CBS Announcers’ Call Transcript: Johnson-Shamrock-Bryant-Ranallo
Kelli Raftery: Thank you. Welcome everyone to the CBS EliteXC Announce Team conference call. Thank you for joining. On the call today we have the CBS EliteXC Saturday night fights broadcast team, Gus Johnson, who’s play by play; Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock will be joining.
At this time, I’d like to turn it over to the announcers for opening comments and then we will go to your questions. Gus?
Gus Johnson: Hey, guys. How’s everybody doing? We at CBS are really excited about having an opportunity to get into the mixed martial arts business. I really feel that mixed martial arts is the sport of the future. It gives people an accurate – kind of a simulation of what hand-to-hand combat would look like and I think it takes, you know, combat sports to a whole other level.
It’s a sport that’s sweeping the country, the kids love it. And I also believe that, you know, you’re seeing mixed martial arts academies, dojos and Jiu-Jitsu academies popping up all over the country. Not only are they watching but there are a lot of young people that are also going out and training.
So, I think that this is the perfect opportunity for mixed martial arts to be shown to the world through CBS in primetime and I think Kimbo Slice is the kind of person that can give this sport the added attention that could really develop it. I was with him yesterday, he’s a terrific man, he is focused, he is poised, he’s very articulate and he understands the opportunity that’s being given to him.
He is training hard. I mean, when I looked at Kimbo Slice yesterday at the end of his workout he weighed in at about 238 and, you know, when I got there he was on time and he did about four or five rounds with Bas Rutten in shadowboxing at a very high level.
Then he got into the ring, he did about five rounds, five five-minute rounds on the hand pads, and then he got off the – got out of the ring and got onto the floor and did about five rounds, intense rounds, in ground and pound with the dummy, then he did his calisthenics and he got a great workout.
It was efficient, it was positive and the camp has a great energy in it. So, I just think that mixed martial arts is the sport of the future, as I mentioned, and I am really happy to have an opportunity to be a part of it.
Kelli Raftery: Thank you. Mauro?
Mauro Ranallo: Yes, hello there. I’m Mauro Ranallo. It’s a distinct honor and pleasure to be a part of this landmark event on Saturday, May 31st; working with a very talented crew like a Gus Johnson who has definitely made his name as one of the preeminent sports play-by-play broadcasters, Frank Shamrock, who is a pioneer of mixed martial arts and, of course, Karyn Bryant who has been in many forms of media and has definitely built a name for herself.
I’ve had the pleasure of calling some of the biggest mixed martial arts events ever in Japan for Pride Fighting Championships and, of course, with EliteXC and ShoXC and just a myriad of other organizations in mixed martial arts. And to see the sport now arrive on primetime on May 31st, and CBS having the foresight and vision to bring it to a mass audience is just a banner day for all of us who have been involved for the length of time that we are in.
And to echo what Gus is saying, the one thing about mixed-martial-artists at a world-class level and having worked with other professional athletes, and not to denigrate any athlete whatsoever but mixed martial artists are all about the fans.
You can approach them on any given day in the gym or outside of their gym they’ll spend any amount of time talking with you, educating you, giving an autograph or photograph. And really that’s what really attracted me to the sport was the fact that these people are the greatest of athletes inside the cage, but some of the nicest human beings you will meet, outside of the cage.
So, like I said, this is a dream come true for me. It’s something that I know is well deserved for the sport of mixed martial arts and for me to be a part of it is definitely a career highlight and I’m looking forward to it on May 31st.
Kelly Raftery: Thank you. Karyn?
Karyn Bryant: Yes. Hi, everybody. Well I, too, am absolutely thrilled and excited to be a part of this. I’ve been working with SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING since early 2006 and that has just been unbelievable as far as working with SHOWTIME, the broadcasters there have been nothing but the best and I know they’ll continue that tradition as I transition to CBS.
And I am a huge fight fan. I grew up watching boxing with my father. I’ve been a fan of fighting for a long, long time and mixed martial arts is just so exciting and I really am happy to represent the women who watch the sport.
There are a lot of us who are fans, a lot of us who, initially, just might have just gone to these things, kind of, as a date and turned out to, you know, really enjoy the sport and become big fans. And we’re signing up for, you know, classes and buying the fights on TV and going to the fights just as happily and anxiously as the guy fans are.
