On The Call with Jake Marsh
On the Call with Jake Marsh takes listeners behind the scenes of sports and sports broadcasting through conversations with broadcasters, athletes, coaches, and other voices from around the industry. Along the way, Jake shares stories and updates from his own life and career, giving fans a closer look at both the games and everything that comes with them.
On The Call with Jake Marsh
Jon Anik on His UFC Career, Broadcasting at the White House + Listener Q&A
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Jon Anik joins the show to discuss his path to becoming the voice of the UFC, working alongside Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, preparing for the biggest fights in the sport, calling a historic UFC event at the White House, and the unmatched aura Bruce Buffer brings every time he steps into the Octagon.
Plus, the World Cup continues to deliver electric knockout-stage action, a rare opportunity for Monday morning golf, and we wrap things up with That's Wild, Tip of the Cap, and your listener Q&As.
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Intro
SPEAKER_01Welcome to another edition of On the Call with Jake Marsh. My name is Jake Marsh, and we have another fantastic episode for you today. Highlighted by an interview with the voice of the UFC, John Anik. For those of you into the MMA, you are of course familiar with John and all the big UFC events paired up with Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier in one of the most electrifying booths in all of sports. So we get into John's career journey, how that UFC White House event went, uh, and more broadcasting stories that I think you all will enjoy. We'll also tackle the current events, the World Cup continuing to go on, a fun finish up in Connecticut at the Travelers Championship. And then we'll finish off with some segments. That's wild, tip of the cap, and we'll have some more QA's for the audience. I think people enjoyed hearing some of those interactions when we did it a couple of weeks ago. So it is time to run it back, and it is time for another episode of On the Call with Jake Marsh. Here we go.
Stories That Caught My Eye
SPEAKER_01We are nearly a month into this thing. Hard to believe. We're getting the ball rolling, we're keeping it rolling, we're trying to build momentum, and I appreciate all of you uh making me part of your Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or whatever day of the week you may be listening to this. Uh so let's get into it. We'll start off with the World Cup, right? Some perspectives that I have for the World Cup. Uh the knockout stage has begun. The group stage was fun. There was some drama, uh last-minute goals and goal differential, but now it's a clean slate if you've advanced. 32 teams, we kind of get a midi March madness, if you will. Uh 32 teams, single elimination, last man standing are your World Cup champions. Uh, and something that I felt when I filled out a bracket yesterday. Yes, I filled out a World Cup bracket. Uh, it for some reason was not easy for me to find a printable and fillable uh World Cup bracket. I tried taking the impressive and awesome Fox graphic uh that they posted on their socials, but it was all blue and I couldn't find a silver sharpie. I went to CVS, I went to Publix, and I couldn't find a silver Sharpie, so I said, you know what, I'm just gonna do it online, even though I love filling out brackets uh by hand because I think that's how all brackets deserve to be filled out. Uh but, anyways, it was the closest I think I'll ever get to feeling like that person in the accounting department of your office who fills out a March Madness bracket without really knowing the depths of each team. There's always that person, let's call her Janice. Janice always ends up ends up being a conversation in your March Madness pool because she just gets lucky, or she picks teams because of their colors, or she picks teams because uh she likes where they're from. In this case, I was kind of throwing darts myself. I mean, I I've been pretty transparent about my I guess ball-level knowledge from a soccer perspective. I've really been enjoying Fox's production of the World Cup so far, uh, but I'm not the biggest soccer consumer year-round. So obviously I have some biases, and I picked the United States to win the whole thing. Um, but I was just throwing darts and picking countries because I felt like they were going to win. And I was so close to nailing an early round upset. I picked Japan to take down Brazil. Japan struck first in the first half of recording this Monday early evening of this afternoon's game, and then Brazil scored, tie it up, and they scored in the final minutes before extra time. But yeah, I think I just wanted to share my perspective of filling out a World Cup bracket. That must be how the non-sicos of college basketball feel every March. They come across a bracket, they start writing things in, and the next thing they know, they probably win their office pool. I don't think I'm gonna win, but you never know. Uh again, why did I just say win? I'm not playing against anybody. I just filled it out for pride. I posted it on Twitter and Instagram, and I let the people shred me uh because that's what social media is for. Just trying to prove people that you're wrong and dumb. But I'm trying to prove I know ball, I know football. Um, so that that's my World Cup bracket take. Looking at the US's draw, they have Bosnia and Herzegovina uh in the round of 32, and then after that, things would get really tough. Belgium or Senegal, and then you're looking at Spain, France, and Argentina if the favorites hold. But if this is anything like the March Madness I know and sing and uh single elimination tournaments, that probably won't be the case. But I picked USA to win it all because why not? We're playing for pride, American pride, and that is it. Uh another sports media worthy note regarding the World Cup. Fox is taking their studio team on the road uh starting July 4th with the later rounds. Good call. These atmospheres have been absolutely electric. We highlighted the big noon kickoff slash college game day like vibes that we have seen uh outside some of these stadiums, mostly for the USA games. But I mean, these countries have thousands and thousands of fans saving up and spending and coming to the United States for these big matches. It'll still fill up whether or not the US makes a deep run in this tournament. So I think Fox nailed that as they uh march deeper into this World Cup. The crowds have been absolutely electric. So that'll do it for World Cup talk. I'm excited to see more knockout stage matches as the week progresses. It's awesome having nonstop elimination, high-stakes soccer as the tournament marches on. Uh, this morning we had a rare occasion, a treat, Monday morning golf at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut. It was a sudden death playoff between Scotty Scheffler and Victor Hovlin, and felt like a Ryder Cup singles match, right? At the end of the day, you had the weather delay yesterday, forced them to finish things and play a 73rd today. And then you had those Norwegian fans doing the Viking Rose, uh, USA chants representing Scotty Scheffler fans, and it was awesome. The international flair. The summer feels like the perfect time for all these international type of events or pride, because uh, at least from the American sports calendar, things obviously slow down aside from baseball uh in terms of team sports. But yeah, Scotty versus Victor Hovlin, that was incredible. Uh, I was personally hoping for a four or five hole sudden death playoff, but in 15 minutes, Victor Hovlin made his birdie. Scotty missed his putt, but that's golf, you know, he's the best in the world. Um, but NBC did a great job capturing that broadcast and that playoff. And those were the two big sports storylines that caught my eye this weekend. Obviously, we had some baseball as well in the all-star game and the all-star break. Hard to believe they're coming up. But let's not waste any more time. Let's get to our interview with John Anik. It was so much fun, and I hope you all enjoy. All right, here he is, the voice of the UFC, John Anik. All right, we
Jon Anik Interview
SPEAKER_01now welcome on an awesome, awesome guest, broadcaster and person. It is the voice of the UFC. You know him from the big time fight nights. It is John Anik. John, thank you so much for doing this. Uh, we got to start with this because we're a few weeks removed from the White House event. Uh, and broadcasting can take us crazy places, right? But if I told you 10 years ago that you'd be calling an event on the lawn at the White House, you would say, What?
