After getting ‘dumped’ by Spike, ex-Bellator voice Sean Wheelock moves on with Titan FC

Sean Wheelock was driving when an usual number popped up on his phone. It was from a “senior executive” at Spike, one he saw at Bellator events, but never called. He thought it odd, but still answered.

The executive asked if he was on the road, then said he should pull over because, as Wheelock remembers, “there was some tough news.”

The executive, which Wheelock wouldn’t name in an interview with MMAjunkie Radio, was, he said, not a fan of his commentary with partner Jimmy Smith. The two had “philosophical differences” about his work.

Despite that, he knew his agent had been negotiating with Spike the week before. He had signed three contracts with the promotion since 2010.

The Spike executive told Wheelock he was out as a Bellator commentator. Despite their relationship, he likened the news, which came five days before Bellator 140 in July, to the kick Gegard Gordeau landed on Teila Tuli in the opening seconds of UFC 1.

“Tuli didn’t really see it coming and then took it full force in the face,” Wheelock told MMAjunkie Radio.

Looking back, he realizes the signs were there. When Spike terminated Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney’s employment, he believes, it opened the door for his exit. He might have been gone sooner had Rebney not fought to keep him around.

Current Bellator commentator Sean Grande said he was in negotiations to assume play-by-play duties in March, four months before the personnel decision was officially announced.

Wheelock doesn’t have any hard feelings toward Bellator about how things went down – he only wishes he had some idea it was coming. One week before the Spike executive called, he said, his agent was negotiating with the cable channel.

“I’m a big fan of Scott Coker,” he said. “As I’ve tried to make clear publicly and privately, I have no animosity toward Scott, because this wasn’t his decision. He was told, not consulted. This was a Spike decision. So I have nothing but great feelings for Bellator, because in my mind, I understand there’s Bellator and there’s Spike, and I got dumped by Spike.”

Unlike the 434-pound Tuli, Wheelock was a lot faster to get to his feet. Two months after that call, he received another from Titan FC CEO Jeff Aronson, who was looking for a new commentator.

Wheelock was quite familiar with the regional-level promoter, because he had called fights for Titan well before it had become a significant player in the MMA marketplace by signing a broadcast deal with CBS Sports and, later, UFC Fight Pass.

“Before I went to PRIDE, the very first MMA I was commenting for was Titan,” he said. “It was basically a Kansas organization. They had fighters like Rob Kimmons, Bobby Voelker and L.C. Davis – a lot of good young fighters, and it was a very strong local promotion.

“Jeff Aronson has done some spectacular things with it, taking it above and beyond what it originally started with. It’s nice for me that 10 years ago, I was calling Titan fights on Metro Sports local and regional cable, and now I’m going back to a brand new Titan and we’ll be on UFC Fight Pass. Very cool and very rewarding.”

On Dec. 18, MMA fans can hear Wheelock’s voice behind Titan FC 36, which takes place in Kansas City and streams live on UFC Fight Pass. But they may be hearing a lot more of him in the future.

“I love calling fights,” he said. “When I was with Bellator and Bjorn was there, we were doing 25, 26 shows. I was the guy lobbying saying, ‘Hey, why can’t we get it up to 40, 45?’

“One of my disappointments this year before I got dumped was the reduction in fights. I would like to call a fight every weekend. I like the volume of that. I like the regularly. I love those seasons in Bellator, because every week, I knew where I was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, I love being with my family. But on the weekends, I like getting on the plane and I like calling fights.”

For more on Titan FC 36, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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