Ex-WWE Personality Jim Ross, Chael Sonnen Team to Call Battlegrounds MMA PPV

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Jim Ross, better known by most professional wrestling fans as “Good Ol’ J.R.,” will partner with former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Chael Sonnen to commentate the upcoming BattleGrounds MMA 5 pay-per-view.

The card emanates from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 3 and will feature an eight-man welterweight tournament. The promotion confirmed the commentary team following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.

Ross was a pro wrestling personality for the better part of 40 years, working for both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment before retiring in 2013. Aside from his work as a wrestling announcer, Ross has also called games for the Atlanta Falcons and the short-lived Xtreme Football League.

In addition to his exploits inside the Octagon, Sonnen served as an analyst for Fox Sports until being terminated following two positive tests for banned substances in the state of Nevada.

J.R. has stated publicly his desires to work as an announcer in mixed martial arts, and he was also cageside for UFC Fight Night “Dos Anjos vs. Henderson” on Aug. 23.

The eight-man tournament features six former UFC fighters, as the likes of Dennis Hallman, Brock Larson, Roan Carneiro, Cody McKenzie, Luigi Fiorvanti, and David Mitchell.

Ryan Couture is supposed to face Jonny Carson in the evening’s main event, but Couture’s managertold Sherdog.com that since his client signed with Bellator MMA, it’s unlikely he’d compete on Oct. 3.