Mike Goldberg Says UFC Departure Ranked With His Most Difficult Time
With former UFC commentator Mike Goldberg now signed as tthe voice behind Bellator, this past year has been quite the whirlwind.
After being ousted from his position at the UFC rather unceremoniously, “Goldie” finally broke his silence on the subject on Monday.
“The last six months were as difficult as any period of my life,” Goldberg said on The MMA Hour. “And it was professional, wasn’t personal, but it was as difficult as any six months in my life. And it’s weird, though, because what was difficult was that everybody that I spoke to said ‘oh, it’s a no brainer, you’re gonna be great with us, it’s a no brainer, let’s make it happen.’
“When you’re dealing with big corporations and there’s a lot of moving parts, ‘let’s make this happen’ in February or March, in the corporate world, happens in June. And in my world, in that time, you just want to have it, you just want that text or email or that call to say ‘hey, Goldie, you’re back in the game.’”
Goldberg will return to the commentator booth with fellow announcers Mauro Ranallo and Jimmy Smith at this weekend’s pay-per-view event.
But he says that fan support after his departure from the UFC made him think there was still a place in MMA for “Goldie”.
“It was difficult,” Goldberg said of the months separating his UFC departure from his Bellator signing. “What pushed me through it, and what kept me motivated — obviously, my family is first and foremost — were the fans and the tweets that continued, and the praise and the ‘we miss you, Goldie’, ‘when are you coming back?’ That energized me.”
“”Nineteen years I got to do that, right outside the Octagon, and always well,” he said. “If I didn’t have those 19 years, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am right now, headed to New York City later today to do a pay-per-view broadcast from the world’s most famous arena. I bring with me all the great memories, I bring with me all the positive vibes.”
Are you looking forward to Goldberg’s Bellator commentating debut?
