. “I think it’s something natural and something you can’t manufacture,” Goldberg said. “In life, we’re different people. Joe is a comedian and is out there. I’m a sports guy who likes all sports, while Joe only likes fighting. Joe and I have always have had a good relationship and really good chemistry. I know Joe’s strengths and he knows mine. I have no ego in there; I set Joe up. My real goal is to make Joe the star on every night. To tee it up and make it easy for him to feel comfortable in the booth, so Joe can do what does best and that is analyze fights.” In 2005, Goldberg’s UFC broadcasting career nearly came to an end when World Wrestling Entertainment (yes, that WWE, the one owned by Vince McMahon) offered Goldberg a very lucrative contract to become the voice of WWE Raw.