There aren't many better voices in sports than Jim Ross.
The retired WWE commentator was on MMAJunkie's podcast yesterday, and was full of enthusiasm about the upcoming Conor McGregor fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 196.
Ross actually thinks it's a better fight now that Diaz is in, rather than Dos Anjos, solely for the personalities of the fighters involved. Ross credits Dana White for getting Diaz involved, and he thinks that while the build-up will be abbreviated, it should be intense with the two fighters "creating the controversy themselves".
Relating to his time with the WWE, Ross reveals that he was a talent scout for the organisation. He spoke of what makes a great performer - and relates that to both McGregor and Diaz:
I had the opportunity to hire a lot of talent for WWE back in the day – some pretty good guys, as a matter of fact.
But there’s an intangible ‘it factor’ that you have to feel. It’s a feel thing; you can’t quantify it like, ‘He’s the right height, he fits all the measurables and everything.’
It’s a matter of the ‘it’ thing where you are motivated to listen to what they have to say, you’re anxious to the next thing they say and when they’re fighting you can’t take your eyes off of them and want to be a part of that fight.
Ross then compared the two fighters to two legends of WWE history - Ric Flair and the late Roddy Piper:
Looking at old wrestling terms, they’re like Flair and Piper. They’re both great talkers and they know what to say, when to say it and what to say to piss you off. Diaz has done a good job of ruffling the feathers of every Irish person in the world. And he should, in a sensible way, obviously. That’s what they do.
That's high praise.
