Jimmy Smith: Bellator made ‘good-faith effort’ to keep him

Jimmy Smith’s exit from Bellator may have been shocking to some, but ‘it was a long-time coming’ Smith said on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Former Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith may no longer be part of the Viacom Corporation but the mutual parting of ways seems to have been handled with the utmost respect from both sides. Smith, 40, originally had a one-year option for 2018 but explained the circumstances and why he knew his time in Bellator was over.

“A lot of people don’t understand it was a long time coming and that I was informed,” Smith said on the MMA Hour.

“They wanted a different contract. They wanted a new one. And we worked out some terms over the next few months, and it just didn’t work. The changes they wanted to make, I didn’t like — and so formally it ended, I think, the day after Christmas is when we let them know that I wouldn’t be back. And so it was a long process. It wasn’t (as if) I got a phone call in the morning that I wasn’t going to be around next year,” Smith continued.

Smith went on to discuss how he felt that the new contract renegotiation was lacking in undefined terms. But Smith said several times how well the situation was handled.

“They really did everything they could,” Smith reiterated.

“They’re great guys over there in Bellator,” he later stated.

So what’s next for Smith? Many have alluded to a possible deal with the UFC, but nothing has been confirmed.

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“We will see,” said Smith.

“Things are in the works, that’s all I can say,” Smith continued.

Surely, a UFC deal is not out of the realm of possibility but with so many moving parts it could mean less on-air time for Smith whichever direction he chooses. But with Smith’s vast experience and knowledge of combat sports, anywhere he lands would serve as a wonderful opportunity for any party involved.