Paramount exec explains Bellator split with commentator Jimmy Smith

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Bellator President Scott Coker chalked up Jimmy Smith’s departure from his longtime color commentary role as a “network decision.” Now the network has given its reason for not reaching a new agreement.

Smith’s exit from Bellator was announced in late December. He’s already come to an agreement to join the UFC’s stable of broadcasters, while his Bellator position was filled with noted combat sports referee “Big” John McCarthy.

In the middling period before Smith’s UFC signing, there was a mix of outrage and wonder why his Bellator tenure ended. He said contract extension talks ultimately hit a dead-end, and Jon Slusser, Paramount’s senior vice president for sports and multi-platform programming, confirmed as much with his version of the events.

“When it comes to Jimmy Smith, he’s been with this company for a very long time,” Slusser said at Thursday’s Bellator 192 pre-fight news conference. “He’s super talented, passionate. He’s great. And we really wish him well. We tried to make it work, as he said, as we said. It’s business. We got together, discussed it, and we just didn’t see eye-to-eye on the deal.”

In the wake of the relationship between Smith and Bellator, McCarthy steps into the broadcast booth. He debuts Saturday at Bellator 192, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and marks the debut of Bellator on the newly launched Paramount Network (formerly Spike).

Slusser believes the changes to the Bellator broadcast booth in recent weeks bring a new dynamic the product didn’t previously offer.

“Where we are now, we’re really excited about,” Slusser said. “We’ve got ‘Big’ John (McCarthy), Jay Glazer added to our unbelievable group of broadcasters. We’re really excited where we are, looking forward to a big Saturday night with our team and I think ‘Big’ John, we’ve worked with him, we’ve done some tests, and he’s incredible. Really, really good. We’re excited for you to see that and you’ll see that he’s great.

For complete coverage of Bellator 192, check out the MMA Events section of the site.