So, I’m happy to, sort of, give voice to the women that are watching and I think that this is just going to be fantastic. We have such a great lineup and I think for those eyeballs who have never seen this before, they’re going to see something revolutionary and something that they’re going to want to see more of.
Kelli Raftery: Thank you. Has Frank joined?
OK. We will let you know when he joins.
And operator, if we could turn it over to you for questions?
Operator: Certainly; at this time if you would like to ask a question, please press the star and one on your touchtone phone and to remove your question, please press the pound key. Once again to ask a question, please press the star and one.
First, we’ll go to Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News. Please go ahead, sir.
Bernard Fernandez, your line is open.
Kelli Raftery: Want to go to the next question?
Operator: OK, we’ll go to Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman. Please go ahead.
Mel Bracht, your line is open.
We’ll now go to Eddie Goldman of No Holds Barred. Please go ahead.
Kelli Raftery: Are their lines definitely open?
Operator: Their lines are open; hold for just a moment.
Eddie Goldman, your line’s open.
Eddie Goldman: Hi, can everybody hear me now?
Gus Johnson: Yes, we got you.
Mauro Ranallo: Hello, Eddie.
Eddie Goldman: Great. Thank you very much. First question for Gus.
Gus, you’ve been involved in announcing a lot of different sports but, as you know, people in the combat sports, particularly mixed martial arts regard them as something special. Can you tell us a little bit about your involvement? We understand you recently started doing some training in jujitsu in the mixed martial arts and do you view these types of sports as different from some of the other game and ball sports in which you’re involved in?
Gus Johnson: I don’t really view mixed martial arts as a different sport. I think that, my approach is going to be to call mixed martial arts with the same passion, intensity, focus and commitment that I do when I call the NFL, the NCAA, pro basketball or professional boxing or any other sport that I have an opportunity to call.
In terms of my involvement, I’ve been an boxer for a number of years, I trained with a guy by the name of (Keith Dosreese), who was in the Eddie Mustafa and Tim Witherspoon camp so, you know, I’ve had an opportunity to receive high-level boxing training for the past six, seven years.
I’ve been studying Shin Yi Kung Fu for the past two years and recently, you know, as you mentioned, I have taken up Jiu-Jitsu at the Renzo Gracie Academy on 30th Street in Manhattan about eight blocks away from my house. So, I think that there’s going to be a learning curve for me.
But at the same time, I’m trying to dig in deep to make sure that I’m fully aware of what I’m going to see and to try to be able to understand what I’m going to see and that basically takes place when the two fighters hit the floor and the ground attack starts.
So I’m really excited about it, enthused about it, a little nervous about it but at the same time confident that when the fights begin I will be shown and I’ll be able to explain to America as best as I can what’s going on in the cage.
Eddie Goldman: Do you think since you’re newer to covering the mixed martial arts that you actually might be on the same page with most of the people in CBS audience? Because some of the people watching will have been watching or even participating in this for years but given that it’s on CBS on a Saturday night in primetime, there’s bound to be a large number of people, maybe even the majority of the audience, that have little knowledge or maybe have never even seen the sport.
Gus Johnson: I think that’s a really good point and I think that is one of my strengths. Coming into the show on the 31st, everything is new to me therefore I’ll be able to kind of – what I – what my goal is to be able to, with fresh eyes, tell, especially the fans that haven’t been watching mixed martial arts, what’s going on, what is an arm bar or triangle choke or guillotine or rear naked choke?
And try to set up Frank and Mauro, who are experts in this beautiful sport, to really go even deeper in my knowledge and I think – with some enthusiasm about what’s going on the floor – rather, on the floor in the cage when the ground attacks start. I think that’s really going to be something that can be beneficial to the new fans that are tuning in, in primetime, to watch mixed martial arts, maybe for the first time.
Eddie Goldman: And last thing, you said you were watching Kimbo Slice training. Even though this is only his third official professional fight he had the backyard brawls and all that. There’s a buzz about him that a lot of people haven’t seen since the early days of Mike Tyson. Do you think he has the potential to meet those expectations and become a top, top level heavyweight MMA fighter?
