Being a UFC color commentator can be a dangerous game. MMA fans are ruthless in expressing their opinions of the UFC team. One out of place sentence in a commentator’s analysis is likely to be remembered by fans for years!
There have been quite a few different MMA commentators who have worked for the UFC since its birth in 1993, however, some are simply better than others. Here are the top 10 UFC commentators of all time.
Table of Contents
10. Mike Goldberg
Mike Goldberg was part of the classic UFC commentating duo that included himself and Joe Rogan. Mike was a public figure for the promotion and was well known for his high-energy commentating in UFC fights.
His most well-known catchphrases were “hereee weee go!” (whenever a fight began) and shouting “it is all over!” (whenever a fighter got a finish).
He served as part of the UFC gang from 1997 to 2017 (20 long years). When the UFC was sold in 2016, for $4 billion to WME-IMG, Goldberg was let go from the company.
It was a sad moment for some UFC fans, as Goldberg was part of the company furniture and was a fun presence. However, other UFC fans were not so dissapointed and it is for their reasons that Goldie comes in last on this list.
Plenty of fans speculated that Goldie was let go from the commentary team because he made regular mistakes while on the mic. From shouting out completly false statements, to saying ridiculous things, he wasn’t always the most professional guy around.
For example, Goldberg (while commentating on a Ronda Rousey fight) “It takes a lot of energy to be a rockstar” to which Joe Rogan responded: “She’s getting punched in the face, it has nothing to do with being a rockstar.”
Or when Goldie said “He’s got him in some kind of strange choke I’ve never seen before!” to whic Rogan had to explain was a fairly standard “…rear-naked choke”
9. Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is bantamweight royalty, not just in the UFC, but to the whole of MMA worldwide. In his career as an athlete, he first came over to the UFC when the company bought out WEC. He went on to become a 2 time UFC Bantamweight World Champion and he is also an exceptional MMA analyst.
His brilliance in analysing fights, combined with his eloquence in talking, has lead him to land regular spots on UFC Talk shows and more recently commentating on live UFC cards.
While Cruz is respected for his incredible analysis of past fights and fighter styles, commentating on real-time fights takes a different type of skillset. Unfortunately, this is one skill which Dominick isn’t all too good at.
He has a habit of trying to predict what is going to happen next, based off of what he sees the fighter’s doing. If he got this right all the time, then it would be pretty cool, he’d be an MMA Psychic. However, more often than not, his guess is wrong, which leaves fans annoyed.
Being a popular commentator is also about having the right personality for the fans listening at home. This is another area where Cruz is yet to dominate, as fans regularly take to social media during fight nights to complain about his ‘whiney’ demeanour.
8. kenny florian
Kenny Florian is another former UFC champion, who turned to commentary.
His expert MMA knowledge and positive aura gained him a spot on UFC Tonight as the show’s host. He was then brought in to commentate on UFC cards when other commentators couldn’t commit to them.
Kenny Florian was seen as a breath of fresh air to MMA fans who had grown jaded by the Rogan and Goldberg commentatary partnership.
Unfortunately, Florian lost these same fans when he admitted to having plagiarised a part of his Fox Sports MMA preview article, from another analyst. He was suspended by Fox Sports and he hasn’t returned to the commentary table since.
7. John Gooden
John Gooden is a UK MMA commentator who usually works alongside Dan Hardy. In recent times, they have both taken over UFC commentating duties for UK fight cards.
John is part of a well respected YouTube show called “Inside The Octagon” where he breakdowns major upcoming UFC fights. The popularity of their show is likely a huge factor which lead to John commentating on UFC cards.
The competition in this list is starting to heat up, so John doesn’t get many complaints for his commentary style. People find his calm but enthusiastic voice pleasant to tune in to.
6. Dan Hardy
Dan Hardy is the other half of the successful YouTube show “Inside The Octagon”. Hardy is also an ex-UFC fighter, who reached a title fight against one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Georges St-Pierre (which he lost).
Hardy is the one who provides most of the key fight analysis in the prementioned YouTube show. He has a very keen eye for detail and fighter tactics, which he breaks down beautifully.
When he’s commentating fights alongside John Gooden, he has an air of Joe Rogan about his style, often shouting out “ohhhhh” excitedly, when a fighter gets rocked or dropped.
He provides good insight on fights, along with a fun attitude which most of the UFC’s audience enjoy.
His chemistry with John Gooden is genuine, and this comes across well in their commentating, which makes their analysis natural and friendly.
5. Paul felder
Paul Felder is a current lightweght contender, we’re choosing to ignore his emotional retirement after his loss to Dan Hooker as a lot of fighters say this when their emotions get the better of them following a difficult loss.
