Former Smackdown commentator Mauro Ranallo joins Bellator MMA

Former Smackdown lead commentator Mauro Ranallo has joined Bellator MMA and will make his debut for the promotion on the June 24 show which airs live from Madison Square Garden.

Ranallo, who is technically still under a WWE deal till August, last appeared on Smackdown in March and then departed under a lot of questionable circumstances. Ranallo was given a leave of absence by WWE due to his battle with depression and then rumors starting popping up that bullying from John “Bradshaw” Layfield was one of the main reasons that Ranallo decided to quit the company just a year after he got his dream job.

Joining Ranallo is Mike Goldberg, the former UFC commentator who worked for Dana White for nearly two decades and then left when the new UFC owners did not offer him a new deal. Goldberg was once rumored to be joining WWE as the lead commentator for Monday Night Raw several years ago but then opted to remain with the UFC.

“Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo are two of the best in our business and I couldn’t be happier about them joining the Bellator family,” said Bellator CEO Scott Coker in a statement. “In addition to June 24, we look forward to working together to make future Spike broadcasts even more exciting for our fans as we add further depth to an already-exceptional broadcast team.”