Gus Johnson: Based on his commitment, I do think he has that ability. It’s still early. He’s a strong guy, he’s a committed guy and he’s a focused guy, but mixed martial arts is a totally different sport.
You know, I was talking to him yesterday and, you know, a lot of his training, his serious focus, took place when he was working with the dummy on the ground with the ground and pound and I just think that, you know, it’s very important for him as he starts to climb and fight fighters that have a higher skill level, he’s really going to have to understand how to, not only fight on the ground but his defense, in terms of not allowing people to get him to the ground is also going to have to be sharp.
So, I think Kimbo has that kind of ability. He is a – he’s like a college football player or a young pro football player that walks around with a swagger, has that kind of great athletic body but more than that he has the focus and the commitment and the passion.
He said to me yesterday when I was with him, he said, man – he was on the ground after training and after you finish training and he was like, man, you teach a guy from the streets this kind of stuff, man, I think I can go really far in this sport and I’m looking forward to it. He said, I want to get on the ground, I want to break somebody’s arm, I want to ground and pound somebody so people out there can understand that I’m serious and I’m training hard.
Obviously, Bas Rutten is one of the great fighters in the history of the sport and, you know, he has great training and is committed to it and I think that Kimbo Slice, like Mike Tyson, has the potential to go very far in this sport and to be a star.
Eddie Goldman: OK, thanks. And don’t try any of this stuff you learned at Renzo’s on Frank, because he knows it too.
Gus Johnson: Yes, I know. He – Frank is the only – is the only analyst that I’ve ever worked with that, you know, you just know when you stand next to him that he can beat everybody up in the room. So, I’m very respectful when I talk to Frank Shamrock.
Kelli Raftery: And Frank has joined the call. He’s on now, as well.
Gus Johnson: Hey, Frank.
Operator: We’ll now go to Beau Dure of USA Today. Please go ahead.
Beau Dure: I have a question for Gus and that would be, how much room is there in the sport for different organizers? You have, obviously, UFC, you have IFL although it’s wavering, you have EliteXC, you have Strikeforce and you have whatever’s coming up in Japan.
Gus Johnson: DREAM.
Beau Dure: Right, DREAM and World Victory Road. How many organizations can this sport support and how much unification should there be between the organizations?
Gus Johnson: You know what? That’s a question that probably will be better answered by somebody like Mauro or somebody like Frank because I’m new to the sport. And, Mauro, you probably can answer this a lot better, or Frank.
You know, I just think that the organizations are great; they’re different production companies that are trying to highlight fighters. And, to me, right now the more the merrier until it gets to a certain point. But I’d like to turn that question over to Frank or Mauro Ranallo.
Beau Dure: Sure, everybody.
Frank Shamrock: Hey, if you don’t mind I’ll go because I came on late, I apologize. This is Frank Shamrock.
Beau Dure: Hello, Frank. Thank you.
Frank Shamrock: And, first of all, yes, thanks for everybody for being on the call. We appreciate the time and opportunity and I’m excited about it. This is what I’ve been working for a long time and, you know, to me it’s a lifestyle and it’s an art form and it’s an amazing way to live your life.
About the question – you know what? I look at our current time period as the same time when Vince McMahon took wrestling and took all the satellite shows and all the local regional shows and they eventually became one big show.
This sport, in order to evolve, will eventually have to do these unification-type opportunities but I think we’re a long way away from that. I think there’s room for everybody in the industry that knows how to promote talent and put on a good show, because at the end of the day we are sports entertainment and people are going there to see, you know, a good show and a good story told.
Mauro Ranallo: And I can just chime in by saying that competition is, obviously, a good thing for the sport because it forces the promoters to make the best fights possible. And, of course, from a fighter’s perspective, of course, anything that can help them in the bottom-line in their bank account I’m a big fan of because they are the show.
So, while we’ve seen a few organizations go through a lot of growing pains and, of course, you’ve got to spend money to make money. And we’ve heard about the trials and tribulations of the IFL, even EliteXC now going to the big stage.
I think, in the end the strongest will survive but there definitely should be competition and not one omnipotent power and I think we will see that, you know, in the wash at the end of the year, who the strongest are. Especially, after May 31st. You know EliteXC is definitely going to put itself on the map.
