Scott Coker explains why Mike Goldberg was let go from Bellator
Scott Coker has opened up on the departure of commentator, Mike Goldberg from Bellator.
On Friday, ahead of Bellator’s first event of 2021, it was revealed Goldberg would no longer be calling fights which was a surprise for many fans. He has been the voice of UFC and Bellator for years and people grew up listening to him calling the fights. However, according to Coker, it was a business decision as well to get Mauro Ranallo more involved in the broadcasts.
“Listen, Mike is – one, he’s a friend,” Coker said after Bellator 255. “He’s been a voice of MMA for such a long time, along with Mauro. I mean, Mauro, he’s been around (since during) PRIDE with Bas Rutten. This is way back (in) ’97, ’98, ’99.
“At one time, we had the two best on the planet. It was a production decision and they decided to move forward,” Coker continued. “That’s where we stand. But you know what? This is the kind of business that, you never know. If there’s boxing on one side and Mauro is doing it, who knows what will happen in the future? But that’s the way it rolled out.”
Bellator will also use more fighters on the desk and in the commentating role, similar to what the UFC has been doing. It will be good to hear the opinions of fighters during the event and key fights in their division, but not having Goldberg will be disappointing.
As of right now, Goldberg has not made a statement on Bellator’s decision to remove him from the broadcasts. The hope for many MMA fans is to see him get picked up by another promotion soon. PFL, LFA, ONE Championship were some promotions many fans brought up, but as of right now, there are no talks on what is next. He also could retire from commentating after doing it for so many years.
