For the first time since 2012, a new voice will call the action at a North American UFC event when Todd Grisham takes over the play-by-play duties for the UFC on Fox Sports 1, Sunday in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
A veteran of the WWE and ESPN, Grisham will partner with retired middleweight Brian Stann to provide live, blow-by-blow coverage of the event, headlined by heavyweights Travis Browne and Derrick Lewis.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden sat down with Grisham days before his debut to talk about his career, the inimitable Vince McMahon and the unique challenges MMA presents to even the most experienced broadcaster.
Bleacher Report: A month or so ago, you changed Twitter handles and launched a new life. For people on the outside, a move like this appears so sudden. Did this happen out of the blue or had it been in the works for some time?
Todd Grisham: I'd been covering UFC for ESPN for five years. I'd done tons of UFC pay-per-views and some Fight Nights. So, I was familiar with the product and they were familiar with me. When my contract came up with ESPN two years ago, we had some preliminary conversations and I met with them. We almost came to an agreement then, but it didn't work out.
My deal came up again and I reached out to them to fire talks back up. And here I am.
B/R: I know you've called Glory World Series kickboxing matches recently and filled in on play-by-play for the beloved, dearly departed Friday Night Fights. But MMA is such a complex beast. Did you have to try out or anything before they decided to bring you on board?
Grisham: I went out to Vegas and called some fights with Dominick Cruz and Daniel Cormier and met with the executive producer and (producer) Zach Candito. And I went out a second time and called some fights with Brian Stann. And, thanks to MMA Live, I've done work with Chael Sonnen and they've seen me interact with their athletes dozens of times.
B/R: It's an interesting time to be joining the UFC team. Not only is there new ownership, but your signing came in the wake of longtime announcer Mike Goldberg's departure. Has that timing been awkward in any way, with fans attaching your arrival with his departure?
Grisham: No, because I'm not replacing Mike Goldberg. He mostly called the big shows, the pay-per-views, and that's the stuff Jon Anik is doing. If anything, I'm replacing what Jon did and doing the things he did before Goldberg left. So there hasn't really been any backlash directed at me.
B/R: I'm going to out myself now as a longtime fan of professional wrestling, where you had your first big break as a commentator for WWE. How did you make that leap, from a local sports show in Tucson, Arizona, to a national brand seen all over the world?
Grisham: Like every single male, I was a huge fan of WWF when I was a kid. Saturday Night's Main Event, all that stuff? I loved it. I had been the local sports guy in Tucson, covering the University of Arizona. That was our big beat. One day a viewer sent me an email that said WWE had an opening for on-air talent and that I'd be perfect for it, because I had been doing all these goofy high school football skits on Friday nights. So I took a shot and sent them a resume tape on VHS.
B/R: Wow. And they found your tape on what must have been quite a pile of auditions?
Grisham: I didn't hear anything for a couple of months. Next thing you know, they call me out of the blue on a Friday and ask me to fly up to New York City for an audition on Monday. Went up there, did the audition and didn't hear anything for a couple of months, and assumed I didn't get the gig. Then, out of nowhere again, they called and made me an offer. I ended up being there for eight years.
B/R: WWE has quite an operation. That must have been quite an experience. What did you learn there that you've kept with you at ESPN and will bring with you to UFC?
Grisham: You've got to be entertaining. That was Vince McMahon's big thing. (Does a McMahon impression) "Entertain me."
There were times when a match would end early and I'd be at the Gorilla position, which is where Vince sits and the wrestlers gather before they go out to the ring. I remember him saying "Three minutes. We need three minutes from you. Go entertain the crowd." I'd have to walk out in front of 18,000 people and figure out how to entertain them for a couple of minutes. It was crazy.
You learned from the best. I remember sitting there drinking coffee with Ric Flair and talking with Jerry "The King" Lawler. It was surreal. Having a beer with Harley Race. It was like being in the circus. I was on the road for eight years, 51 weeks a year. When you have a family, it's hard and you start thinking about settling down a little bit.
B/R: When you read the wrestling media, the opposition party, in the parlance of our times, is a guy named Kevin Dunn.
Grisham: (Laughs)
B/R: He's blamed for every decision hardcore fans don't like and he's kind of vilified. But when I look at WWE under his tenure as the producer of Monday Night Raw, I see a promotion and a television show on the cutting edge. The gold standards, in combat sports television, have always been HBO Boxing and WWE wrestling. Did you learn a lot under his wing as a broadcaster?
Grisham: WWE hires the best. The camera guys there have done Monday Night Football. They've done Super Bowls. They've done the Olympics. Kevin Dunn is probably the best producer I've ever worked with and I've been at ESPN for the last five years. So I don't say that lightly.
