Jim Ross is known as the legendary announcer for the WWE, but since leaving the company a year ago it's been a while since we've heard his voice. But that will soon change, as "J.R." will be making his debut as a mixed martial arts broadcaster on Oct. 3.
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Anyone who follows Ross knows he is a huge fan of MMA and its biggest promotion, the UFC. Ross has to work his way up before he gets to become a commentator in the big league, so he will be broadcasting for BattleGrounds MMA's pay-per-view event in his home state of Oklahoma.
Of course, Ross will need a partner to participate in his banter. He will be commentating alongside controversial and popular retired UFC fighter Chael Sonnen.
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"The folks at BattleGrounds are Oklahoma-based guys," Ross told MMAFighting.com. "They contacted me and asked if I had an interest. I think they followed me on Twitter and know I have an interest in a lot of things. Doing play-by-play of an MMA event was a bucket list thing for me. It's a new challenge, a new gig, a new opportunity. We were able to work it out. I suggested, I thought Chael would be a great partner. I've worked with a lot of explosive, controversial broadcasters in my day, including former Gov. Jesse Ventura, Jerry Lawler, Paul Heyman and many others. It felt right. I felt we'd have good chemistry. I don't know. It may be a train wreck, but I assure you, it won't be boring.
Ross said announcing MMA is a one-time deal, for now, like when he took a boxing announcing gig on Fox Sports 1 in May. But he said he and FOX are in talks of doing more boxing next year so it's possible to hear him doing more MMA, provided all goes well his first time.
"I don't want to do it if I can't be good at it," he said. "I respect the genre immensely. I'll always be my own worst critic. If I don't think I can do a great job, or at least evolve into doing a great job, I'd rather let someone else have the chair. Right now, it's a one-time hit."
The event Ross is broadcasting will be a one-night eight-man tournament in the welterweight division.
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