SPEAKER_02My goodness, it just doesn't get bigger nor badder nor better than that. And when we got the chance to do the Sphere Vegas in 2024, Joe Rogan, Daniel Cormier, and myself pinching ourselves thinking, how do we get Dana White to come back here? And we sort of found out that was one of one. And then this felt like a topper of some kind, UFC Freedom 250 at the White House a couple weeks ago. But it was probably a thousand times sphere. And so that plausibility to me is just such an unlikelihood, man. It was the broadcasting experience of a lifetime. You know, I remember covering my first mixed martial arts event in Tunica, Mississippi, and uh the White House certainly felt far from that. But simulation is a good word. It felt surreal and just very thankful to have had the chance and thankful that it's over too, because I think it was uh it was a pressure-packed experience, to be sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think Dana said he financially can't afford to do something like that again. So that does make it more unique, and that was once in a lifetime. What's the biggest memory that you'll have from a behind-the-scenes perspective of the uniqueness of the event that'll you'll hold?
SPEAKER_02So certainly I held it very dear when we walked into Sphere, and I got to see Joe Rogan's reaction for the first time during rehearsal like a child, and it was that times a thousand, you know. So I think seeing my broadcast partners see it a little bit after I saw it was very special. And uh I guess doing the pay-per-view open, and I can still call it pay-per-view, even though we're on Paramount Plus, because we're on pay-per-view in Australia and in many other places, but doing our pay-per-view open surrounded by the troops was certainly the most special moment of the night for me. And certainly when I'm parenting my kids about nerves and life and pressure, you know, as I'm walking up from the octagon to do the open and seeing all the troops up there, you know, I'm equal part equal parts excited and thinking, man, like not necessarily an ideal setting in which to deliver this memorized copy right now. I'm an American, I'm jumping out of my skin. So, yes, I mean, I had Coast Guard in full uniform on my right shoulder. And uh yeah, broadcasting experience of a lifetime I'm in.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. Uh, looking back at your career a little bit, obviously you're the voice of the UFC, and that's what you're most known for. Do you consider yourself a UFC broadcaster who occasionally can do other sports or a broadcaster who happens to primarily call UFC? Because I think it's fascinating that you are all in on the UFC stuff, but I know you might have interest in doing other sports.
SPEAKER_02You know, it's interesting. When I was at ESPN in 2011, I was a play-by-play guy, or at least I thought I was, trying to get opportunities and repetitions, not unlike I think anybody else in the business. And I remember my last year there, the college football schedule came out, and I got one game and uh tried to do the best I could with it. But yeah, the opportunities were few and far between. So I became a UFC full-time employee in 2011 and essentially have been calling at least half, if not more, of the live events every year ever since. So there hasn't been a lot of opportunity to step outside of that realm. The last time I did a college football game was a one-off for FS1 in 2015, and uh it was wild at Husky Stadium, Washington and Arizona. Thankfully it was 49 to 3 and it wasn't some nail biter. But uh, you know, I'm a full-time employee and I think that is uh prohibitive in terms of doing some of that other stuff. I'm not sure I would have it any other way. Uh, I think the NFL will always be king, but at least right now, uh, you know, this is my world and it's become my wheelhouse, even if I am not a martial artist. And uh yeah, as you know, I mean it's strange the the paths that life can take you, but I'm certainly glad that this was the wagon that uh, you know, I I hitched my professional career to, I guess.
SPEAKER_01You know, it's interesting. You had a little relief when you said the score is 49 to 3 when I'm calling games. I I don't care who wins, I want it to be close, but I guess because of the one-off, it was your first game, uh, the blowout, I guess, took off a little bit of pressure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I didn't think about it going in. I think certainly I I guess I've never just I've never sort of been much of I've never had much of an ego, so I certainly wasn't thinking, man, if this is like 3130, my calls are gonna be all over sports center, right? I'm just trying to get through the broadcast clean, right? The last college football game I had done was 2011, right? I think I've made four football charts in my life, Jake, right? So 2011 and then 2015. And, you know, like Mike Goldberg was the lead play-by-play guy for the UFC, and he was given an NFL opportunity, and it didn't necessarily go great, right? So I did feel some pressure to not fuck it up with respect to Goldie, an absolute legend. So yeah, uh, I was digging the 49 to 3 and the boats coming up to Husky Stadium, but yeah, uh I wasn't thinking of blowout going in, but yes, I certainly was thankful that it made the process of getting to my cheeseburger at the end of the night a little bit expedited.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a pro move, and I'm sure you'd do the same thing after a broadcast is Cheap Meal City, right?
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh. I mean, I don't want to even think about how much weight I put on after uh an event like UFC Freedom 250. Uh but yes, absolutely. It's a caloric binge for me after the show, where whatever I can get my hands on.