Karyn Bryant: You know, I actually have one thing to add and that’s to say that as a fan of the sport if I’m sitting her watching it with my husband I don’t really care what channel it’s on, necessarily or who, you know, the production company is behind it.
If we’re sitting down and we want to watch some fight, we sit and watch some fights. I think we learn, you know, we learn from watching fighters that maybe aren’t as polished to the guys that are at the top of their game on pay per view.
Either way, I think the fans just like the sport and kind of it seems like right now the more the better and wherever it is they seek it out, they find it, they want to watch it and they enjoy it. But I think, obviously, going on a network is going to be a whole other thing and it’s going to be great for new people to be able to see.
Mauro Ranallo: And the other thing I want to quickly add is, and I think, Frank, maybe you’ll agree that while it’s good to have competition, I would like to see streamlined rules for every organization. That we fight under the same rules, we fight on the same fighting surfaces, so that we don’t confuse the masses.
And I think that’s a work in progress for mixed martial arts to come under the same umbrella when it comes to either if it’s going to be the cage, it’s the cage. And, you know, if it’s going to be the – you know, in Japan you can kick to the head, there’s knees to the head, there’s elbows in some organizations, not elbows in others. I really, truly believe that if all the organizations decided on one set of firm rules that would make it much easier and really help the sport flourish even more.
Operator: We’ll go to Ariel Helwani of MMA Rated.com. Please go ahead.
Ariel Helwani: Hey guys, great to be with you. I just wanted to start off with Mauro. First off, Mauro, congratulations, one-year anniversary of Fight Network Radios.
Mauro Ranallo: Oh, thank you.
Ariel Helwani: But I wanted to know because, as you know, I’ve been trying to find out for a while what your role would be in this color cast and now we find out that you’re sort of the (Max Kellerman) of the three-man booth. How comfortable are you going to be, because for people who have been following you for a while in your work, we know you as the lead play-by-play man, so how comfortable are you going to be in this new position?
Mauro Ranallo: Well, thank you very much, Ariel, for the question. And, yes, anyone who’s followed me knows, you know, I’ve been predominantly a play-by-play guy for 22 years. Starting from 16 with various sports and then to 1999 getting into combat sports with Muay Thai and then moving on to Pride and then various other organizations.
But I can tell you that the opportunity afforded me by ProElite and CBS is one that you definitely do not turn down. And knowing my passion that I have for the sport and my, you know, the anecdotal information that I can provide and just the energy and passion that I bring to the broadcast, I truly am comfortable.
Especially working with a guy like Gus Johnson, who, you know, again, as I said at the beginning, one of the preeminent play-by-play guys who I know is a tremendous quarterback of the broadcast and Frank Shamrock who’ll definitely handle the Xs and Os and breaking down what the fighters are doing.
I think my role is really to humanize these fighters, to stress the importance of each fight and where they might go from here. And to be honest with you, I don’t want to say the role is easy, because it’s not, but I really, truly believe that this is a role that I can make unique to myself. And it is a new experience but I promise to bring everything that it is – you know, my signature, in terms of being in this role that I always do as a play-by-play guy, just knowing that the role is different and to make sure that I fit into the three-man booth.
So, I’m very excited. Nervous, as all of us are, because this is the first time we are doing this on network television, but I am very confident in the crew that’s been assembled that we will definitely bring the fans the information and the energy that they deserve.
Ariel Helwani: Well, you talk about that signature and that’s, obviously, very exciting, high-impact, your noise, you know, you sort of, for the fans watching at home they sort of feel like they’re there when you’re on the call, at least for me.
And that’s the same with Gus Johnson, that’s sort of his signature, very exciting, you know, screaming when needed and all that, have you guys been able to – you know, obviously, we just heard about the announcement, but we don’t know what goes on or how long this has been in place. Have you guys been able to, sort of, practice how you would work out, in terms of your styles, and not having that maybe inevitable clash?
Mauro Ranallo: Well I think, you know, granted it’s obvious, Gus Johnson is the play-by-play guy, he will be doing what Gus Johnson does and it is a different role for me. And I think you are going to see a more restrained and maybe more subdued Mauro Ranallo because I’m not calling the fight, I am analyzing the fights. So, it may even, you know, I may surprise a few people who’ve – who have followed my career.
