Todd Grisham Talks About Expectations Before UFC Debut

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Todd Grisham spoke about his upcoming play-by-play debut at UFC Fight Night 105. Here are highlights:

On his love of the UFC: “I watched UFC 14 as a fan in Birmingham, Alabama. Mark Coleman (and) Maurice Smith (were) the main event. So I’ve always loved the sport. And then as a kid I also liked watching WWE but kind of grew out of that. And as I grew out of that, I really started focusing on MMA. There was a period for like four or five years when I was watching every single pay-per-view, and then I started getting into other stuff. And then as I came back to ESPN five years ago, I was lucky enough to be the host of ‘MMA Live’ and for the past five years I’ve probably been to what, 20-some-odd cards.”

On adding emotional depth to the role: “To me, what I always try to do is to paint a picture where you care about these guys. (Where) you care if Derrick Lewis wins or loses. It’s not just two random guys fighting in a K-Mart parking lot, you know. Who cares? But if you give me a reason to be emotionally invested in fighter A and in fighter B, and care about who wins, then I feel like I’ve done my job. The questions I usually ask these guys, pertaining to that, is ‘What’s your mentality going in there, who are you fighting for?’ Some guys are fighting for money literally to feed their families. So you see that desperation when they fight. Other guys are fighting for their careers.That’s what I try and find out from those guys.”

On how his approach differs: “Brian Stann and Dominick Cruz, they want to get into the nitty-gritty of strategies and counter attacks and that sort of stuff. I’m more the, ‘How can we make this guy is more likable, make you care about him more, make him be a star?’ Because if Derrick Lewis goes in there and knocks Travis Browne out in the first round, he’s going to be a star, and it’s my job to not screw that up.”