SPEAKER_01And then beforehand, it's eat as clean as possible because you're not gonna ask President Trump, hey, can I use the restroom inside in between fights or something like that?
SPEAKER_02So, you know, our live event is pretty unique. So we are on format for eight hours every time we crack a mic, right? So it's essentially like doing back-to-back football games, if not back-to-back Super Bowls, every time we do a show. So oftentimes I am purposely dehydrated because I may get one shot to go to the restroom. I might not actually get a shot because even if our walkouts are in commercial for the US, they aren't elsewhere. So, yes, not only clean, but I really don't ingest very much on show day. And I don't know how much you feel about like uh an empty stomach helping mental agility as a broadcaster, but I will tell you that one time I did fast for a UFC show. And it wasn't Yum Kippur? No, and bro, I felt sharp as a fucking tack until I didn't, and then I needed a banana. And but I'm telling you, there is something to be said for not eating a whole lot and it really helping, I think, your mental focus.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's totally fair. I think there's the balance too, because when you hit that wall and you're like, oh crap, I have nothing in me, I'm gonna pass out. But the adrenaline can carry for a long time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yep, no doubt.
SPEAKER_01Uh so take me back to the beginning. How much MMA uh did you actually know before fully getting into UFC? Did you grow up watching it? What was the learning curve like?
SPEAKER_02So I watched UFC one in 1993, probably sort of in a in a haze of pot, right? That's what we called it back then, right? So 1993, I'm 15 years old. I watched UFC one and then I watch UFC two, and then I didn't watch again until like UFC 50 in 2004. But I hosted the mouthpiece boxing radio show for Sporting News Radio in Boston. And so that wasn't necessarily a propellant to get me to ESPN, but it was sort of part of the fabric of my early career. And then eventually in 2007, we covered a mixed martial arts event. And when I went with my boxing radio show to cover an MMA event, I had some skepticism, and I thought it was unbelievable. I just thought the sport was unbelievable. I thought the pageantry was pretty cool as well, and just the mixing of the martial arts in a boxing era when there was a lot of holding, I just felt like it was something fresh. And I never thought it would be, you know, the foundation for my broadcasting career, mixed martial arts and the UFC, but I absolutely love it. I do believe that it is the most unpredictable theater in pro sports with respect to the NFL, which will always be king in this country. Um, but yeah, man, I did not grow up a martial artist. I took Jiu-Jitsu for a little while. I fucking hated it. I've taken some boxing lessons for a while. That's I'm more of an appetitive nature for that, but uh I did not enjoy jujitsu. And uh, you know, I stay in my lane. Uh, you know, you won't won't hear me talking about, you know, transitions in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world and things like that that are out of my range uh because I have very capable people to my right. And uh yeah, until they tell me I need a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu, I'm gonna stay out of the gi and off the mats.
SPEAKER_01And that's something they tell us in broadcasting school and early in your career. It's never say no to an opportunity, right? Say yes to everything, and you never know what kind of path you're going to go to. And clearly you took advantage of that uh MMA route, and look where it's gotten you to the top of the sport, which is that's that's how our career goes sometimes. We have a plan and it goes a different way, but sometimes that way can help change your career for the better.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, no, thank you, buddy. I mean, I remember auditioning for battle bots, and I'm calling robot fights in a hotel room in Australia working for the UFC, and I'm thinking, what am I doing? With respect to battle bots, which is amazing and a great payday for those guys, but bro, I'm calling robot fights on tape for these guys, and I'm thinking you got the wrong guy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, listen, during my time at Barcel, I called ping pong, cornhole, Jenga, rock, paper, scissors, and I wouldn't change a thing. It was so much fun, and the domino effect of what it could lead to really are some legit opportunities, which I'm grateful for.
SPEAKER_02We need a rock, paper, scissors league or something. That sounds like an amazing sport to do blow by blow for. Wow.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was awesome. The pace too. It got really intense. And then what when you're doing like a best of seven series and it comes down to one, oh, it gets intense. Wow. I'll have to send you some of my clips.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, me too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, one thing we have in common is that we have worked or worked for people uh who are not shy to give their opinion. You work for Dana White. I worked for Dave Portnoy for five years, and they are fantastic businessmen uh and building these companies uh from the ground up. What would you say is something you've learned from Dana White about leadership? Because both of those men they respect hard work and they're not afraid to let you know when things are going well or not so well.
SPEAKER_02100%. And every boss isn't a great leader, and Dana White really is a great leader, and he does so many things behind the scenes, right? Even when it comes to like company athletics in Las Vegas, right? And taking care of employees, Greason employees philanthropically, nobody really hears about the things that this man does. And I would also say, you know, there are plenty of probably fighters and broadcasters who, you know, aren't necessarily his cup of tea, you know. But yes, if you're rooted in hard work and he sees value, uh, you know, then I think he would run through a brick wall for you. And that's why so many of us would run through a brick wall for him. And that's why I think so many of us in April of 2020, amidst a global pandemic, were trying to figure out a way to get to Lamore, California, because he was trying to put on a show and we felt like we should be good soldiers. And uh yeah, he uh he definitely I think brings out the best in you, and I do think that I respond to that type of leadership. Uh, you know, he's not a coddler, you know, and uh you feel his appreciation, I think, in different ways, but what an amazing job he's done, you know, greatest combat sports promoter of all time.
SPEAKER_01Totally. Well, has he ever given you feedback after a broadcast uh that stuck with you for better or for worse?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, early on there was more of it, I think, in all phases, right? I mean, I joined the company, I'm 31, 32 years old. Now I'm an old man, oftentimes the oldest man in the room, fucking 47, right? So I don't know if that's why there's less feedback, or maybe the whole broadcast stream and team has become a little bit busier. But I remember early on, I was told by veteran MMA journalist Josh Gross, you know, you're gonna have to check your journalist card in and trade it in for a promoter card. And I sort of scoffed or put that off. And that was sort of a transition for me, right? Certain sports verbiage, like, all right, it's a must-win for this guy. And Dana's like, how do you know, bro? Like, you're not the matchmaker, you don't do the contracts, you're calling this a must-win. So that one always stuck with me, right? I'm trying to humanize these athletes and say, hey, everybody at home, this guy's lost seven in a row. If he loses, he's gonna be cut. So maybe at home you're rooting for the guy who's lost seven in a row. Well, that was not gonna be one of the ways in which we humanize the athletes. So there was a little bit of a learning curve there, but I take this very seriously. He knows from my room service bills that all I'm doing is, you know, eating cheeseburgers in my room prepping shows, right? I'm not going out to dinner, I'm not doing anything, but prepping these shows and devoting myself to the athlete. So um, yeah, I've always let my prep uh lead the dance, and um, you know, I think he understands that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that's a great way to put it, right? Because it it Is so hard to get in the door, but once you get the opportunity, you kind of control your own destiny in terms of how people perceive you and how good of a job you can do. So once the network is in and breaking through the door, then you say, Oh, I'm really going to show him that what I said to get this job was not BS. I am going to be the best UFC commentator that he's ever seen.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I do believe that, and I'm sure your approach is similar, right? Every show has to be treated with a fine-toothed comb, right? Whether I'm doing a UFC fight night in China or at the Apex or I'm doing UFC Freedom 250, every show deserves that manicure. And uh I would never shortchange a show nor an athlete, right? Every hour that I have with those late starts in New York City on show day when I'm not exercising or trying to get my mind right is reading another story, watching another video. Like you gotta be married to it. So then when you show up, hopefully you have the skills that can just take over.
SPEAKER_01Totally. I've seen it from the broadcast camera view. You use big flash cards for your charts, right? And is it basically just a cheat sheet? You've got it right in front of you. I assume it's just a cheat sheet of every little thing that you might bring up on the broadcast.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know I got lights coming in. This lighting isn't great, but that is the fighter card. So, yes, I re I handwrite a new fighter card for every show because that's sort of how I got through academia, right? Was just handwriting stuff and trying to commit it to memory that way. So I would say about 10% of what is on this card sees the light of day, right? And so the point is that if I write down for Bo Nickel, whose card I have right now, four-time All-American and three-time national champion wrestler, Penn State University, 2019 Hodge Trophy winner, Big Ten Athlete of the Year. Most of that stuff at this point is committed to memory, but I write that down every show. So if someone says, you know, Bo Nickel, I could tell you 2019, it's Hodge Trophy and all those different things. And if you watch his walk out of the White House, it was right there. So yeah, I mean, my big prep is my scripts, right? All the different things that we write and we memorize and the locker room stuff, but my fighter cards, red and blue for the corners, look like what we just showed you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's awesome. And you mentioned the 10%. That's the key. You don't know which 10% is going to need to be used. Some only if they win, some if they lose. You never know if there's a DQ or knockout. But so you have to have all angles covered from a football perspective. You're prepping just as hard for the third string quarterback because guess what? They might play. You never know.
SPEAKER_02Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_01Um so you obviously are part of an elite three-man booth with Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan. Uh, but three-man, three-man booths are kind of rare in sports broadcasting, right? You guys have made it a regular uh for your booth. What would you say the biggest difference is, besides the obvious of an extra person, of the chemistry of a three-man booth versus two?
SPEAKER_02So mixed martial arts oftentimes has the blurred line between play-by-play and analyst. And that's okay, right? I'm not upset when one of my analysts calls out a jab, even though traditionally my role is to be that. But certainly the roles in football are more clearly defined. The play-by-play guy will call the play and the analyst will chime in. And yeah, that line gets crossed every now and again. But to my right is the most listened to man in America, and to his right is UFC Hall of Famer and former two division champion Daniel Cormier. So if I'm gonna open my pelican beak, I sure as fuck better have something useful to say. Right? So let's just start there. I don't bring an ego to the table. If I'm in a two-man booth and much of my career was spent in a two-man booth, when the analyst stops talking, nobody else is gonna chime in except for me, right? So I can either let the action breathe, let some natural sound in, or say something. But in this instance, for the last five years or so, when Joe Rogan finishes talking, Daniel Cormier might have something to say. So who do you think Dana White would rather hear from? DC or me, right? So I'm mindful of that. And I also can feel the ebb and flow of a seven or eight hour broadcast, and I know exactly when those guys, you know, might gas out a little bit, right? Certainly early on in the night, they're fed, they're caffeinated, and uh, you know, maybe for me, I'm just having a little bit of a feel now process, but it is exponentially different. It's different in every single way, two versus three. And uh I don't even know that I have a preference, I don't get paid per word. Uh, and for these numbered events, I have so much promotional copy and inventory that um, you know, sometimes I feel like I'm not even calling a fight. But no, it's it's an amazing, amazing world. And uh yeah, I just gotta know who's to my right and just make sure that there's no traffic jam, amongst other things.
SPEAKER_01How did you build up the chemistry besides obviously doing more broadcasts with those two to become comfortable and turn it into a conversation on the couch? That's what they always say, right? Act like you're having a conversation on the couch uh versus holy crap, this is Joe Rogan. He's like you said, the most lesson to man on the planet.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I did my first show with him, UFC 155 in 2012, and then we became sort of full-time broadcast partners, I think 2017 or so. So, yeah, bro, going into that first show with Joe Rogan, two-man booth on three days' notice, certainly it was feeling some kind of way, but I do believe in a broad sense, you either have chemistry or you don't. And, you know, I know I'm not always Daniel Cormier's favorite person in the room, but I would humbly say that our chemistry is undeniable. And I'm not sure that I have more repetitions with anyone else, nor do I have more fun with anybody else than DC, even if we're a married couple at times. So, yeah, I mean, I was a little bit starstruck by Joe earlier, and there's still athletes on the roster that make me starstruck when they walk into a fighter meeting, but I think you develop chemistry over years, but you kind of either have it early on or you don't. And I take more liberties when it comes to comedy and things like that as I get older and maybe am more comfortable in my own skin. And yeah, it's uh it's always an evolution, but I don't know how you feel. I think generally speaking, you you find out pretty early on if you can work with a guy or not.
SPEAKER_01100%. I think with the people who you know you're gonna mesh with, you mesh with right away. But I think there is a sense of okay, give it one or two broadcasts, and then you can bloom a little bit later. Yeah, it just depends on the person. So going back to March, I went to my first UFC event ever. Uh, it was a bachelor party in Las Vegas. I admittedly, I'm not the biggest UFC guy. I'm turning the corner.
SPEAKER_02Um who's the bachelor who put this on?
SPEAKER_01Uh it was actually the guy who just got married this past weekend, my friend Harrison.
SPEAKER_02Um Harrison. Let's go, Harrison. I mean, great on Harrison for having a UFC live event be the epicenter of his bachelor party. That's okay.
SPEAKER_01So I was totally intrigued by it. The crowd was awesome and nuts. Uh, but I will admit, the biggest takeaway for me, maybe it's just my broadcasting nerdiness coming out, it was seeing Bruce Buffer in person for the first time. And the chills and the aura that he brought to the arena. There's no way that ever loses its impact sitting right there, cage side, right?
SPEAKER_02So he's a dear friend of mine, and uh actually the green Rolex that he was gonna leave me in his will got stolen from his house, unfortunately. But irreplaceable is an adjective that you would never use to describe somebody like me. When it comes to Bruce Buffer, when he retires, right, I believe they will figure out a way to play its time before our fights. And I don't know that there could be any greater statement about an octagon or ring announcer's impact and contribution. Jake, like I don't know how you move on from its time if you're the UFC. And so many combat sports announcers, not play-by-play guys, but in-ring announcers have struggled with a catchphrase trying to figure out a way to get a crowd going. Nothing's better than it's time. It blows, let's get it get ready to rumble out of the water if you really think about it, right? Uh so yeah, dude, I think that his voice will be a part of every single big UFC live event um long after his passing. What an absolute legend, and I can't wait to play this clip for him.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, it's it's crazy because like me, I'm a casual UFC guy, little to no knowledge about the sport, but everybody knows Bruce Buffer, right? His voice, even if you don't know his name, if you're an international tourist coming to that fight, you're like, oh, I've heard of that guy before. Irreplaceable is as close to the word as it becomes, which is ironic because in our business, all they tell us is that nobody's irreplaceable. Right. He might be the one exception.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's interesting, right? I do think that eventually somebody will emerge. And I say that with respect to Joe Martinez and everybody else who's doing it, right? I've had a lot of young in-ring announcers come to me and say, hey, what do you think of my catchphrase? One guy, it's just let's go, right? And I think simple is better, right? Um, but yes, him delivering that energy before the main event. You know, one thing I would say to any aspiring broadcaster, the one thing you can always control is your energy, right? Just be mindful of your energy, right? Some people think I'm lunatic fringe, maybe have a little too much of it at times, right? But just be mindful of your energy because Bruce's energy elevates our live event to such an extent, and uh it's just gonna be hard for anybody to try to replicate that even 50%.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you and me both on the energy side, but it's better to be over the top, especially in your sport, right? Where I feel like there's a little more leeway to be excited versus a slow-paced sport. If I go berserk on a calling a PGA tour event, unless they're making a hole in one or nailing a 50-footer to tie the lead at the Masters, uh, it there's it depends on the sport. And I feel like yours allows you to go over the top more often than others.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I think even early on, Craig Borsari, my boss, was reeling me in saying you got to leave room in your register when the fights later in the night, the eliminators, right? I wasn't even calling title fights, you know. Early on, it's like first prelim of the night, and I'm, you know, veins popping out of my neck. But yeah, I mean, it's uh definitely a sport that I think lends itself to that. But I do wonder, like, if I were to call Major League Baseball, I can't just step outside of my skin, right? So I would probably only last a season, and they'd be like, this dude's too much, you know. Certainly part of our fan base is like, yeah, this isn't working for us, right? But I wonder how you know my style might translate to a slower sport. Right. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, everyone's got different skill sets, so it's really interesting. Uh, in terms of watching UFC live, uh, everyone says hockey is much is a much different sport in person versus on television. Uh, you obviously having the best seat in the house, how different is it in person versus on television?
SPEAKER_02Very much so, right? Even though I yearn for a day back in the day when there were radios for the fans in the arena so they could listen to us explain what is inherently a complex sport. But I say to any person like you, Jake, and I'm sure you could even echo this if you're a fringe UFC fan or a casual, just go to a UFC live event and then we'll talk on the back end. It's just an incredible live event experience. And so much of the challenge of my job as our play-by-play announcer is marrying our show with the in-house. So much is invested in the UFC in-house live event experience. And uh, I mean, look what this organization has pulled off, right? I know I'm a part of the team, but a small part when it comes to the execution of the sphere and the fucking White House, bro. So, yes, I mean, come to our live event in Las Vegas, and if it lets you down, let me know on Instagram and I'll figure out a way to make it up to you. I'll send you some of my fighter cards or something.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I'll frame them right behind here. I've got my whole-in-one certificate, a poem from Jerry O'Connell, Yankee Stadium picture, but your fight cards could look good up here.
SPEAKER_02Yes, my man.
SPEAKER_01Uh, a viral moment, seemingly every time there's a crazy knockout or upset, is the three of you going berserk uh at your broadcasting table. Uh, how do you balance the professionalism with genuine emotion in moments like that?
SPEAKER_02Bro, I'm not even thinking about that little camera whatsoever, right? There was actually a six-month stretch in which Dana White stopped showing us on TV because, well, if you think about it, if they're showing us, they could be showing a fighter knocking somebody out again, right? And instead they're showing our reaction, and they're showing our reaction in the arena, and everybody is going absolutely nuts watching us go crazy, right? So, how do you balance that as a promoter, right? Now we got total wireless view from the broadcast booth, it's sold, you know, they're showing us going crazy. But dude, that's the last thing I'm I got so much going on, right? Like I the camera's pointing at Rogan anyway, right? But uh, no, I don't even think I think about how ugly I look, right? As a man who's trying to attract the opposite sex and maybe get more female followers on Instagram. I think about how abhorrent I look on that shot, actually. But no, I mean, bro, like if you think about this as the broadcaster that you are, think about what I'm calling, right? The nature of these moments, right? It's not like you're defending a rim, you're defending your face, and and your face gets split open unconscious, and you know, but the reaction, the meme that that everybody that result was because Dracar Klose was about to knock Bonil Darguesh out, and then Bonil Dargues knocked Dracar Klose out. And that's why it was like, whoa, we're calling this knockout, and then that knockout, and we're all over each other. And uh, yeah, that's why that moment was one that was met with such virality, is because the fight literally spun on a dot.
SPEAKER_01And then it pops up on Twitter pretty much every day now for the rest of the internet's time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think my daughters are are pretty sick of that, you know.
SPEAKER_01Uh relationships with the fighters. Uh obviously, when we're prepping for events, there are some things in game notes, or I assume you get bios or fighter notes, but then there are some things that you could never publish in a statistical kind of perspective uh or a storyline. And then if it's just grabbing coffee with someone, those are kind of the stories that sometimes are best told, or you can best uh put together a relationship with a fighter. So what's kind of your strategy with that outside of the obvious of what would go on your fighter card?
SPEAKER_02So the best part of the job and also the most challenging part of the job is doing right by all 700 fighters, and that's my primary initiative, right? Anything that isn't spent on show formatics during these fight weeks for the most part is spent trying to chase information and conversation. It becomes a little much at the host hotel, I will say, for some of the broadcast team, right? With fans and coaches and fighters, and all of a sudden, you know, you might get a nugget, but you've spun three hours in a hotel lobby and you start to panic in terms of losing that time. We sit down with about half the fight card. So unlike the White House show that was 14 fighters, we're used to 28 fighters. So we sit down with 14 or 15. We do 15-minute fighter meetings back to back to back to back, and then you know, chasing other information media scrums. And but you're right. I mean, and oftentimes the best stuff is the passing shoulders and having a quick conversation and catching a coach. And uh, yeah, I mean, you know, Joe Rogan is has always had like such a rabid appetite for MMA and combat sports. And he'll say, you know, while my brain is filled with like the NBA and the NFL and Major League Baseball, his brain is filled with all of these martial artists that he's been watching. But he's the most listened to man in America, so how accessible can he be? Right. So I try to sort of uh make up some of that in terms of my accessibility to the athletes and to the roster, you know, because there's only so much that one man can do. So yeah, dude, we take it pretty seriously. It's a labor of love, but uh as I think you know, it's like you could always do more. So we're always we're always chasing it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, totally. Uh, I got one more for you. This has been awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time. You mentioned uh when you first started with UFC, you were what, 31, 32?
SPEAKER_02Something like that, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So I'm approaching that age right now. What's one thing? What's one thing you would tell me is I'm looking for my next big break in my career. I've gotten one-off opportunities uh with some of these networks, but I'm looking for consistency. I'm not saying no to anything, and I'm just looking for the more consistency to again prove myself that I have what it takes to do this on a full-time status. What if you if you could go back and tell your 31, 32-year-old self something, what would it be?
SPEAKER_02Well, certainly repetitions, which you've heard before, but also that wisdom can only be acquired with age. And I am a much more evolved, completed version of myself in therapy once a week at 47 than I was at 32. I've said on a UFC telecast I was a world-class idiot at 27 and I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew what was going on. So I just think that you can't rush time and you just need to be patient. And you never know when opportunities are going to present themselves, right? And in our business, sometimes it's hard to accrue repetitions, right? And it's hard to mute the TV and call games from your living room, right? And uh, how do you acquire repetitions? Well, you do a podcast once a week for two years, a hundred episodes, even if your mom's the only one clicking. And um, I was very much that kid who was sending out demo tapes and just hoping for a bite, hoping for a bite. And um eventually I got a bite and you spin it forward and you hope you're ready. But um, you're well on your way. As I said, you know, when I was your age. Um, complete lunatic idiot. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that that's a great place to end it. And I think too, that's kind of a reason I started this show a few weeks ago, right? Because obviously play by play is my bread and butter, and I have the most passion for it. But I want to prove to these people in the business I'm more I'm capable of being as versatile as possible. And if you need me to call a game, I can do it. If you need me to host a show, I can do that. Yeah, so and obviously starting these relationships and keeping them going with people like you, and for listeners who are listening who want to be broadcasters or are just interested in sports, I I think it's a culmination of people who might be interested in multiple things.
SPEAKER_02Right. No, I definitely think developing uh the desk skills hosting and the ability to do play-by-play. And I would even say to someone like yourself, like, you know, combat sports, right? To just think about it a little bit, or even even if you were to say to yourself, the big UFC shows, right? Like I'm gonna walk maybe watch these and just have some knowledge of the champions, right? Because if all of a sudden the UFC was looking for a play-by-play guy, you know, like I I mean, bro, like I couldn't get I couldn't get I couldn't get a game at ESPN, and then these guys offer me 20 fights. So um yeah, uh, you know, I don't know. I mean, I I'm not as versatile as you, I'm sure, you know, like I can't call hockey, you know. Um like but yeah, I just would uh I would open your mind to combat a little bit because I just think there's a lot of unique opportunities and a lot of like weird one-offs and a lot of like fight promotions, and you know, so that'd be my advice, I guess.
SPEAKER_01You know, yeah, listen to me. I'm down, I'm down to do any sport like we were talking about. We've both done some funky broadcasts before, but at the end of the day, they're still doing the X's and O's of coming on camera, chemistry with an analyst, talking over graphics, things like that. So at the end of the day, that they are very similar. Like rock, paper, scissors isn't that much different than MMA from a broadcast perspective.
SPEAKER_02Truth.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, uh, John, this was awesome. I think people will really enjoy it. Thank you for taking the time. When's your next broadcast?
SPEAKER_02Connor McGregor, July 11th. Yeah. I've heard of him. Yeah, how about that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so that's really exciting. We'll tune into that. And uh, thanks for taking the time.
SPEAKER_02My man, good to chat with you. Have a good day.
That's Wild + Tip of the Cap
SPEAKER_01All right, that was John Anik. Thanks again to John for taking the time. Really excited to see him back on the call in a couple of weeks. Connor McGregor back in the mix. And again, as mentioned during the interview, I don't consider myself a UFC savant, but if Connor McGregor is fighting in the year 2026, you know the meme, verbal meme. I will be there no matter what. Period. Uh, yeah, so that that was awesome, and I'm looking forward to tuning into that. Now let's wrap up the show with some of our recurring segments, starting off with That's Wild. And we mentioned Scotty Scheffler at the top of the show in his battle with Victor Hovlin at the Travelers Championship. But there was a stat that came across my computer earlier or over the weekend that made me stop and think that is wild. So Scotty Scheffler on Unsurprising to most people, he shot a 60 on Friday, round two of the Travelers. Uh, with that 60, Scheffler is the only player in tour history to have recorded every score from 59 to 79 without a round in the 80s. 595 rounds on the PGA tour. He has now recorded every number on his scorecard, 59 through 79, and has not shot 80. That is wild. Tip of the cap. We give a tip of the cap now to the Golics. The Golics are back in the mix on ESPN. Mike and Mike Jr. are returning next month starting August 3rd, and they're going to have a two-hour slot on ESPN radio from 10 a.m. to noon Eastern. This is great to see. I mean, for a lot of the 90s kids like me, we grew up driving to school and listening to Mike and Mike. And I know we're not getting that reunion right now, but now that they're back under the same umbrella of ESPN, maybe that can pick up some steam because I know people would love to see that. But Mike and his son Mike Jr. has done a tremendous job. He's actually called games the last couple of years for TNT. He's done their big uh Big 12 package with uh the voice of the Rams, JB Long, who's a tremendous broadcaster. Uh, but great to see the Golex back in the mix on ESPN, and we give a tip of the cap to them for getting this back on the road, and I am looking forward to tuning into that uh in the beginning of August, just as football season will begin. Also, shout out tip of the cap to Matt Jones from Kentucky Sports Radio. He also got added to the programming list on uh starting next month. So he's the man I always loved when PMT would fill in for him and rile up those Kentucky Wildcat fans, big blue nation. You know what I'm talking about. So shout out to those guys excited to tune into ESPN radio next month. Uh alright, some QA's
Listener Q + A
SPEAKER_01to wrap up. I appreciate everybody submitting their QA's. I thought we got some good ones when we did this a couple of weeks ago. Uh so I figured, hey, what the heck? Let's run it back. And we have some good entries so far today from both Instagram and Twitter. I still always call it Twitter. It is X. Um, but we'll start off with a one from Morgan Wensler on Instagram. How many times a month are you calling games, matches, etc.? That is a fantastic question, Morgan, and I wish I had a straightforward answer for you. From my perspective, I'm currently freelancing. There are pros and cons of freelancing. The pros, you can call any game that comes across your desk because you're not tied down to one team or network. The cons, you don't know how many times those teams and networks are going to come calling you. So it's a big roller coaster ride. Uh, can definitely take a mental toll, but uh sometimes all in the peak college sports season, I'll call maybe six to seven or even eight games per month. In the month of June, I didn't call anything. Is that uh spotlight on me? No. As mentioned earlier, it's the slower part of the season or slower part of the sports calendar, so things are typically slower going on right now. Uh in this time of year, right? So that that's just how it works. A lot of uh aside from the World Cup, MLB, and the PGA tour, um, it's very hard to find opportunities. And for somebody my age, 30 years old, where you're not affiliated with a team or a network full-time yet, and of course that's what I'm striving for, uh, you just have to ride it out, right? And and being patient, I know it's something that Adam Schefter and Kyle Long and John Annick, they they've all kind of shared those similar philosophies, right? It's just trust the process, and all it takes is one person to notice, uh, and it can change the whole trajectory of your career. But I'm very fortunate and grateful for the all the opportunities I've had so far. I have some events lined up later this summer, which I'm really excited about. I'll get into that uh in a couple of weeks. But yeah, that that's where we're at right now. So there's no straightforward answer to that. If you're the voice of a team or if you're the voice of a network, if you're Mike Tarico, you know you're calling Sunday Night Football every week. Uh so it just it just depends. And uh as I continue to hopefully work my way up the ladder, the goal is to have a more clear-cut answer to that because that means I'd be doing more games at a consistent level. But this freelance grind is it's difficult, but I gotta embrace it and try to move forward and attack every opportunity that comes comes my way, and I know I will, and I appreciate everyone who's put me on the air so far, and I appreciate everyone who's gonna give me a shot in the in the future in my career. So I appreciate that uh question from Morgan over on Instagram. Another one from IG. We've got G Lemon3. If you were tasked with calling a sport you knew nothing about, how would you do it? This is a good question, and I think it's uh important for those young student broadcasters out there if you're uh early into your in into your career to have a strategic mindset when it comes to this, right? Here in America, pretty much all of us know the X's and O's of how football works, basketball, baseball. Uh, those are the big ones here in American sports. Um, but I I have a good story. Back in September of 2018, 2017, my senior year of college, uh, I was presented the opportunity to call ACC Network Volleyball for Syracuse. They were playing Georgia Tech. I had never called volleyball before. I tried out one day for the middle school boys' volleyball team, and I quit a day after that. Uh, I wanted to check it out. My friend Kyle always played. Shout out Kyle. He always played and said you should come try it. Uh, but it wasn't for me. But that that's the only that's the extent of my volleyball uh experience heading into college, and then I get this opportunity. Matt Park, the voice of the orange, does a great job coordinating him and uh Olivia Stomsky over at the Newhouse Sports Media Center, uh staffing, giving students opportunities on the ACC network. So I get this chance to call volleyball, and again, didn't know much, but I use my network to my advantage. I had a friend from a couple of my Syracuse classes, Anna Connolly, who used to play uh on the Syracuse volleyball team, then she pivoted into broadcasting, and I said, Anna, you gotta help me out here. We're gonna call this game together, but I'll be honest, I have never called volleyball before. I don't know much. Can you set aside an hour or two and sit me down and explain it to me like I'm dumb? I don't know anything. So we had a volleyball 101 meeting. Uh we sat in the WAER radio station talk studio, sponsored by Nick Wright, who I believe is the donor to that. Shout out Nick Wright and all the WAER alums, and she taught me everything. And I I think a combination of leaning on your resources and just pulling up YouTube videos. Literally type in volleyball 101. I mean, it it really helps a ton. I think that's a good strategy to have. I did a similar thing uh when I was just starting out at Syracuse with lacrosse. My cousin, Carly, played for the UF women's lacrosse team, and I called her on the phone and I said, just explain it to me. And obviously, I got some good opportunities with Syracuse. They're a big lacrosse goal, both on the men's and women's side, and then it it turned into some PLL opportunities, which I'm grateful for, uh, which I can hopefully get back in the mix for in in the next few years. But that's what I would do is basically elevator pitch to your to your question is YouTube and friendship slash family. Lean on those people, and it'll point you in the right direction. Uh, two more here. Nick on Twitter, most rewarding part of calling games. I think man, it depends on how the game goes, but overall, depending on how it goes, I'd say a feeling I get no matter whether or not it's a blowout or a nail biter, I'd say just it's the adrenaline rush, right? No matter if a game is a team wins by 10 touchdowns, uh, or uh walk-off touchdown in overtime, like I was fortunate to do for the Barcelona Arizona Bowl a couple of years ago, um that feeling of adrenaline walking into the broadcast booth, walking up to the broadcast table courtside, it's unlike you'll ever you'll ever feel. Now I'd imagine when you when ideally, not I can make it to the NFL or top college level, uh, with those massive hundreds of thousands of people watching uh in the in the stadium uh and then millions watching live, it's a it's a different feeling, and I I gotta ask a future guest what that feeling is like at that top level. Uh, but even at the levels that I've been fortunate enough to do it, I still feel it, folks. I've I've done games uh in COVID crowds where there's not many people on the stands besides from cardboard cutouts, uh, and I still feel it. I think that's the most rewarding part uh to answer your question. It's just knowing that you are getting paid to talk about sports. It's all of our dreams, and I'm trying to make it into a reality for me consistently. And that's what I would say is the most rewarding part about calling a game is getting to work in sports and getting that adrenaline rush and that excitement, which is what I try to portray when I get excited, uh, like I talked about with Kyle Long last week. Last one here before we wrap up the show, it's back on Instagram and it's from Kyle Juice. Kyle asks, do you brainstorm catchphrases or do you let them come to you in the moment? Good question, Kyle. Uh I'd say it's a mix of a little of both. You know, I've I've used Bang, which is obviously Mike Breen's. I'm not saying it's mine, but it's I think what do they say? Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. I think that might be the uh quote. Don't quote me on that, no pun intended. Um, but I I've combined ones that I grew up listening to. I've used Bang, I've used Kaboom, which is uh Eric Reed from the Miami Heat. I mean, I think there's a few that feel more natural, something I've been using uh off of big three-pointers or big plays. I've been using oh yeah, and I I get very into it. I gotta I'll I'll throw in an oh yeah in a second here so people can hear me in action because I don't have the adrenaline rush sitting in an empty apartment right now. But oh yeah is something that I've I've felt good about recently. Um and the feedback that I've gotten online, people seem to like O Yeah as well. And there might be a broadcaster who has that as their signature call. So if if there is, I'm I'm not trying to steal your shine. That's something uh that you probably had before me, but I want I I think O yeah could turn into it. Uh we'll we'll see how it goes. We'll we'll just let it go naturally. So, yeah, there's things that go in your brain. Uh I don't have a signature one yet, but some those are some of the ones uh that I've used over the years, and I'm sure every broadcaster has a different story to tell when they talk about their signature calls. But I'd like to think I'm still in the infancy stage of my career where uh I'm not exactly known for anything yet besides that's wild. And that's why we have the segment called That's Wild. Uh, but yeah, that's the show. Thanks again to everybody who submitted their questions. Uh feel free to submit whenever you want. I know I put out the question box the morning of, um, but I can bookmark some questions for the next episode or the next time we do this uh so people can still get all their questions asked. Uh next week, uh I'm gonna be on the road. I'm gonna be on the road and I'm gonna be doing the show. I'm gonna bring my microphone. I'm heading to California for vacation with my girlfriend, so that'll be a lot of fun. So coming soon to a random California hotel. To you soon. That's on the call with Jake Marsh. I appreciate all of you tuning in. Spread the word, keep subscribing. Remember, we're on YouTube as well if you're watching, if you're listening. Uh, but I appreciate all the support. Five stars, like, subscribe, etc. etc. etc. So thanks again to John Anik. Thanks again to all of you for tuning in. We will see you next week here on On the Call with Jake Marsh.