My early experiences in the world of MMA broadcasting was a balance between a full-time job and building my future career. Last weekend, I relived my youth, working backstage at an event, while ensuring I still remained focused on my full-time job.
From 2000 to 2007, I worked for various Canadian MMA promotions, while manning my desk as call centre employee and business analyst. There were numerous occasions when after my 9-5 gig, I would rush to the airport in Toronto, fly out to Montreal and hit the ground running, working the late evenings and early mornings in a recording studio doing voice overs, play-by-play or colour commentary.
Upon completion, I would head back to the Montreal airport in time to make a 6:30 a.m. flight back to Toronto, where upon landing, I would make my way back to my full-time job, use the shower at the in-house gym and sign in for my 9 a.m. duties.
It was what was required of me, as I chased down a dream to make the world of MMA broadcasting my full-time job. I was adamant to follow my passion and the dream came true in 2007. Seven years later, a case of deja vu knocked on my door when I had the chance to work backstage at last weekend’s BattleGrounds MMA event, which featured a special one-night single elimination tournament PPV event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The cherry on top of the cake was working alongside legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross and three-time UFC title challenger Chael P. Sonnen.
The fan in me was ecstatic to be a part of BattleGrounds history, but also to be the third man to J.R. and Chael. The challenge in front of me was never daunting, but it did require some strict adherence to time management. I left for Tulsa knowing there was a To Do List that had to be completed. Two flights later, I was in my hotel room jotting down when and where I could get everything done. There was research on each and every fighter on the BattleGrounds card, production meetings for the event, pre-fight press conferences, weigh-ins and more. On the fly, I was also asked to assist in putting together some of the BattleGrounds MMA vignettes. Thankfully my role was to aid in interviewing the fighters and not cutting and editing the videos, which I had to review and make any suggestions that I felt could improve them.
The event itself was a memorable one: from the pre-production meetings, to the weigh-ins to the actual broadcast, my memory banks will always hold a special place for so much that took place. But in a nutshell, there is not much that can be compared to a one-night tournament, the storylines from backstage and the end result of crowning Roan Carneiro the evening’s champion (who was also awarded $50,000 for his suffering).
A few hours later, I was scheduled to take the first of three flights at 8 a.m. local time in Tulsa, which would eventually get me home by 6 p.m. local in Toronto. In between my stops in Dallas and Houston, I would fire up my laptop, log into UFC Fight Pass to catch up on what was going down in Stockholm, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Sweden with another Fight Night.
By the time I made it home, I had less than two hours to catch up on the bouts I missed from that Fight Night, spend some time with the family, before the prelims began for the UFC event in Halifax.
Fighting the fatigue, time zone changes and other first-world problems that come with traveling, I did what I could to watch as many fights as possible, but I did not last long. The next two days were spent catching up on Rick Story’s defeat of Gunnar Nelson, alongside the rest of the card. Then, watching as Rory MacDonald all but solidified himself a UFC welterweight title shot, finishing off Tarec Saffiedine in the third round.
With a heavy heart, I watched the Halifax event unfold, living through my friends in attendance, my pals who were coaching, and my inspirations competing inside the Octagon. But, remembering the three days of non-stop laughter listening to J.R.’s stories of his days with the WWE cheered me up. Every so often, Sonnen would chime in with some of his tidbits, but for the most part, we were all ears, as Ross gave us a glimpse into the past.
Listening to J.R., I was reminded of where I came from and some of the stories that I could tell about a young Georges St-Pierre in 2002, my time with Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Carlos Newton, Matt Hughes and so many from MMA’s past and present. Fourteen years ago, there was never enough MMA and I did as much as I could to make sure the world could see what they were missing. Nowadays, the world is full of MMA for people to consume at their leisure, anywhere, anytime.
Times do change, but for yours truly, there has always been one constant; there is just not enough time during the day for me to enjoy it all. I hope that never changes.