If you think Mauro Ranallo’s new Showtime documentary is really putting him out there, it was nothing compared to the 1990s.

Back then, the fan favorite was a budding combat-sports broadcaster and journalist – one who eventually called fights and pro-wrestling matches for PRIDE FC, WWE, AXS TV Fights, EliteXC, Strikeforce, Showtime Boxing, Rizin FF and, well, you get the idea.

If you’re into MMA, boxing, kickboxing, pro wrestling or anything else related to the fighting arts, you’re no doubt familiar with Ranallo, who’s also known as the “Bipolar Rock ‘N’ Roller.”

Ranallo, who now also calls fights for Bellator, is the subject of an intimate documentary that debuts Friday on Showtime (9 p.m. ET/PT). The film – titled simply “Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller” – explores Ranallo and his lifelong battle with bipolar disorder.

Although his nickname has become a part of who he is – and one that most combat-sports fans no longer think twice about – times were different when he first embraced it.

“I’ve always been an advocate for mental health,” the 48-year-old, who began broadcasting at 16, recently said during a sit-down interview with MMAjunkie’s John Morgan. “I gave myself the nickname ‘Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller’ way back in the 1990s, when – as much as we don’t talk about mental health now, back then, it was almost nonexistent. And if it was broached, it was done in a very pejorative way.”

Ranallo knows mental health can still be a taboo subject for many. Yet, when first-time filmmaker Haris Usanovic approached him about the upcoming documentary, Ranallo didn’t balk at the idea of “Bipolar Rock ‘N Roller” or how it could affect him or his cause – both good or bad.

“I don’t mind being the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” he said. “I don’t even mind being a casualty. If this were to cost me some work, so be it.

“Thankfully, Showtime, WWE, Paramount Network, all of my media friends – the amount of feedback I’ve received?” he said. “First, it’s humbling. I’ve got goosebumps. But the support, the fact that so many people are saying, ‘We need this now. You’ve inspired me to phone a therapist. You’ve inspired me to tell my wife’ – and it really is about the men, John. The alpha male syndrome we all – especially in my world and your world and our world, where you ‘show weakness,’ they say, or you’re shamed over the fact you may need to cry. Or maybe you need to get some help.

“I want to make it so that it’s OK to not be OK.”

Check out the full clip above, or watch his full MMAjunkie Radio interview below.

And for more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.