Exclusive: Mike Goldberg explains why he would "throw" Joe Rogan "same softballs" when calling fights on Spike TV: "A welcomed challenge"

Mike Goldberg recently explained the strategies behind his commentary when calling UFC fights with Joe Rogan on Spike TV. He noted that it was a new platform for the promotion as they looked to expand their national audience and gain popularity.

Goldberg and Rogan were the UFC's commentary duo for the better part of two decades and had built a great rapport with each other, which was evident in their on-air chemistry.

They played a key role in the promotion during a time when it experienced financial hardships and had many memorable calls on the broadcast that have become fixtures in their highlight packages.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Goldberg explained his method when calling UFC fights with Rogan. Goldberg mentioned that MMA was still fairly new in America and he structured his commentary in a way for his partner to educate viewers on what was transpiring in the octagon:

"[UFC fights were] on free TV and that's where people really fell in love with it and it gave Joe and I a much broader audience and a lot of newbies, where I would throw Joe the same softballs a lot because we had to teach people that didn't know the sport what this sport was all about without trying to insult those who had been fans since day one. So it was a challenge. It was a welcomed challenge."

Check out Mike Goldberg's comments below (20:21):

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Joe Rogan's former broadcast partner Mike Goldberg expresses gratitude toward Spike TV

During the aforementioned video, Mike Goldberg appreciated Spike TV for their belief in the UFC.

Goldberg mentioned that the channel believed in the promotion following 'The Ultimate Fighter' season one finale and signed a media rights deal while other major networks were reluctant:

"[UFC-Spike TV] was a great partnership and I'll always be a fan of Kevin Kay and everybody at Spike because they were the ones that had the guts to take a chance. There were other big networks that talked about it, there were huge executives that were shot down by their bosses... but, Spike didn't just dip their toe in the water, they jumped in head first and I'll forever be thankful." [21:04]

Check out highlights from Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar featuring Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan on commentary below: