Jimmy Smith is headed to Monday Night Raw.
The former UFC and Bellator color commentator has snagged one of the most coveted jobs in the professional wrestling industry as he joins the WWE’s flagship series Raw as the new play-by-play man alongside color analysts Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.
WWE made the announcement on Wednesday after news of Smith’s role was first confirmed by the Wrestling Observer.
Smith joined the WWE earlier this year while taking part in pre-show panels for the WWE’s NXT brand while also working as a commentator during a match on a recent NXT show. He’s also reportedly been working with WWE veteran Michael Cole behind the scenes to train him for a possible announcing role with the company.
Prior to his new job with the WWE, Smith was best known for his work with Bellator where he served as a lead analyst for the better part of seven years.
In 2018, Smith joined the commentary team at the UFC where he stayed for the next year.
In addition to his current duties at the WWE, Smith also hosts a radio show on Sirius XM.
With his role at the WWE, Smith will take over play-by-play announcing duties on the three-hour weekly show that airs on Monday nights. Raw is currently the longest-running episodic television show in the United States with over 1,400 episodes.
As Smith transitions into a new role with Raw, he will also likely take part in the high-profile WWE pay-per-view events each month as well. Smith’s debut on WWE Raw will happen this Monday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.