UFC producer Bruce Connal remembered

Award-winning television producer Bruce Alexander Connal passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2018 after a brief illness, at the age of 61. Connal was one of the first producers at ESPN in 1979, and would go on to produce a vast range of live sports worldwide from the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona Spain, the North American Scrabble Championship, and and the Pillsbury Bake Off, to professional baseball, basketball, tennis, lacrosse, football and hockey, and above all, mixed martial arts.

Connal began producing MMA broadcasts at UFC 17 in 1998, and produced in all over 300 live UFC events. Joe Rogan fought back tears while honoring Connal just prior to Saturday’s UFC 222.

Bellator MMA and Mike Goldberg too honored Connal, on the Bellator 195 broadcast.

The outpouring of grief on the social network was vast.

https://twitter.com/BrianStann/status/970132602677071872https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/970132824308068352https://twitter.com/MeganOlivi/status/969667685427511296https://twitter.com/DaveSholler/status/969656078752452609https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/969764026723938305https://twitter.com/kennyflorian/status/969712892416221184https://twitter.com/KarynBryant/status/969722398818779137

Connal leaves behind his wife Karen, and children Tyler, Carly and Trevor. Funeral services will be held March 9 at 1:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford, Connecticut. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trinity Academy School at trinityday.org.