It’s a question that has been asked by many fight fans. Can the UFC fighters hear the commentators? Can they hear them when they are talking about key moments in the game, and indirectly soliciting advice to the fighters. Often, the commentators can be seen tearing the fighter apart by pointing out the fallacies in their game, while at other times they are just admiring the beauty of a fighter’s skill set. Needless to say, if the fighters competing inside the Octagon can hear it, it is bound to have some kind of impact on the fighters and their performance.
It’s not that simple to answer whether or not fighters can hear the commentators. The likelihood of a fighter being able to listen to the commentators depends on a lot of factors.
Can the UFC fighters listen to the commentators?
There’s every reason to believe that fighters can hear Joe Rogan and Jon Anik screaming at the early onslaught or a quick finish inside the UFC Octagon. However, the chance of them hearing them has a lot to do with the noise the crowd is making. We are pretty sure that the fighters can hear their coaches in the corner when they are giving them instructions during the fight. However, it’s equally important to note that they are screaming at the top of their voice.
There have been instances where UFC fighters have had a small interaction with the commentators or passed comments mid-fight. However, it has only occurred when the fight is happening near the cage. Additionally, it can be seen that even the fighter has to scream in order to be heard by the commentators. The noise made by the crowd and the overwhelming state during the event makes it highly unlikely for the fighter to be able to hear the commentators.
UFC fighters were able to hear the commentators in empty arenas
UFC shifted to noo-attendance events owing to the restriction protocols due to COVID-19. It was evident that when there was no sound of the crowd, fighters were able to catch the UFC commentators. Max Holloway vs Calvin Kattar saw the former featherweight champion have an exchange mid-dight. Kevin Holland was seen seeking wrestling advice from Daniel Cormier on the commentary table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leW8p45Zmmc
The news made headlines when UFC conducted its first PPV event with Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC 249. It wasn’t just the fighters who were able to listen to the instructions from their coaches very clearly, and the commentators soliciting their opinion during the fight, additionally, fans were also able to hear the coaches more clearly, and the sounds from the impact of the shots exchanged during the fight.
Can UFC fighters hear the commentators, it depends. However, with UFC back with a full-capacity crowd beginning UFC 261, it’s safe to assume that days of listening to commentators chime in about the fight are gone.
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