Former UFC blow-by-blow announcer Mike Goldberg, and former Strikeforce and WWE play-by-play legend Mauro Ranallo have been inked by the promotion and will call the Bellator NYC pay-per-view on Saturday, June 24.
Goldberg and Ranallo join an esteemed Bellator announce team that already includes Jimmy Smith, Jenn Brown and Chael Sonnen. Former play-by-play man
Sean Grande stepped down from his position, which created the opportunity for Goldberg and Ranallo.
Both men have their share of legendary calls in the world of MMA and their presence instantly upgrades the feel of any combat sports event. The timing of the signing couldn’t be more appropriate. Bellator is heading into its biggest event in history, and the card takes place at Madison Square Garden. That’s not just big by Bellator standards, that’s a huge deal no matter what promotion is putting on the show.
In addition to Bellator NYC, which will be headlined by a grudge match between Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva and Fedor Emelianenko vs. Matt Mitrione, there will also be the Bellator 180 show taking place at MSG earlier in the day.
That segment of the show will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Phil Davis and the newly signed Ryan Bader, and it will air on Spike. In total, there will be three world title fights.
Bellator President Scott Coker is bringing in the two biggest available names in MMA broadcasting to call this show and future Bellator events.
“Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo are two of the best in our business and I couldn’t be happier about them joining the Bellator family,” said Coker. “In addition to June 24, we look forward to working together to make future Spike broadcasts even more exciting for our fans as we add further depth to an already-exceptional broadcast team.”
It’s unclear at this point whether Goldberg and Ranallo will be working only pay-per-view events, which have been a rarity with Bellator, or all televised shows. In either case, both men should deliver a nice balance between entertainment and industry expertise.