When he’s not busy training or beating the brakes off of people in the Octagon, he joins the commentary team for fight nights.
As you’ve probably seen from UFC Embedded episodes, Felder is a fun performer to watch. This natural personality makes him a great candidate to jump on the UFC mic!
Felder brings this energy to his commentating role which makes him popular among the UFC audience. Being a fighter himself, his insight is usually impeccable, as you’d expect. He’s not been doing the job for that long (especially compared to some of the veterans on this list) so that’s why he comes in at number 5 on this list of best UFC commentators.
4. Jon Anik
Jon Anik is a former ESPN anchor and he hosts the MMA Live show on ESPN2. in 2011, Dana White decided to bring him on to the UFC team.
Following Mike Goldberg’s departure from the UFC, Anik took over as the main commentator of UFC PPV events.
Anik is a reliable real-time analyst, which is probably why the UFC have put so much faith in him over the last few years. He packs a lot of energy into his performances without being an over the top character.
3. Daniel Cormier
Daniel Cormier is arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Before joining the UFC he was a US Olympic wrestler, he then became the Strikeforce heavyweight champion. After joining the UFC, he became a two division champion when he captured the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight belts.
Outside of fighting, DC has become a posterboy for the UFC; he’s a family man, a special athlete, very well-spoken, incredibly kind while also being very confident and funny in front of a camera.
It’s no wonder then, that DC has joined the commentary desk! He brings the same loud, entertaining energy to his performance on the mic as he does with everything else in his life. He is equal parts entertaining and insightful and has become incredibly popular with the MMA audience.
When Rose Manajunas defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk to become the women’s strawweight champion, DC couldn’t help himself but stand up from the commentary desk and start chating “Thug Rose! Thur Rose! Thug Rose!”. This has since gone down as an iconic moment in MMA history.
His great ability to give insight and analysis landed DC with the job of commentating on Kobe Bryant’s (RIP) series ‘Detail‘. In the MMA episodes of the show, DC breaks down some of the greatest fights and performances in the sport.
2. Joe Rogan
It was a tough decision to put Joe Rogan in the number 2 spot, instead of at number 1. Rogan has been with the UFC since 1997, meaning he has been with the promotion for almost as long as it has existed.
If there was a Mt. Rushmore of MMA, he would almost undoubtedly be on it. He commentated on UFC fights while balancing a successful comedy career until he became better known for his involvement with MMA than for his comedy career.
Joe doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to MMA, he can also walk the walk. He’s been an avid martial arts trainee all his life. His opinion is well respected in the MMA world, and he’s even shown UFC fighters like T J Dillashaw some new moves.
Joe has a naturally entertaining voice to listen to, and he knows how to inject drama into a fight, qualities which make him one of the best commentators in the business. His intelligence in martial arts also allows him to give the fans listening around the world good insight into how the fighters in the Octagon must be feeling.
He does the perfect job of a color commentator; engage the audience, fade into the background, and inform the fans without trying to predict the future.
1. Michael Bisping
De-throning Joe Rogan on a list of best UFC commentators is no easy task, but in this list Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping has done just that.
Michael is a former UFC middleweight champion, who got the big fights in his career in large part thanks to his eloquence and quick-wit whenever he was given a microphone.
Throughout his career he was always one step away from a title shot before losing, and it looked like he would retire before touching UFC gold.
His fairytale ending in the UFC, where he became champion well past his prime, is probably why he became so popular with MMA fans around the globe.
Seeing as how “The Count” was probably better known for his trash talk than his fighting ability, it’s no surprise that he got a job on the commentary desk! Michael has shown himself to be pure entertainment on many MMA related shows like Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series & UFC Now.
As always, Bisping comes across as complete genuine in his commentating duties. Unlike a lot of commentators who play it safe on the mic, you never know what Bisping is going to say next or who he’s going to take a friendly dig at. This gives the fans of the sport a fresh, entertaining take to look forward to.
He’s also not afraid to let the fans know what’s on his mind. When a premature stop to the Jeremy Stephens vs Yair Rodriguez fight in Mexico caused the live audience to start throwing objects at the Octagon, Bisping stood up from his desk, took off his mic, and started yelling at the audience to stop throwing stuff towards him.
He mixes in his natural ability to be quick-witted with his razor sharp knowledge of fighting in the Octagon. He has become a favourite member of the UFC commentating team and that’s why he takes the number 1 spot on this list.
This post is part of a wider series on “what is UFC“
52 thoughts on “Top 10 UFC Commentators Ranked”