Jim Ross, the most famous voice in pro wrestling history, is taking a crack at MMA

Jim Ross is the most recognizable voice in the history of pro wrestling. But he is not just that.

When Ross left WWE last year after more than two decades on their airwaves, he never planned on retiring. He just wanted a change. Ross has already left an indelible stamp on the world of pro wrestling and made a sizeable amount of money in the process. The 62-year-old always wondered how he would do in other ventures.

"I decided to reinvent myself," Ross said.

A year later, he's like a brand new man. Ross quit smoking, changed his diet and got a personal trainer. He started a weekly podcast, is writing an autobiography and went on tour doing one-man shows. This is all in addition to his popular blog at jrsbarbq.com and, of course, his line of barbecue sauces.

Broadcasting, though, is his passion. It's something Ross has done for most of his adult life. In May, Ross did the play-by-play for Golden Boy boxing on FOX Sports 1. And now he's making the transition to MMA.

On Friday night, Ross and former UFC star Chael Sonnen will be the broadcast team for Battlegrounds MMA, a precocious regional promotion with some ambitious ideas. Battlegrounds will feature a one-night, eight-man tournament with the winner earning a $50,000 payday. The event will air live from Tulsa, Okla., on pay-per-view.

"I was always a fan," Ross said of MMA. "The intrigue, the mystique, how could I get in that world? How could I use my skillset? How could I provide the audio backdrop of an MMA event? I was always curious."

Ross was approached by Battlegrounds promoter Bryan O'Rourke in the spring and was immediately interested. Ross has a relationship with former Olympic gold medal wrestler Kenny Monday, the CEO of Battlegrounds. Monday wrestled in college at Oklahoma State, while Ross is a noted Oklahoma University supporter.

At the time, BGMMA had no color commentator and Ross wanted to work with someone who didn't mind being alongside a "pro-wrestling guy." So Ross contacted Sonnen, an acquaintance who he felt would be perfect for the job.

Chael Sonnen will be alongside Jim Ross as his broadcast partner Friday night.

Sonnen retired from the UFC over the summer after failing a pair of pre-fight drug tests. He was also terminated from his broadcasting deal with the UFC and FOX Sports. When Ross reached out, Sonnen didn't hesitate. The wheels were set in motion.

"I'm not gonna come on and pretend like I'm an MMA expert," Ross said. "I'm an upper-level fan and I'm going to learn as much as I can about technique and in-ring business. … Chael is my Kevin Durant. I know he can score if I get him the ball. My plan is to get Chael the ball as much as I possibly can that makes sense. He's very bright, he's very glib, he knows when to be funny, he knows when to be serious. I think he and I will mesh very well."

Ross is only on a one-event contract with Battlegrounds. This is something of a trial run doing MMA, but he doesn't want it to end here. If he and Sonnen are good at it, and there's no reason to think they wouldn’t be, Ross is hoping for more opportunities -- maybe even in the UFC.

"I would love the opportunity, but it might not be a good fit in the eyes of some because of the wrestling background, which I don't agree with," Ross said.

Ross believes calling pro wrestling is no different than doing it for boxing or MMA or college football, another one of his passions. As long as he can tell a compelling story about the athletes, he should be fine.

"The athletes are the musicians," Ross said. "The announcers provide the lyrics. It's the same philosophy, just a different style of music. I believe I could go do soccer."

Ross is hoping to do more boxing for FOX Sports 1 in the future and broadcasting college football is a significant goal. But he's extremely serious about MMA and says he will be "aggressive" about finding other gigs if he and Sonnen score a knockout Friday night.

"Hey look, I also know that all these promotions are smart," Ross said. "If Jim Ross and Chael Sonnen do a good job, there might be other people interested."