Jimmy Smith explains why he didn’t take ONE Championship commentating job
Jimmy Smith has been a recognizable voice for mixed martial arts fans. He was the longtime cage-side commentator with Bellator, and then last year was with the UFC for a year. During that year, it appeared many fans liked him, but the UFC decided not to re-sign him.
Now, Smith is doing occasional commentating gigs for the likes of Invicta FC and others. But, Smith was offered a job at ONE Championship but decided to turn it down. Why would Smith turn it down, well for him it was an easy decision.
“I was in talks with ONE FC right after I left the UFC, (and it’s) not easy to just pick up and move my life to Southeast Asia,” Smith said in his video (via MMA Junkie). “I’m doing my research and low and behold pit bulls are illegal in Singapore. They’re illegal to own, illegal to import.”
Although Smith thought of giving the dogs to a family member he trusts, he ultimately couldn’t get anyone to take the dogs. Thus leaving him to turn down the job offer.
“I have a really small family, and I have only two people I trust to take care of my dogs, and they were unable to do it,” Smith said. “So that was it. My dogs are family. I don’t give them up for anyone or anything.
“I don’t regret that at all,” Smith added. “At all. … It was just a choice I had to make about keeping my family together.”
With Smith turning down the ONE Championship job, the question now is, where will he commentate next? The UFC seems locked in with having Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and Brendan Fitzgerald plus current and ex-UFC fighters. Returning to Bellator is always an option, but continuing to work with Invicta FC seems likely.