At WWE, you've got to know what you're talking about and you need to know how to do what you're supposed to do. If you do your job, you'll be fine. But it's high-level work. The truck they have there is on par with Monday Night Football's truck. WWE was shooting in HD before Major League Baseball or the NHL.
They are always on the forefront of the latest technology and trends. WWE is on it. Even social media. Just look at the numbers. It's insane. Everything they do, production-wise, is second-to-none. It's actually very similar to UFC that way.
B/R: When you were an announcer for WWE, you weren't in a journalist's role. You were part of the show.
At ESPN, it was different. With Teddy Atlas there, giving his unvarnished opinions, there was always going to be a separation between the broadcaster and the promotion. He wasn't shy about leveling criticism or praise as warranted. That was journalism.
This role with the UFC is kind of a hybrid. Fox Sports is the broadcaster, but the UFC produces its own shows. Do you have a feel yet for whether your role is more like WWE or more like ESPN boxing?
Grisham: This is my first show, so I don't really know what's going to come out of my mouth yet. No one has really told me what to say or what not to say, which was certainly how it worked at WWE. I'm just going to go out there and do what I do. Obviously UFC is the promoter and they do air the fights. I don't actually know what to expect in that regard.
I'm a fan first and foremost. I went to UFC 14 in 1997 in Birmingham, Alabama, to watch Mark Coleman fight Maurice Smith. When I'm calling fights, no matter what it is, it's my job to make the guys look as good as they can, tell their stories and make people care about them. Whether it's WWE, football, boxing or UFC, that's the main job of the "play-by-play guy."
B/R: When you were getting your reps, calling these practice fights with Dominick Cruz and Brian Stann, what did you find was different about MMA? In boxing, to me, it seems like there's usually time to settle in and tell the stories you want to tell. If the fight is well-matched, you're going to be there a while. In MMA, things happen so quickly. Did you find yourself in a rush to use your material before it was all over?
Grisham: It was interesting, because when I'm calling a fight with Dominick Cruz, what am I going to say about what the fighters are doing on the ground that will be better than what Cruz has to say? So, especially when the action is on the ground, I'm going to sit back in my chair and maybe light up a cigarette and let him do his thing.
B/R: (Laughs)
Grisham: In kickboxing, anyone can see that one guy kicked the other guy in the leg. In boxing, even with Teddy Atlas, I would sometimes give my opinion about what was happening. He'd shut me down half the time, but I don't think I'll be trying that in UFC, especially when the fight is on the ground. There may be things happening on the ground that the regular fan doesn't see. Things that are being set up that anyone who isn't a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt doesn't see. Whoever is in there with me, I don't want to step on their toes.
B/R: What advice have the producers for Sunday's show given you to help make this a smooth transition?
Grisham: Michael La Plante, Zach Candito and Craig Borsari have all been in touch. It's such a difficult sport to broadcast. If you're calling a football game, it's a football game. With UFC, anybody can do all the prep work and get their backgrounds and their statistics. To me, the most difficult stuff are the things that happen in between. Stretching for 20 seconds when they need it before a break, making sure you read the promos at the right time. All the minute details you have to script out and plan so carefully. That's where you can really shine or crash and burn.
B/R: And no one may even know if you're doing well.
Grisham: If you're shining, the average fan doesn't even notice. You're just reading a promo. But if you mess up and don't talk about MetroPCS when you're supposed to, the people in the truck notice. And there will be hell to pay.
B/R: Is it best if you call these fights in Halifax and no one even thinks about the fact there is a new guy in the booth? Is that a victory?
Grisham: Not quite at a referee level. They say with a good referee, you don't even know he or she is there.
To me, the blow-by-blow announcer has to be there for that magic moment, that "Holy s--t" moment. That's when people notice whether you're good or not. If someone gets knocked cold, like to the frozen tundra, you can't just say "a headkick knockout." You have to show up for that. That doesn't cut it. At least for me. That's where you shine.
I'll have to find that chemistry with whoever I'm working with. Sunday, it's Brian Stann. And Brian has told me point blank, "If I feel a finish coming, I'm going to lay out and let you do your thing."
In the wrestling business, they call it "getting your s--t in." Brian's going to get his s--t in, his People's Elbow, which is breaking down the complex action. That's what he does well. And he's going to let me call the finish, which hypothetically I do well.
I don't really have a catchphrase. I just need to get excited at the right times and not say anything stupid. That's the low bar I've set for myself. Don't f--k it up. That's my goal.
Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.
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