Former UFC commentator Mike Goldberg reflects on getting closure with UFC President Dana White
Mike Goldberg has opened up about getting closure with UFC President Dana White. Notably, Goldberg bid the promotion goodbye after nearly 20 years in 2016.
Goldberg was a guest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, where he spoke about the 25th anniversary of his UFC debut as the voice of the promotion. During the conversation, he recalled an encounter with Dana White the year following his departure from the promotion and mentioned that this provided him with closure:
"My son - God bless him - he's like, 'Dad, go say hi [to Dana].' And I did, I shook his [Dana White] hand, and I said, 'Thank you for everything... I hope we could stay in touch, and I wish you nothing but the ultimate success in everything that continues in the UFC.' It was a great moment of...I guess closure...at the time because of the way the ending went." [14:35 - 15:00]
'Goldie' added that the UFC President treated him well during his tenure with the promotion and that he was very thankful for the encounter. He mentioned that despite being hesitant at first, he was glad he approached White to thank him:
"Dana White was great to me. He was great to me, he was supportive of me. He was the one that called me when I was gonna go to the WWE and said, 'We want you. We got you.' But it was a good moment, and I'm really glad that I walked up to Dana that day in front of the Red Rock, and I'd be kicking myself, Ariel, if I wouldn't have." [15:08 - 15:32]
Goldberg will forever be synonymous with the UFC as he, along with Joe Rogan, called some of the biggest events in the promotion's history. He debuted during a period when the promotion was struggling.
Check out the full interview:
Mike Goldberg debuted at UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan
Dec21.1997
25 years ago today,
Mike Goldberg made his first appearance as a play by play commentator for the UFC. https://t.co/yPewfvDu6P
Mike Goldberg made his UFC debut on the broadcast team at UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan.
His debut night was very eventful as it saw Kazushi Sakuraba win the heavyweight tournament, Frank Shamrock build on the legacy of the Lion's Den by becoming the inaugural UFC light heavyweight champion, and Randy Couture earning a majority decision against Maurice Smith to become the new UFC heavyweight champion.
During his recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Goldberg highlighted the significance of the event for Shamrock in particular:
"His [Frank Shamrock] UFC debut. [Frank's brother] Ken was already well established, he was 'The World's Most Dangerous Man.' And this guy, Frank Shamrock, was finally getting his moment, and his opponent was Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson... And he arm-barred Kevin Jackson in...I wanna say...18 or 19 seconds... That is the most memorable moment." [8:25 - 8:59]
Watch the aforementioned submission below: