CBS broadcaster
Gus Johnson is much loved by sports fans for his enthusiastic approach to college basketball and the NFL. But it sounds like he's even more enthusiastic about mixed martial arts. USA Today reports:
"I firmly believe it's the sport of the future," says Gus Johnson, who calls CBS' NFL and NCAA college basketball games and will work MMA's broadcast-network debut on CBS on Saturday. "The kids love it. And they're walking in a cage, so there's something very primal about it. The cage itself is a great piece of theater." ...
Johnson, taking jujitsu to help understand MMA, calls MMA "a complex chess match." The key, he says, will be to tell novices "what goes on when the fight hits the ground. ... What America has to understand is the guy on the bottom - especially if he's a jujitsu master - is in the better position."
I think getting Johnson on the EliteXC broadcasts was one of the smartest things that CBS did. Johnson brings instant credibility, his presence makes clear that this is a legitimate sporting event, and he makes his passion obvious. I'll enjoy listening to him call Saturday night's fights.
