Mauro Ranallo returning to broadcasting Sunday for Rizin

Mauro Ranallo isn’t wasting any time getting back into the broadcasting game and will call Sunday’s Rizin Fighting show from Yokohama, Japan.

Rizin announced the deal Friday night via Facebook, and Ranallo is off to Japan as of this writing.

The 47-year-old has been in the combat sports news lately due to an absence from WWE tied to reports of bullying from former wrestler and commentator John “Bradshaw” Layfield. Ranallo has yet to directly address the allegations publicly, but as Dave Meltzer noted in today’s daily update, contract settlement talks between WWE and Ranallo have been initiated. 

Ranallo will be paired up with former broadcast partner and former MMA star Frank Shamrock on the show, airing live on FITE.tv at 2 AM Eastern Sunday/11 PM Pacific. Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Anthony Birchak headlines a show that also features former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. former UFC lightweight Daron Cruickshank and more.

Ranallo was the lead play-by-play man for 30+ PRIDE Fighting Championships events in Japan in addition to Strikeforce, Showtime boxing, and more. He signed a deal with WWE in December 2015 as the lead voice of the SmackDown brand.