UFC Quick Quote: Who's that black guy that's always on stage at the weigh ins?

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"Well, I was that, and now I'm the babysitter to the stars. I was the unidentified black guy on the stage ... After 11 years, [MMA] has become the biggest sport in the world bar none and the things that I do with these fighters, and the job that I do with these fighters, which is a part of my job, you see me up on stage. It's not my job to make weight for them, but it's a part of my job to give them a comfort level and to put all of the things in place that they need to cut weight and make that weight. So if I put all of those things in place the right way, the way I know now after 10 years or so of being in the sport and knowing exactly what they need or some of the things they need to cut weight, then I do that ... From the time (the fighters) get there to the time they leave, they need a comfort level. They gonna need somebody that they can depend on or feel they can depend on that's gonna help them get what they need. I tell them anything that's on their mind, I need it in my ear. I point to my head and I say, 'If it's up here, I want it right here,' and I point to my ear. I say, 'If it's right here,' and I point to my heart, 'I want it here.' The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. If it's 3:00 in the morning, if you think it, I want to hear it. If you feel it, I want to hear it. If your girlfriend makes you mad, you miss your dog, or your mama cursed you out, whatever it is, I want to hear it because whatever it is, I don't want you to walk from that dressing room to that Octagon with it on your head; plain and simple. I give them that kind of attention man because these guys are all respectful to me. They do what they gotta do when they gotta do it and I gotta be there to take care of them and I gotta do it sincerely. They gotta feel that, you know, 'He means it. He means it sincerely.' If not, they won't do it. I can tell you they won't do it."

The artist formerly known as "the black guy on stage at the weigh-ins," Burt Watson, gives the gang at Fight Hype his perspective on fulfilling the role of Site Coordinator for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion. Among other things, Watson is responsible for making sure the fighters are groomed for competition from the minute they touch down in the corresponding city to time they make their walk to the Octagon. It's just one of many thankless roles behind the scenes in the UFC that keeps the machine running as Zuffa expands its brand across the globe. It's also one of many support systems for fighters, who will tell you how important his role is to the organization. It's elementary, my dear Watson.