Mike Goldberg

Last updated
Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg UFC Lead Commentator.jpg
Goldberg in 2008
Born (1964-11-24) November 24, 1964 (age 60)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. [1]
Alma mater Miami University
OccupationPlay-by-play commentator

Mike Goldberg (born November 24, 1964) is an American play-by-play commentator currently working with BYB Extreme Fighting Series [2] and ProBox TV, [3] both alongside color commentator Paulie Malignaggi. He is mainly known for his work with the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 1997 until his departure in 2016. [4] He also worked for Bellator MMA from June 2017 until April 2021. [5] [6]

Contents

Broadcasting career

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, [1] Goldberg graduated from Miami University. [5]

Goldberg also served as studio host for college football telecasts on FSN, as well as ACC Sunday Night Hoops, he also appeared as a guest host on The Best Damn Sports Show Period , and has been heard on Arizona Cardinals pre-season telecasts.

He is the former TV play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, and ESPN2 hockey, where he was paired with Brian Engblom, broadcasting over 900 NHL Games. [7] [5] [8] [9]

On December 21, 1997, Mike Goldberg made his UFC debut as commentator for UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan (also known as UFC Ultimate Japan or UFC 15.5) The event took place in Yokohama, Japan, and was available on pay-per-view in the United States.

From 2000 to 2002, Goldberg was a sideline reporter for the NFL on FOX .

In 2005, Goldberg was offered a contract to work for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to be the head announcer on WWE's flagship show WWE Raw. [10] Ultimately, Goldberg refused the WWE contract and signed a new deal with the UFC.

During his tenure with SportsChannel Chicago, he served as sideline reporter for the Chicago Bulls, including the Bulls' 1991, 1992 and 1993 World Championships. He has also called Big Ten, ACC and SEC college football and basketball games.

Goldberg also served as the host of Shaquille O'Neal's sports reality television show Shaq Vs.

On October 12, 2014, Goldberg made his NFL play-by-play debut. His foray into NFL announcing lasted just one game, as his mistake-filled broadcast, which included repeatedly referring to Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer as Don Zimmer, was widely panned. Afterwards, he engaged critical fans on Twitter with profane responses. This led to his swift removal from the following week's broadcast (replaced with Tim Brando) and the end of his NFL broadcasting career. [11]

On December 28, 2016, the UFC announced that Goldberg would be leaving the promotion following UFC 207. [12]

On June 24, 2017, Goldberg made his Bellator MMA debut at Bellator 180 in Madison Square Garden. [5] In April 2021, it was announced that Goldberg and Bellator had parted ways. [6]

He is known for his catchphrase "It is all over!", often said when a match ends in a knockout or submission.

Personal life

Goldberg's father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic. Goldberg identifies as Christian and relatives of his died during the holocaust. [13] Goldberg is married to Kim Goldberg and has a daughter named Kiarra Goldberg who is an actress, and a son named Kole Goldberg.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brock Lesnar</span> American professional wrestler (born 1977)

Brock Edward Lesnar is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional American football player. As a professional wrestler, he is signed to WWE; however, he is currently on hiatus from active competition. Often regarded as one of the most prolific combat sport athletes in the world, Lesnar is the only person to have won the primary heavyweight championships of WWE, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports commentator</span> Sports broadcaster who comments a live event

In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator provides a real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present tense. Radio was the first medium for sports broadcasts, where the radio commentators had to describe the action in detail because the listeners could not see it for themselves. In the case of televised sports coverage, commentators are presented as a voiceover, with images of the contest shown on viewers' screens and sounds of the action and spectators heard in the background. Television commentators are rarely shown on screen during an event, though some networks choose to feature their announcers on camera either before or after the contest or briefly during breaks in the action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Grisham</span> American wrestling announcer

Todd Grisham is an American sports reporter for DAZN and Glory kickboxing. Prior to his departure from ESPN at the end of 2016, his duties for the network included being the in-studio host for Friday Night Fights as well as a SportsCenter anchor. He was previously a sports reporter for UFC from 2017 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arda Ocal</span> Canadian television personality

Arda Ocal is a Canadian television personality, broadcaster, announcer, and writer. He previously worked in WWE under the stage name Kyle Edwards, as well as the host of Aftermath TV on Sportsnet 360 and The MSG Hockey Show on MSG Network, as well as various current sports coverage on ESPN and TRT World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauro Ranallo</span> Canadian sports commentator

Mauro Domenico Ranallo is a Canadian sports announcer, commentator and mental health advocate. He is currently signed as a play-by-play announcer with MMA organization Bellator, and also performs play-by-play duties for boxing broadcaster Showtime and professional wrestling promotion Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling (MLP). He is also known for his time with WWE on the NXT and SmackDown brands. He has experience in Canadian football, ice hockey, professional wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts events.

A ring announcer is an in-ring employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience.

Seth Christopher Petruzelli is an American retired mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and entrepreneur. Petruzelli competed in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions for the UFC, WEC, EliteXC, King of the Cage, BAMMA, and Bellator. On October 21, 2015, Petruzelli signed with professional wrestling promotion WWE, to work at their Performance Center as a striking coach. Currently, he wrestles for Major League Wrestling.

