Bellator Says Goodbye To Goldberg

Former UFC play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg will no longer be part of Bellator MMA’s broadcast team.

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker confirmed that the promotion will be cutting ties with Goldberg. The former UFC voice has been a member of the Bellator broadcast team since signing a contract back in July 2017.

Goldberg’s tenure with Bellator will end just shy of four years and his departure comes right before the promotion’s debut on Showtime later tonight (Fri., April 2, 2021) with Bellator 255 (results HERE).

“Mike Goldberg is not going to be part of the mix moving forward,” Coker said. “But I think we had a great run with Mike, and the door’s always going to be open.”

With Goldberg out of the mix Bellator will roll with a revamped broadcast team for its move over to Showtime. Former Strikeforce commentator Mauro Ranallo will hold down the play-by-play duties with the rest of the team set to include John McCarthy, Josh Thomson and Jenn Brown. The promotion will also bring in more active fighters to help with the commentary starting with A.J. McKee later tonight for Bellator 255.

“Bellator is going to have a stylized Showtime style to it. You’ll see the change,” Coker said.

Goldberg, 56, is now free to sign with any promotion he wants. While UFC is unlikely to give the veteran fight caller another look there are plenty of organizations that could benefit from a familiar voice like Goldberg. This includes Professional Fighters League (PFL), Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), and even ONE Championship.

Bellator 255’s main card will air on Showtime (and elsewhere) at 9 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and comprehensive play-by-play for the televised portion of Bellator 255.