Brendan Fitzgerald is giving credit to the people around him after a rough weekend behind the mic. The UFC play-by-play commentator was pulled from the call just before the main event of UFC Vegas 124 got underway, and he took to social media afterward to thank his broadcast colleagues for the way they handled things.

Both Sherdog and Bloody Elbow picked up on the statement, with each outlet noting that Fitzgerald specifically wanted to express his gratitude to the crew for having his back during the shakeup. Neither report detailed the reason he was replaced, only that the swap happened before the headliner started and that the card itself still delivered an entertaining short notice main event.

For a broadcast team, a last minute change like this is the kind of thing that normally happens behind the scenes and never gets mentioned publicly. The fact that Fitzgerald felt the need to address it, and to single out his coworkers for support, suggests it was not a routine swap in his eyes. It also puts a spotlight on just how much coordination goes into live UFC broadcasts, where plans can change in the final minutes before a card even gets going.

Viewers who tuned in for the main event certainly noticed the sudden voice swap at the desk right before the walkouts began. While sudden changes during a live sporting event can easily throw a broadcast off track, the commentary team managed to step in and carry the final bout across the finish line without missing a beat, which seems to be exactly what prompted Fitzgerald to speak up.

No further explanation has been given for why the change was made, and both outlets stuck to reporting the statement itself rather than speculating on the cause. For now, the story is simply that Fitzgerald was swapped off the call and wanted his team to know he appreciated how they handled it.