Roy Nelson is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division. As a professional, he has competed for the UFC, EliteXC, the IFL, BodogFIGHT, and most recently for Bellator MMA. In the UFC, Nelson was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights and achieved success as a top 10 UFC Heavyweight. Nelson is also the former IFL Heavyweight Champion, competing under Ken Shamrock and the Lion's Den. He holds notable victories over Mirko Cro Cop, Cheick Kongo, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rory MacDonald (fighter)</span> Canadian mixed martial artist (born 1989)

Rory MacDonald is a Canadian former mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the welterweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Prior to signing with the PFL, MacDonald competed for Bellator MMA, where he is a former Bellator Welterweight World Champion. Having been a professional competitor since 2005, MacDonald was a top contender in the UFC with an overall UFC record of 9–4, and challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship at UFC 189 against then-champion Robbie Lawler. He is also a former King of the Cage Lightweight Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Mitrione</span> American mixed martial artist and American football player

Matt Mitrione is an American retired mixed martial artist and former American football player, who competed for both the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and most recently for Bellator MMA. Prior to embarking on an MMA career, Mitrione played college football at Purdue University, and he turned pro and played in the National Football League (NFL) with the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. He was a featured fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights. A former Heavyweight contender, he has several wins over notable MMA fighters, including Kimbo Slice, Derrick Lewis, Roy Nelson, Phil De Fries, and Fedor Emelianenko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Anik</span> American sports commentator

Jon Anik is an American mixed martial arts commentator. He began his career as an anchor with ESPN for over five years before moving to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a play-by-play commentator in 2012. Anik's expertise in MMA has made him a highly sought-after commentator for high-profile events, and his passion for sports commentary has earned him a loyal following among sports fans worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Chandler</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1986)

Michael Chandler Jr. is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 through 2020 where he became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and won the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. As of October 22, 2024, he is #7 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

<i>Fox UFC</i> UFC MMA events broadcast on Fox Sports

Fox UFC Fight Night was the branding used for telecasts of mixed martial art competitions from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that were produced by Fox Sports. Previously, UFC on Fox was also used as a blanket title for UFC events aired on the Fox network, although since the concurrent launch of Fox Sports 1 and rebranding of Fuel TV as Fox Sports 2 in August 2013, all live UFC broadcasts on Fox-owned networks have since used the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Professional Fighters League</span> Mixed martial arts combat sport promoter

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promotion in 2017 by MMAX Investment Partners. It is the first major MMA organization in which individual athletes compete in a regular season, post-season and championship, rather than on a year-round basis.

Willie Love Brooks is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he is the former Bellator MMA Lightweight World Champion, and has also competed for DREAM, the Professional Fighters League and the UFC.

James Smith is an American sports broadcaster and former mixed martial artist. He was the co-host of the television show Fight Quest, with Doug Anderson, on the Discovery Channel. He is also a former commentator for Bellator, UFC, Premier Boxing Champions and WWE’s Raw brand. He is a former host for American Ninja Warrior in 2010–2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mads Burnell</span> Danish mixed martial artist

Mads Burnell is a Danish mixed martial artist who competes in featherweight division of Bellator MMA. Professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Burnell has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Cage Warriors, where he was a Featherweight champion. He was the European Championship European No-Gi Champion in 2014.

Michael Charles Trizano is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2016, Trizano was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated season 27.

Jason Jackson is a Jamaican mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Welterweight Champion. A professional since 2012, Jackson has competed in Titan FC, and, Legacy Fighting Alliance. He also appeared on the UFC's reality television series The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians.

BYB Extreme Fighting Series (BYB) is a bare knuckle fighting organization founded in 2015 by former MMA fighter Dhafir ("Dada 5000") Harris and Mike Vazquez, former owner of NASCAR team HRT Motorsports. Harris rose to fame from his staging of backyard bare knuckle fights which went viral online and subsequently became the subject of the Billy Corben documentary, Dawg Fight. BYB is an abbreviation of "Back Yard Brawl", a nod to the company's origins. BYB's fights are held in its patented Trigon ring or cage, which it touts as the smallest fighting surface in combat sports.

References

  1. 1 2 Stupp, Dan. "UFC's military events have impact on broadcaster". Dayton Daily News.
  2. ↑ Alonso, Jorge (2021-07-14). "Mike Goldberg Breaks Down Conor McGregor/UFC 264, Reveals If He Still Watches UFC Broadcasts, And Talks About BareKnuckle Boxing". BroBible. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  3. ↑ RINGSIDE (2023-02-22). "Algieri to work alongside Malignaggi and Marquez on ProBox TV". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  4. ↑ Reynolds, Robert. "UFC announcer Mike Goldberg goes from pucks to punchouts". MMADieHards.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Bellator signs commentators Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo". Bellator MMA . June 13, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Scott Fontana (April 2, 2021). "Bellator president Scott Coker pleased with Showtime 'family reunion'". New York Post. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ↑ Nidetz, Steve (1995-09-25). "MADDEN HAS GAME PLAN FOR NEXT TYSON FIGHT". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  8. ↑ "February 28, 1997 - Image 92". The Detroit Jewish News Digital Archives. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  9. ↑ Malik, George (2009-07-10). "Former Red Wings announcer Mike Goldberg won the 'ultimate' career fight". Michigan Live . Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  10. ↑ GOLDBERG SPEAKS FOR FIRST TIME - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Mike Goldberg Fired from NFL on Fox After Poor Performance, Twitter Meltdown".
  12. ↑ "UFC commentator Mike Goldberg leaving the promotion following UFC 207". MMAFighting. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  13. ↑ "Mike Goldberg on X". X. December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2024. Mom is catholic, father is jewish and I'm christian, I had relatives die in holocaust...
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.