I believe the biggest stigma right now, with mental health, is that a lot of men are not talking about it.
Mauro Ranallo
One thing that I've learned is that you don't have to be a prima donna or think you are better than other people in order to succeed.
I've never been ashamed of being the ham or the provocateur, as it were, in my style of commentary or my style of showmanship.
I actually think I suck. I think I'm one of the worst announcers, one of the worst performers there is. It blows my mind that I keep getting hired. But when I'm doing it, yeah, I'll admit: No one can do it like I can.
UFC is UFC, and God bless them, they have the largest roster and some amazing fighters, but there's amazing fighters everywhere. That's why I am impressed with what Bellator has attempted to do with the tournament or with Aaron Pico and some of the younger talent.
When I'm talking or performing, I'm alive. That's why I work so much.
As much as I love to watch movies, nothing beats being ringside for a championship fight in boxing.
I've called all sports. I was a radio DJ, club DJ, talk show host, hockey, basketball, football; you name it, I've done it.
In New Japan, it is kept very simple. It's about proving to the other man or woman that you are the better person. And guess what? It's about championships.
I would say Chael Sonnen would be a natural for professional wrestling.
All combat sports are connected.
I'm trying to show people that you can have any kind of life you want.
I was as much at first probably against Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather as anyone else but... as soon as I turned off the purity of the combat sports thing, this is a business. Guys, we're all trying to make a living, we're all trying to entertain people and guess what, it's the second-biggest PPV in history regardless of how you feel about it.
I need to stay busy. Otherwise, I am like so many people, alone with my thoughts, and I can be my own worst enemy.
I'm a huge sports fan, and I'm a huge entertainment fan.
I was willing to walk away from my dream job, let's leave it at that. In order for me to do that, I had to be true to my convictions and what makes you a human being.
I grew up on camera. I started at 16.
I love to consume information of all kinds, and I think that also hopefully helps with my broadcasting, that I always try to bring up a fact that maybe will connect to a person who's not a big fan, or maybe a pop culture reference.
I will always be thankful to WWE for letting me be the voice of SmackDown Live and bring it to the USA Network.
I'm not a fan of my own work. People ask why I do it, but it's because I actually love what I'm doing in the moment. I live for it. It's a release.
Pride was a date night - the cool thing to do at the time - so people were dressed to the nines, and they got quite an experience, visually and otherwise. It was Cirque du Soleil meets the Super Bowl meets WrestleMania meets your favorite rock n' roll concert.
Not talking about mental illness is killing people. We need that to stop.
Anyone who is dealing with any issue or any illness whatsoever, without a support network, chances are the person will not survive.
Some of the brightest, most creative minds have been touched by mental illness.
Mental illness affects everyone.
I have a lot of critics, and that's fine. I think it's better to be polarizing than to be vanilla. I also think people can't question the passion and sincerity that I bring because I truly am the luckiest guy in the world.
I've received enough blessings for a lifetime in terms of my employment.
There is so much to be celebrated about mental illness. I do believe that there is something to be said about the truly artistic, the truly brilliant, those of us who have been 'touched by fire' that should be celebrated, not stigmatized.
I'm a fan first and foremost. I get caught up in the drama, the emotion of what is happening, whether it's a boxing match, an MMA fight, a kickboxing contest, or a WWE matchup. I want to tell the story and paint more pictures.
My 20s were gone, my 30s were recovery, my 40s is where I am self-sufficient.
There are people with much bigger profiles than mine who are talking about mental illness. I am going to try to use whatever platform I have, whatever voice I have to help eliminate the stigma.
I'm obsessed with broadcasting.
We all know the difference between sports entertainment and the combat sports that I call, but at the end of the day, they are all spawned from the same source, and there's a lot of mutual respect between the two bodies.
One of my first heroes was Jim Robson, the hall-of-fame broadcaster with the Canucks and Hockey Night in Canada, and Jim Ross with the WWE and Howard Cosell was a big influence on me.
I think the healthier Bellator can be, the better it is for the entire sport, especially the athletes who - let's face it - need to be paid more. They need the opportunity to negotiate and have an option. Bellator definitely presents that.
I've always loved kickboxing.
There is danger involved in combat sports, but this is the purest form of competition. It's all about finding the truth. When you put someone in a cage or a ring, you're going to find out the truth - not only about your opponent but about yourself as well.
For me, being a part of the halcyon days of Pride Fighting Championships and then watching the explosion of the UFC following the 'Ultimate Fighter,' I've been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
Joining WWE has always been a lifelong dream of mine.
I am bipolar, and I am a full manifestation of it in terms of my speech, in terms of my energy.
I don't care about me being vulnerable or embarrassing situations.
We need to treat people with mental illness like people.
There is a beauty and a special quality in being what I am. I know it, and I've learned how to use it.
I love the preparation before a fight. I love to research, and the process of finding little-known information to use when I'm calling a fight is incredible for me.
I'm a perfectionist and my own worst critic.
It's a daily struggle for me to stay alive. I don't mean to be melodramatic, hyperbolic, or go into my broadcast mode. But even that, my career is bipolar.
My job, live television, broadcasting, there's mania involved in there, too, but it's the good stuff.
WWE, in the back of my mind, was always the dream job, and most people don't get their dream jobs.
All I can say is that WWE and its entire machinery has been nothing but a joy to work with. I'm not just saying that because I'm paid to or that I'm a member of the company. I have criticized WWE in the past, but I am still a big fan of the product.
I believe every one of us has a gift, I believe every one of us human beings has a path in this life, and it is up to each of us, through circumstance, through knowledge, through awareness, through luck - and luck does play a huge part - to hopefully achieve that path and walk the path and realize the gift.
