Mike Goldberg talks about his ‘difficult’ time after getting let go by the UFC

The former veteran voice of the Octagon, Mike Goldberg will be heard by MMA fans once again as he is set to make his debut with Bellator MMA this weekend.

Goldberg along with fellow veteran MMA broadcasting figure Mauro Ranallo were both announced as new acquisitions to the Bellator mixed martial arts promotion just over a week ago.

Goldberg was released from the UFC last year in December calling his last event at UFC 207, after working as a commentator for 19 years with the promotion.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Goldberg explained how things were going for him following his departure with the UFC.

“The last six months were as difficult as any period of my life,” Goldberg said (transcribed by Guilherme Cruz for MMA Fighting). “And it was professional, wasn’t personal, but it was as difficult as any six months in my life. And it’s weird, though, because what was difficult was that everybody that I spoke to said ‘oh, it’s a no brainer, you’re gonna be great with us, it’s a no brainer, let’s make it happen.’

“When you’re dealing with big corporations and there’s a lot of moving parts, ‘let’s make this happen’ in February or March, in the corporate world, happens in June. And in my world, in that time, you just want to have it, you just want that text or email or that call to say ‘hey, Goldie, you’re back in the game.’”

Goldberg went on to explain that he loves the work he does and simply wanted to get back to doing what he has been doing for so many years. Not holding any grudges with the UFC, Goldberg said that he is thankful that he got those 19 years under his belt as it has put him in his current position, on his way to call fights for Bellator at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“I’m glad those six months are behind me,” he continued. “And that will just be a small blip on a long, long career. But it was difficult. It was difficult, first and foremost, because I love what I do, and I was anxious to get back to doing it.”

on 6/23/2017.