Eddie Wineland Channels His Passion In The Broadcast Booth

HFC color commentator Eddie Wineland Wants To Stay Involved In MMA Long After He’s Done Fighting.

UFC Bantamweight Eddie Wineland loves the sport of MMA. He loves it so much that when he’s done training for the day, he still finds himself immersed in the fight game at Hoosier Fight Club events.

Despite being just one week out from perhaps the highest profile fight he’s ever had in his 35-fight career, Eddie Wineland was still in his seat last weekend at HFC 33 calling the fights alongside his broadcast partner Miguel Flores. The same seat he has taken since HFC’s very first event.

Wineland is no stranger to the world of multi-tasking. Throughout his 14-year fight career Wineland has been a member of the LaPorte City Fire Department working full-time all while making the time to be a father as well. He is used to calling his days working at the fire house a rest day, so sparing a Saturday night to watch some fights is something he looks forward to.

“I love fighting and I like to talk,” said Wineland. “The HFC broadcast allows me to tie both of them together and hopefully educate a few people on the sport at the same time.”

Wineland has grown into his role as color commentator for HFC broadcasts finding his stride in terms of the way he articulates his vast knowledge to the fans watching at home. Whether he is enthusiastically reacting to a big knockout, or probing athletes inside the cage post-fight, viewers can feel his palpable passion for MMA. Wineland credits the HFC production crew for helping him get into a groove on the mic.

“The team that HFC has put together is super easy to work with and everyone does an extremely good job at what they do. I can’t fight forever and I would like to stay tied to the sport in some way when I’m done, so hopefully commentating will pave some roads for me after retirement.”

Miguel Flores (Left) and Eddie Wineland (Right) call HFC 30

Miguel Flores (Left) and Eddie Wineland (Right) call HFC 30

As someone who has mulled retirement in the past following unfortunate losses, Wineland is not naive when it comes to life after fighting. However, when he finally does hang up his gloves it seems as though Wineland has his eyes set on possibly becoming the next great fighter turned commentator. We’ve seen guys like Yves Edwards and Dan Hardy thrive behind the mic following their careers as UFC fighters, and Wineland could find himself in that same boat one day.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Wineland is still set to go to war at the Bridgestone Arena in just over 48 hours, and a win on Saturday could result in Eddie inching closer to the top five of one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions.

Wineland faces perennial contender Jon Dodson this weekend at UFC Fight Night in Nashville, Tennessee as he welcomes the TUF season 14 winner back to the 135lb division. Riding back-to-back knockout wins over Frankie Saenz and Takeya Muzugaki, Wineland’s confidence level is at an all-time high. With past battles against UFC elite like Urijah Faber, Brad Pickett, and Renan Barao, his matchup with Dodson is just another day at the office.

Being able to balance his hectic lifestyle is impressive in it’s own right, but to handle it all with the positivity and professionalism that Eddie Wineland does makes him a special personality that people resonate with.

“A fan once told me ‘Eddie turns French into English’ regarding his ability to describe the action going on inside the cage, said HFC General Manager Danielle Vale. “He makes it possible for a novice MMA fan to have a better understanding of MMA while at the same time keeping things entertaining for even the most knowledgeable fight fan. With the help of Alliance Sport Media, Eddie and his counterpart Miguel Flores have become a dynamic duo for us. HFC is very fortunate to have the team we have and we are thrilled that Eddie is a part of it. We will surely be rooting him on this weekend.”

To watch Wineland’s fight versus Dodson be sure to tune in to UFC Fight Night, Swanson vs. Lobov LIVE and FREE on FoxSports1 this Saturday. The main card begins at 10pm EST.