The UFC commenced its $7.7 billion alliance with Paramount+ and CBS with UFC 324 and UFC 325, longtime fans noted an absence that left them disappointed. As the majority of the team remains intact in the new era, veteran host Karyn Bryant, who spent 14 years with the promotion, was not part of the broadcast team for either event. That raised the question of whether she has retired or parted ways. 

“I just want to let you guys know that after 14 years, my time at the UFC desk is over. I am not moving forward with them in the Paramount era. But I had an incredible time over the last 14 years. I have been doing this for so long. I started in combat sports with Showtime Championship Boxing in 2006. So I have been doing this a very long time, and I’m not stopping,” Bryant said in a video posted on social media, confirming her departure from the UFC. 

For those who are unfamiliar, the longtime UFC analyst first started as a music host, working with MTV as a VJ in 1990, and later hosted a daily news program at Sound FX. However, after a brief stint covering boxing, the American TV personality landed her first combat sports hosting gig in 2008. Working with CBS, Bryant began her journey as an Elite Xtreme Combat announcer, and due to her growing interest in the sport, she also co-owned MMAheat.com.

As the 57-year-old continued to find success in MMA, a decade of hard work eventually earned her a spot at the UFC’s analysis desk in 2018. Since then, Bryant hosted the promotion’s pre- and post-fight shows during the ESPN era, until Paramount decided to remove her. After spending some quality years covering the action in the UFC, the veteran host admitted she felt a touch of disappointment saying goodbye, but also showed the awareness that all good things eventually come to an end.  

“It’s a bummer. I had such a great time, and I wanna thank all the fighters for their candor when they sat down with us at the desk… I really did have a wonderful time. All good things have to come to an end,” Bryant added. 

Now, after Karyn Bryant’s departure, the UFC seemingly replaced her with CBS Sports analyst Kate Scott, who is known for covering soccer. While that marked a drastic change, fans were not very happy after the longtime anchor was removed, with many also taking shots at the overall state of the analysis desk.

UFC fans question Karyn Bryant’s replacement and the new desk team

After Bryant announced the end of her tenure with the UFC, one fan praised her bond with fighters and wrote, “Kate did well from what I saw. No need to replace Karyn, who has a relationship with a lot of fighters.” The fan’s reaction highlights the strong relationship Bryant developed with Chael Sonnen, Rampage Jackson, and several other fighters.

But as the veteran host confirmed she would no longer be part of the UFC’s analyst team, some fans had already started missing her presence. One viewer wrote, “Not sure how anyone else feels about her, but I’ll miss her. She’s been involved with the UFC for so long, and I remember her from when she was with MMAHeat 15+ years back. Hopefully she stays involved with the sport.” Following that, viewers also had plenty to say about the new recruit, Kate Scott.

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Taking a shot at the move, one user wrote, “Yeah they replaced her with someone younger who didn’t appear to know anything about MMA,” which was quickly followed by another fan criticizing the CBS host for her limited MMA background, “that lady is also in her 40s if your talking about the girl from the football show.” And the criticism trageted other members of the desk.

Beyond Scott, fans also began calling out changes to the overall analyst desk, questioning the promotion for seemingly replacing Anthony Smith with Chris Weidman. One fan wrote, “They also seemingly replaced Anthony Smith with Chris Weidman full-time. Imagine being Smith now, thinking the company would take care of you after you got gaslit into not taking the DQ win and belt from Jones, and now they fire you as soon as possible after you retire.”

Here, the user pointed out how ‘Lionheart’ did the UFC a favor by not taking the disqualification win at UFC 235 after Jon Jones landed an illegal knee while Smith was grounded. While Smith later became part of the analyst desk in 2018, former middleweight champion Chris Weidman has taken his spot under the new broadcasting regime. One fan clearly did not like the switch, writing, “Smith is so much better than Weidman, so that’s bad news for me.”

That said, with several new faces stepping into the Paramount+ and CBS era, what do you think about the overall UFC broadcasting team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.