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As it stands today, CBS announcer Gus Johnson has already had a diverse career in broadcasting, serving as a voice for CBS' coverage of the NFL while also calling NCAA tournament games for the network every March. Johnson is also the radio and television play-by-play voice of the New York Knicks and was a part of CBS' coverage of the Olympics in 1998 as an announcer for the luge and bobsled events.
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But this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, Johnson will take on what might be his most unique challenge to date: handling play-by-play duties for the first-ever telecast of mixed martial arts on primetime network TV when CBS airs EliteXC's Primetime event live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
For Johnson, getting involved with MMA seemed like a natural progression in his eclectic broadcast background. Not only has Johnson done play-by-play for boxing, but he trained in boxing in his younger days and competed in wrestling in AAU tournaments as a youth. A devout fan of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Johnson eventually made the decision to get involved with Kung Fu. And in preparation for Saturday's telecast, the Howard University graduate made the leap to start working his ground skills, enrolling at Renzo Gracie's renowned jiu-jitsu academy in Manhattan.
Johnson has been putting in extra hours in order to learn the nuances of a sport that combines boxing, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, Judo, and other martial arts styles. However, CBSSports.com still managed to catch up with him for an exclusive interview during the quiet before the storm.
CBSSports.com: CBS approached you to be a part of the telecast, but in past interviews, I have read that announcing MMA is something that you already had an interest in. What has attracted you to the sport?
Gus Johnson: Well, you know, I like to see where we are as human beings in hand-to-hand combat. I think that MMA is a very honest sport. There's a lot of honor and integrity in mixed martial arts and it gives us the chance to see, especially when you consider the numerous styles that are used, whether it be jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Western boxing, wrestling, Kung Fu; you see all these styles being used inside the cage and sometimes you'll see a good standup guy vs. a jiu-jitsu guy and it makes it very interesting to see which style on that particular night in that particular fight will prevail.
I've always liked to see men fight. It's very interesting to me and tells a lot about our human spirit. So I just thought that this would be a natural progression for me as my career continues to develop.
Q: Was there any apprehension on the part of an agent, manager, fellow announcers, or anyone about you getting involved in MMA?
G.S.: No. They don't even understand it. My agents and managers, I don't think they understand it. They don't understand the genius in it. Sometimes they see guys get into jiu-jitsu positions and they get a little weird about that and they don't realize that maybe 80-85 percent of all fights end up on the ground. So you have to know what to do when the fight hits the ground, because in all likelihood that's what's going to happen.
But I don't really pay attention to it. These are my decisions to be made. Agents and managers and all those kinds of cats, I really don't pay much attention to them. All I really like them to do is to negotiate my deals and make sure my money is there. But I've always liked this kind of contact. I like contact sports like this. I think that these young men and young women that compete in the sport are warriors. It's an honor for me to be a part of it.
Q: You were able to meet your broadcast partners, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock, during a press gathering last week in Los Angeles. What were your first impressions of them?
G.S.: Mauro, first of all, I've been watching him on numerous fights, especially on EliteXC fights. Mauro is just a really nice person. He's engaging, very articulate, intelligent and sophisticated. He loves MMA. He's been covering it since 16 years old and it's a part of his life. Not only is it a part of his life, MMA doing well is important to him. And that's his integrity; there's a beautiful integrity about him.
Frank Shamrock is a champion. He is a very calm man; a very pleasant man; and a fun man. After watching a number of his fights, it will be interesting to see that kind of person in a business setting and looking at him across a room and knowing he can go into a cage and just become a totally different human being and literally become a walking assassin.
