UFC color commentator Mike Golberg’s first event was UFC 15.5: Ultimate Japan on December 21, 1997. He first paired with Joe Rogan at UFC 40 November 22, 2002. And the Rogan-Goldberg duo worked nearly all UFC events prior to the FOX deal, including pay per view, SPIKE TV, and Versus.
UFC 207 on Saturday was his last.
The departure is not unexpected. UFC president Dana White recently appeared on Sportsnet’s Tim & Sid and said he was working on a dream team with Rogan and … TBA. Chael Sonnen recently named Jim Rome as the figure to replace Goldberg. There has been no confirmation one way or another.
The UFC 207 broadcast lasted six hours, and Goldberg’s departure was nowhere mentioned, although he offered a goodbye at the end.
https://twitter.com/iamjohnpollock/status/815076705824030720
The lack of some formal acknowledgment after nearly 20 years feels remiss. Goldberg’s son Kole was not impressed.
https://twitter.com/kolegoldberg/status/815094578487369728https://twitter.com/kolegoldberg/status/815106751959891968https://twitter.com/kolegoldberg/status/815107803736141824https://twitter.com/TJ_Grant/status/815074974377660416https://twitter.com/MikeBohnMMA/status/815079094018674688https://twitter.com/SandhuMMA/status/815298273942585346https://twitter.com/BCampbellESPN/status/815271420250963969https://twitter.com/shaunalshatti/status/815138820240740352
Still, members of the MMA community offered abundant farewells.
https://twitter.com/fightnet/status/815256325466845185https://twitter.com/Jon_Anik/status/815141091754143744https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/815079474307956736https://twitter.com/JohnMcCarthyMMA/status/814968696070279168https://twitter.com/stipemiocicufc/status/815300071197646848https://twitter.com/DUANEBANGCOM/status/815083471664099329https://twitter.com/SeanWheelock/status/815081880307515393https://twitter.com/dc_mma/status/815077575810682880https://twitter.com/PeteyandJia/status/814159954194165760https://twitter.com/AusLoco/status/811759357402566656
“>@FrontRowBrian
No matter what the storyline on Mike Goldberg @MFG16 leaving UFC, there absolutely should have been a tribute to the man.@joerogan#UFC207
— TJ Grant (@TJ_Grant) December 31, 2016
“>@MFG16
my dad did so much for the UFC over the past 13 years and they can’t even give him a proper goodbye. what a joke @ufc
— kole (@kolegoldberg) December 31, 2016
“>@ufc Look at that fresh faced little scamp. Years later and still…. virtually identical.
— Pete Adams (@AusLoco)
@FrontRowBrian@MFG16@ufc Look at that fresh faced little scamp. Years later and still…. virtually identical.
— Pete Adams (@AusLoco) December 22, 2016
“>December 22, 2016