And, you know, I just want to compliment the rest of my partners on the broadcast and I’ve been chosen for a specific role, it is my job to do my homework and prepare for it. And, like I say, the one good thing about working with a guy like Gus Johnson is, in many ways we are very similar in the passion and intensity that we bring to a broadcast, so I’m just going to have to – instead of being my normal spinal-tap ((inaudible)) 11, maybe I’ll be a seven or an eight.
Ariel Helwani: OK, awesome. I just had a couple of questions for Gus. Gus, in the previous question, I heard you even mentioned the name DREAM. So, obviously, that tells me that you are up to date with the world of mixed martial arts, you’re not coming in as a total newbie. If you could just tell us a little bit, you know, do you actually watch the pay-per-views? Do you, you know, go online and read up? Do you know who, you know, some of the – not big names, you know, not like the Tito Ortizes of the world but, you know, some of the up and coming stars or is this a fairly new venture for you?
Gus Johnson: Well, it’s a little bit of both. You know, I’ve really been studying a lot and I’ve had an opportunity to go to, you know, different sources to study. Fightsport Magazine, I like it, I’m sitting here looking at the 2000 review and the spider man, or the spider, rather, on the cover, Anderson Silva.
And, you know, I’ve been prepping a lot and trying to find out, you know, who the great fighters in the world are, who I should be paying attention to. Whether it be a Randy Couture or Rampage, some of the guys over there at the UFC and also really studying the guys that we have here, the Ruthless Robbie Lawlers and the Jake Shields, who are ranked in the top 10 in the world in their weight classes.
So, it’s going to be a work in progress, it is a new sport for me and I won’t lie about that and try to make it anything other than what it is, but I think I’m a quick study and I like this sport. I think this is a refreshing – this is a very refreshing sport for me because it – these athletes that we’re going to be highlighting are hungry. One thing I’ve noticed is they’re very nice people and they’re not arrogant and, you know, they’re not overpaid.
And it’s something that, as I mentioned, coming out of pro football and pro basketball and high levels of college basketball and high levels of professional boxing, having an opportunity to work in mixed martial arts, I think, is a great career move for me because I was starting to get a little bored at some of the other things that I was doing.
And I think adding this to my career is going to really give me some new life and energy. So, it’s going to take some time, like I said, to – there’s going to be a learning curve here but I have a man like Mauro sitting next to me and a legend like Frank Shamrock on the other side and I don’t think that it’s going to take very long for me to be up to speed with everything that I need to know when it comes to mixed martial arts.
Ariel Helwani: OK. Final quick question, are you familiar with the almost cult-like following that you have online, particularly with the sports blogs and how excited they are every time, you know, you’re doing NCA tournament and you’re, you know, doing one of the main games? Then, if so, why do you think that is?
Gus Johnson: Just like Mauro, I think the reason that people like watching me – yes, I am familiar with those – that cult-like following, and I’m a little – that’s a lot for me. Even though I’m on television on a regular basis, I’m a very private person and I can be a little bit shy at times and I like to pride myself with – I pride myself on being under the radar.
But I am familiar with the kids and how the kids have followed my career and I’m really thankful and I’m really appreciative, that’s why I always try to go out there and do every podcast, blog, Web site that I possibly can to show my respect towards these young people that are supporting me.
But I think one of the reasons that they like me, as Mauro said, is just like Mauro I think that we’re excited and we’re excited about having the opportunity to call professional sporting events or college sporting events or just being in sports television.
And when the game or when the match or when the fight is at its highest point, like Mauro, we let go and I think that’s one thing that a lot of the kids appreciate. Now some older people think we – you know, I may yell and scream too much and, you know, I’m a loudmouth but – and that’s OK, too, and that’s a fair criticism.
But, you know, I am aware of the cult-following and I think that because, you know, you show a certain passion for your job, you know, some people really take to it and that’s been the case so far.
Operator: We’ll now go to Teddy Greenstein from the Chicago Tribune. Please go ahead.
Teddy Greenstein: Hey, Gus, I’m glad I didn’t get into a fight with you, man. I didn’t know you were a boxer.
Gus Johnson: Teddy, what’s going on, man? How are you, brother?
Teddy Greenstein: Things are good. For you, Frank, and if anybody else wants to chime in, you know, for people who’ve never watched this before, what would constitute a great fight? I mean, how many rounds, how long would it go, lot of take-downs, I mean, just sort of describe what constitutes a great fight, you know, hoping that you guys get one on Saturday.
Frank Shamrock: Yes, well I think we’ll have a lot of great fights. But what constitutes a great fight, for me, is showing all the styles in mixed martial arts or showing the game as a complete one.
Which, the time is not as important although it does take a few minutes to develop, you know, a complete game and a complete story. But, you know, a little punch, kick, wrestle, knee, throw, some ground and pound, position changes and a nice submission hold, something definitive that we can showcase prominently on film and on camera. But something that shows the whole game from top to bottom.
And, you know, it takes you know two to three minutes to do it; it can take as much as two to three rounds. But if we’ve done our job of marketing these guys right and they can tell that story through the art, you know, I think that’s beautiful.
And the knockout is good too, you know, that’s definitely a definitive end that’s hard to argue with. But either way, you know, as long as there’s a finish to the fight or it’s a successful fight, I think we’re doing our job.
Teddy Greenstein: Anybody else?
Mauro Ranallo: Gus, I was just going to say, if you look at this card on paper, the five fights that are scheduled for May 31st on CBS, the promoters – you get one chance to make a first impression and there’s no doubt that they want to come out of the gates with a bang.
I mean, these match-ups probably will spell some emphatic and electrifying ends in almost every fight. I mean while it would be nice to see a lot of the groundwork, because I feel that the ground game is the art in mixed martial arts, I think we’re going to see a litany of knockouts and that’s OK by me too.
Especially, with casual North American fans watching for the first time, everybody loves a KO and I think you’re going to get an all-you-can-eat buffet on Saturday, May 31st.
Teddy Greenstein: Clarifying, that was Mauro just speaking and Frank before?
Mauro Ranallo: Yes.
Teddy Greenstein: OK. Thank you.
Operator: We’ll now go to David Darling from the Orlando Sentinel. Please go ahead.
David Darling: I’d like some thoughts from all of you on this. But this sport, traditionally, is a guy sport and Saturday nights, traditionally, are a date night. I think a lot of women consider this sport to be a little too brutal for them to watch, I’m just wondering what’s the strategy to try to combine the two of Saturday night guys’ night and Saturday night date night and how do you get women – how do you engage women to get them to watch?
Mauro Ranallo: I think you just said it yourself and, Karyn, sorry. I’m sure you want to answer this. This is Mauro. I just want to say, again, culturally speaking, it’s weird because when I was in Japan from 2004 to 2007, you saw couples, husbands and wives dressed up, you know, 40,000 fans in Japan watching MMA. That was the date.
And if you go to UFC event or a lot of our EliteXC events or any show that I’ve been to, small or big, in Canada or in United States, you will be amazed at the amount of females that are there. And I know Karyn can speak a lot more toward it, but I think this whole brutality in the bloodsport and the stigma that is attached to mixed martial arts, you know, they say that ignorance is bliss and I think that those people are living in a blissful state.
If you watch, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea because, yes, it is the purest form of competition, yes, there is contact, yes, there can be blood. But it’s like seeing a crunching body check in hockey, a devastating tackle in football, the hard fouls in basketball.
I think females have already drawn to the sport and I think Saturday, May 31st, we’ll see a lot of women watching and, you know, not to degrade what we’re doing but when you see good-looking guys who are in perfect shape and, you know, their tight fight shorts doing their thing, I think, Karyn, you’ll agree that’s not such a bad thing for the ladies.
Karyn Bryant: Yes, I mean you know I say that in jest a lot of time that, you know, what woman wouldn’t want to be at a job where I’m around guys in perfect shape, mostly naked but, you know, you can’t discount that. I mean you really can’t.
Truthfully, as far as our broadcast goes, we are going to you know definitely involve the personality of the fighters. A lot of these guys have, sort of, outside personalities that you can play on, that may be something that you know if we’re talking about what women usually respond to that might be something they’d usually respond to.
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Posted May 24th, 2008 l 431 views
