Dana White says Mike Goldberg leaving UFC following UFC 207

Mike Goldberg began his career in hockey but found himself as one of the voices of the UFC. (Neil Davidson/CP)

UFC 207 will be play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg’s final event with the promotion, UFC president Dana White confirmed to reporters in Las Vegas Wednesday.

Rumours surfaced in late November suggesting the UFC’s new ownership group was considering taking the promotion’s broadcasting style in a different direction and White told Sportsnet earlier this month that he wanted to get Joe Rogan a new UFC broadcast partner in 2017.

“Joe Rogan, in my opinion, is the greatest to ever do it. The greatest ever to call fights,” White said. “HBO is very cocky and arrogant in their [boxing] production — but they deserve to be; they do it well and everything else — but Joe Rogan is the greatest to ever call fights in a combat sport.

“This has been my dream to assemble this dream team of commentating and I’ve wanted this guy for years and I’m working on it and it’s going to happen.”

Goldberg, while often heavily critiqued and even mocked by detractors, has been a part of many of the most iconic moments in mixed martial arts history. The 52-year-old debuted with the UFC in 1997 and also has experience calling NHL and NFL games.

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