The best in the biz…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
Announcers can make good events into legendary moments. Al Michaels’ “Do you believe in miracles?” comes to mind for the 1980 US hockey team defeating the Soviet Union. Or some of my faves, Harry Caray’s classic “Cubs win, Cubs win” and Jim Ross’ “As God as my witness, he is broken in half.”
The Boneman could go on and on about classic calls, but this is all about the men making the calls.
So I pose this, how in the world did MMA get so lucky and nab such great announcers? This didn’t just start now, MMA has always had world-class men on the mic.
Bruce Beck and Jeff Blatnick: The first combo of UFC. I loved them. Blatnick was a top amateur wrestler before turning to announcing and won a gold at the 1984 Olympics. I had never heard of Beck before the UFC, but he had some good credentials as well.
I always thought Beck couldn’t be topped. I was a fan of his voice inflection and thought he did a great job of helping novice people like me with what was going on.
Eventually, both parted ways though I still get to hear Blatnick when it’s time for the NCAA wrestling championships.
Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan: Goldie is golden on the mic, pardon the horrible pun. Here you have two guys with great passion and knowledge of the sport.
Goldberg had a chance to bolt the UFC for the WWE a few years ago, but that wasn’t where his passion was.
Nowadays, I can’t imagine a UFC call without Goldberg or Rogan. For years, I had no idea Rogan was a comedian. To me, he’ll always just be “that guy from UFC.” I love that Joe has stuck with UFC and vice versa. As the UFC has exploded, I thought the day might come when it would be looking for the next big thing and get rid of Goldberg and Rogan. Kudos for not making any changes.
Gus Johnson and Frank Shamrock: The new kids on the block. The voices of EliteXC. Gus is my favorite announcer who doesn’t his just props. Also on that short list is Brad Nessler and an all-time great, Dick Enberg.
Anyway, Gus brings such enthusiasm to anything he does and is perfect for MMA. He was a wrestler, has announced boxing and is now practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Of course, no explanation needed for Frankie. My older brother Dave’s idol is one of the biggest names ever in MMA. He’s like a college professor when he starts talking the intricacies of MMA. Look for more on both Gus and Frank in later editions of this week’s Oklahoman.
Bruce Buffer: True, I’ll always like his brother, Michael, more. But Bruce is no slouch. He’s been there since practically the beginning. A solid ring announcer who gives the aura of the event being huge.
Who are some of your favorite announcers in the fight game? And what are some of their signature calls you’ll never forget?
Mea culpa: In picking the best Okies in MMA in Monday’s paper, I neglected one of the pioneers: Don Frye. He was a tough as nails son of a gun in his prime. He was a two-time UFC champion when it wasn’t cluttered with all the weight divisions. Frye spent time at both Arizona State and Oklahoma State. I regret the exclusion because Frye will always have a special place in the Przybylo family because he had one great Tom Selleck moustache. And he was one gritty competitor. His 8 second KO at UFC 8 is still tied for quickest win ever.
Next: How did Boneman become an MMA fan? Would you believe it all stemmed from a WWF encounter? Well, it did.
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Oh? I believe some people may like this. Some other people may not agree with you though.