Lilian Garcia, a former ring announcer for WWE, has signed with the mixed martial arts promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL). That makes Garcia the latest personalities in a long line of WWE-MMA crossover. From Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar to Bobby Lashley and CM Punk, we have seen a number of athletes go from MMA to wrestling entertainment and vice versa.
Garcia’s situation is different, however, because she will not be putting herself in any danger.
PFL confirmed that moving forward Garcia will serve as the promotion’s in-ring announcer. She had previously served as the announcer on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.” Now, Garcia brings a familiar face and name to a national audience in the up-and-coming MMA promotion that offers a $1 million prize to every tournament winner.
“I’m looking forward to stepping in the cage and getting back to introducing fighters to the masses, something I truly love and have missed,” Garcia said in a statement. “What I find most intriguing about the PFL is that every fight matters. Each fighter enters the cage knowing they are competing for a shot at a title and million-dollar prize. There is so much drama surrounding that moment, and I’m honored to help bring it to life for fans in the arena and watching at home.”
PFL kicks off its second season on Thursday, May 9 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. In the main event, Chris Curtis takes on Louis Taylor while Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison faces Svetlana Khautova in the co-main event. Other notable names on the main card include UFC veterans John Howard and Sarah Kaufman.
Until PFL returns to television, check out some additional photos of their new in-ring announcer below and head on over to her Instagram account where Garcia currently has more than 756,000 followers.