UFC Fight Night announcers are Brendan Fitzgerald and John Gooden. The duo has called on all the major UFC events so far in 2023.
There have been seven UFC Fight Night events up to this point, while two upcoming events have been confirmed. UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Bueno Silva on July 15 and UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov on August 5 are the next highlights of the series this year.
Ultimate Fighting Championship currently hosts nine different events, among which UFC Fight Night comes second in popularity, following the UFC numbered events.
It was first introduced to the viewers in August 2013, with its first-ever event titled UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen. Spike, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, and UFC Fight Pass were the event's official broadcasters.
UFC Fight Night only airs on ESPN+. Meanwhile, a group of UFC media experts reports on the scheduled fight and the insiders backstage.
The faces involved on screen have been consistent until now, while some have made a remarkable history.
The following table includes all the 2023 UFC Fight Nights to date:
UFC Fight Night and Its Date
| Strickland vs. Imavov | Jan 14, 2023 |
| Lewis vs. Spivak | Feb 4, 2023 |
| Andrade vs. Blanchfield | Feb 18, 2023 |
| Muniz vs. Allen | Feb 25, 2023 |
| Yan vs. Dvalishvili | Mar 11, 2023 |
| Pavlovich vs. Blaydes | Apr 22, 2023 |
| Dern vs. Hill | May 20, 2023 |
UFC Fight Night Play Callers List
There are following two men to lead the UFC Fight Night broadcast team.
- Brendan Fitzgerald
- John Gooden
Brendan Fitzgerald
Brendan Fitzgerald first joined UFC as a color commentator in 2017. He appeared on "Tuesday Night Contender Series," now known as "Dana White's Contender Series."
Fitzgerald then moved on with the UFC Fight Night series as its main play-by-play announcer and has led the series' five events as of 2023. He started out the first event on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Brendan last called on the UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill on May 20, 2023. Before UFC, he was a part of ESPN's college sports network, ESPNU. Besides being the head of the Fight Night broadcast team, he also hosts "Fitz Nation Podcast" and "On the Line" on UFC Fight Pass.
John Gooden
While Brendan led the UFC Fight Night announcing duties for five games, John Gooden covered the other two events. John called out the UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak on February 4 and UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes on April 22.
According to his LinkedIn, Gooden is fully dedicated to UFC in various positions, including as a reporter, host, presenter, producer, and pundit.
The two UFC Fight Night events were his promotional work as a play-by-play commentator when Brendan could not make it to the events.
Apart from his time at the world's No.1 MMA platform, John takes out his time as the lead caller of the Professional Triathletes Organisation.
UFC Fight Night Commentators and Analysts
UFC commentators list for the 2023 season:
- Paul Felder
- Dominick Cruz
- Michael Bisping
- Laura Sanko
- Daniel Cormier
Paul Felder
The Irish Dragon, Paul Felder, started his media career as a UFC color commentator in November 2020 while he was still active as a fighter.
Coming on May 22, 2021, Felder officially announced his retirement during UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. Since then, the Irish Dragon has been working as a full-time pundit.
For the 2023 fighting season in UFC, he joined Fitzgerald for the first event. Felder was absent in the second event that was hosted by Gooden.
Likewise, Paul again appeared with Brendan on the cage side in the third event but not in the fourth event on February 25. He did not appear at April 22's big event, the sixth event in the series, but was present in all.
Dominick Cruz
A former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz, is a regular commentator to the team of Fitzgerald after the Irish Dragon.
Dominick accompanied Paul and Brendan at the first event of the UFC Fight Night this year. While he was not present in the 2nd and 3rd events, he was back for the fourth fight event on February 25.
Cruz missed Yan vs. Dvalishvili on March 11 but came back for the Pavlovich vs. Blaydes on April 22 to tend to Gooden. On top of that, he did not return for the seventh event that was covered by the duo of Brendan and Paul.
Michael Bisping
A former UFC Middleweight Champion and 2019's UFC Hall of Famer, Michael Bisping, ranks amongst the notable UFC analysts in 2023.
Bisping made his debut as a color commentator at UFC Fight Night 144 on February 2, 2019, in Fortaleza, Brazil. Meanwhile, he had already made several appearances in Dana White‘s Tuesday Night Contender Series media team in 2018.
Likewise, Bisping then made his UFC pay-per-view commentary debut at UFC 251 on July 12, 2020, in Abu Dhabi. Apart from his media career, he has been focusing on his action-packed acting career.
Michael was on the team of Gooden at the second event of the 2023 Fight Night series. He then joined Fitzgerald for the 4th event on February 25 between Muniz and Allen.
The former middleweight champion Michael again returned for Pavlovich vs. Blaydes on April 22 and also for Dern vs. Hill on May 20.
Laura Sanko
A Chicago native, Laura Sanko is the first female color commentator in the modern UFC era in over 20 years to call an event from the booth.
Laura made history during the game between Lewis and Spivak on February 4 at UFC Apex. The same event marked her debut as a UFC color commentator.
Sanko previously competed in Invicta Fighting Championships before venturing as an MMA commentator. She was on the team of Gooden and Bisping during her debut but also joined Brendan's team on the third event.
Daniel Cormier
The former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Cormier, was present as a pundit on the 2023 Fight Night series during the March 11 event between Yan and Dvalishvili.
Since then, Cormier has not returned for the remaining events while the upcoming two fight nights' broadcast team is yet to be determined.
Daniel is a six-time US World and Olympic Team Member, a World bronze medalist, and a one-time World Cup runner-up in his international wrestling career.
UFC Fight Night Reporters
The names of the UFC reporters are listed below:
- Heidi Androl
- Charly Arnolt
- Megan Olivi
Heidi Androl
Heidi Androl is a contract-based UFC correspondent who has been on the front lines since May 2011. For the 2023 UFC fighting season, she reported for the team of Brendan on the first event.
Heidi did not return for the second event called by Gooden but came for the third one, Andrade vs. Blanchfield, held on February 18. She then handled the reporting duties for the fifth and seventh events.
The Michigan native Heidi Androl works with Fox Sports as their Ultimate Fighting Championship, National Football League, and PBC reporter.
Charly Arnolt
Charly Arnolt replaced Heidi as a reporter for the Gooden team of UFC broadcasters for the second event, UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivak.
Arnolt then returned for the sixth event, Pavlovich vs. Blaydes, on April 22, again on Gooden's team. Charly is best known for her time as a sportscaster and ring announcer with WWE from 2016 to 2021.
As of June, Charly Arnolt has bid farewell to the ESPN network and has joined OutKick, a multi-media platform founded by Clay Travis.
Megan Olivi
Reporter Megan Olivi has been a part of the UFC team since June 2012. She reported updates during the fourth event between Muniz and Allen while she was on the team of Brendan, Cruz, and Bisping on February 25.
That was her only appearance on a UFC Fight Night event, while the audience may see her soon for the upcoming big fights. While she has been around the world of fighting, Olivi has been a preliminary and final telecast judge at the 2017 Miss Universe pageant.
