On Thursday, the Professional Fighters League will kick off the start of its 2025 World Tournament across ESPN’s family of networks. And ahead of the start of the tournament, the fight promotion announced two key additions to their broadcast team.
In a press release on Tuesday, the PFL announced that Kennedy Smith and Greg Hamilton would be joining the promotion’s broadcast team. Smith will feature as a cageside reporter, while Hamilton will take over as the lead cage announcer.
Hamilton is perhaps best known for his time as the WWE ring announcer from 2015 to 2021, starting on WWE’s NXT product before making the jump to Monday Night Raw and later Friday Night SmackDown.
Ultimately, he was let go after sparking controversy during an online spat with rapper Westside Gunn, over the alleged use of Hamilton’s voice without consent or permission on one of his songs.
Kennedy Smith has served as the game day host for the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL for the past two seasons and as an in-game host with the Washington Nationals in 2024.
Both Hamilton and Smith shared statements outlining their excitement about this new opportunity.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Professional Fighters League as a Cageside Reporter,” said Smith in a press release. “The PFL’s World Tournament bracket is so innovative, and will give fans a chance to really get to know these fighters on a deeper level and root for them on their way up,” she said. “I’m so excited to be the one to bring those stories to the world!”
“There’s never been anything like this in the world of MMA, so being chosen as the cage announcer is an incredible honor,” said Hamilton. “It’s like the NCAA tournament meets combat sports. I was already excited about this as a fan, so when I got the call to be the cage announcer…I was numb for about 5 minutes and then the goosebumps started popping up on my arm. This is what my career has been leading up to.
“And now, having joined the PFL family, I cannot wait for fans to see what’s coming. The TV presentation alone is spectacular, and then you watch PFL: Origins where we get the real stories behind each competitor and you realize that terms like “One Shot” aren’t hyperbolic; these are real people with real lives, putting everything on the line. When it’s over, it’s over. Period. If that type of competition doesn’t excite you, check your pulse!”
While the PFL has yet to present all that much pressure for the UFC as the top MMA promotion in the world, the league may have an opening to at least be the lone MMA promotion on the ESPN family of networks in short order.
Executives of the TKO Holdings Group are reportedly “absolutely furious” with ESPN after their broadcast of the pay-per-view portion of UFC 313 featured a litany of glitches that prevented paying customers from watching the event.
Ultimately, only time will tell whether the PFL can close the gap with the UFC and stake a claim to be the top MMA promotion someday. But bringing in two experienced personalities like Hamilton and Smith to add to their broadcast team should at least help the promotion in that effort.