Longtime MMA commentator Jimmy Smith is returning to Bellator.
Bellator under Don Davis was a mixed bag for most fight fans around the world. Late last year, PFL acquired the company, and many of its longtime names, such as Scott Coker, left. However, most of the Bellator roster, including Douglas Lima and Patricio Pitbull, remained.
However, Bellator recently signed a big name non-fighter. As first reported: Mixed Martial ArtsLongtime commentator Jimmy Smith is returning to the brand. The announcer, a former fighter himself, famously left the then Viacom-owned brand for UFC in 2018, but was fired after just one year.
Since then, Jimmy Smith has had stints with WWE, Invicta FC and more. But seven years after leaving Bellator, the commentator will be returning to the company. Speaking to MMA Fighting about the news, Smith revealed that despite leaving MMA Inc. years ago, he is already friendly with most of the staff.
RELATED: Gegard Mousasi's management issues statement after PFL firing: 'There's a bigger lesson here'
Commentator Jimmy Smith returns to Bellator after several years
“I got a call,” said Jimmy Smith when asked about returning to Bellator. “'Hey, do you want to come on our show?' And I was like, 'Sure, yeah, great, no problem.' People think I've rekindled things, but it's not like I haven't seen Scott Coker since. It's not like I haven't been in touch with the Bellator guys since. I've called the directors and producers, we're friends, so we catch up every now and then, 'How are you doing?' It's not like there was some huge, scary, burnt bridge thing that we had to get over.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “It wasn't like that at all. It was just like, 'Hey, would you do a show for us?' And I was like, 'Yeah, sure, I'd love to.' … Patrick Pitbull, Patricio [Pitbull] And then there's all these guys that I knew a while back and now there's this new generation of players. I haven't had a chance to necessarily commentate on their games, but I've been watching them. They're really good. It's a really good generation.”
The first card in Jimmy Smith's return to the company will be Bellator Champions Series 3 in Dublin later this month. The main event on that card will be a welterweight title fight between Jason Jackson and Ramazan Kuramagomedov.
What do you think of this Bellator news and are you happy to see Jimmy Smith return to the company?
