Comments on: Gus Johnson to call play-by-play during EliteXC: Primetime on CBS

By: Evan

Evan — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:40:16 +0000

They sure did make him look like a cross dresser in that pic…lots of makeup…hah

By: roomservicetaco

roomservicetaco — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:27:16 +0000

Gus has also called boxing matches before and has mentioned a number of times that he’d like to get involved with mma.

By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:33:57 +0000

Mike, I repeat: Gus Johnson is a fan of MMA.

By: Mike Wolfe

Mike Wolfe — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:46:03 +0000

Yeah, I’ve watched a bb games. My question was whether Gus has enthusiasm for MMA. A love for any other sport doesn’t mean you’re a fan of MMA. Take figure skating or golf. Please.

By: Dum-Dum

Dum-Dum — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:58:10 +0000

BJJ Battle of the Commentators: Gus Johnson vs Joe Rogan???

By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:28:21 +0000

Gus Johnson trains BJJ at Renzo Gracie’s.

By: Dum-Dum

Dum-Dum — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:16:29 +0000

Apparently, Gus trains in some form of martial art:

“The telecast will be anchored by CBS veteran play-by-play man Gus Johnson, a practicing martial artist and mainstay for the network’s college basketball, NBA and NFL games.”

By: Jarry Park - The Coliseum Of Combat Sports » Blog Archive » Gus & Mauro: A Match Made In Heaven

Mon, 19 May 2008 20:40:18 +0000

[...] today’s news that Mauro has been (finally!) tabbed to call the 5/31 Elite XC on CBS card along…, is probably the best thing I have heard all [...]

By: bjjdenver

bjjdenver — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:07:20 +0000

Great move!

What mma needs in the booth and in the media, is younger, more enthusiastic people.

99.9% (+/- 90, lol) of older announcers, reporters, editors and even execs, just don’t get it. They were raised on boxing, and don’t understand the ins and outs of mma, the training required, and the chess match that it is. To them, anything more than “you hit me, then I hit you” is brutal. Kicks, chokes and subs are equivalent to hair pulling and eye gouging in their estimation.

MMA needs the next generation to represent them in mainstream media and having a guy who is familiar to mainstream sports fans, as the announcer, is a great move by EXC/CBS.

I’m sure some of the broadcast will be a tutorial for those unfamiliar with the sport and I hope they do it professionally and limit the amount of “Street fighting” nonsense.

By: Drew

Drew — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:57:34 +0000

Why is it not just Mauro Ranallo? Gus Johnson may be excited to call the action, but I don’t think he has the experience for it. This is an example of why UFC did not want to give up control of the broadcast. They understand how to promote MMA. Also, Frank Shamrock is definitly a big plus for CBS. If Goldberg was in the booth, the broadcast team would definitly fall apart.