Bruce Buffer
Biofiles | Published March 8th, 2008
 Status: UFC Octagon announcer.
Birthdate: May 21, 1959
Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Childhood Heroes: “Actor-wise - Errol Flynn, John Wayne, James Cagney. Boxer-wise - Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Surfing, mixed martial arts, film, and I collect movie and sports memorabilia and military weapons. And I like beautiful women [laughs].”
Favorite Movies: “Wild Bunch, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Shane, I could go on and on and on.”
Musical Tastes: “Varied, great rock ‘n roll from the ’70s and ’80’s. Led Zeppelin. Aerosmith. Standards singers like Frank Sinatra. I just recently became a fan of Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, I can’t believe I just said that [smiles]. I love all music - as long as I can understand the lyrics.”
Favorite TV Shows: “The Simpsons, All In The Family.”
Early UFC Memory: “Casper, Wyoming, UFC 5. My brother Michael doing the tournament introduction of Tank Abbott. That was a pretty good experience for my first UFC experience. It was incredible. At that time, UFC had all the competitors on the dais. My brother and I took one look at him and said, That’s the guy who’s gonna walk through everybody. And he did too, except for the fight with Oleg Taktarov, which was an incredible fight. Being at UFC live is a completely different experience than watching it on TV. That’s when I really knew I wanted to be in the UFC as an announcer.”
Favorite Meal: “Italian all the way.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Grape Nuts mixed with Raisin Bran.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Butter pecan.”
First Job: “Ran a lemonade stand. Six-years-old. In Philadelphia - Schoolhouse Lane in Germantown. I made $12 the first day.”
First Car: “1974 red VW 412 station wagon.”
First Announcing Job: “Clash of the Titans in Kellogg, Michigan. The same night that introduced to the world Don Frye and Frank Shamrock.”
Childhood Dream: “I always wanted to be an actor. And a martial artist like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. I gave up one and fulfilled the other - I’ve had the opportunity to co-star on Friends and other movies and TV shows.”
Greatest Career Moment: “The greatest moment of my career was UFC 40, when Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock faced off against each other. I’ve never felt that kind of excitment and energy emanating from a crowd as that night. Totally got me excited to announce that night. You could literally feel waves of energy shooting through you. Hard to descibe, you just felt it.”
Most Painful Moment: “I think when I saw Randy Couture screaming in pain and banging his feet against the mat when they stopped the fight against Ricco Rodriguez. To see him in total agony (from a broken eye socket)…the man is fearless. To see him resort to that agony…he’s a role model for me. To see him in that kind of condition was painful for me. I’ve seen a lot of pain in the Octagon and elsewhere. He’s an absolute perfect role model. He’s our George Foreman. (Another painful moment was) when we were down in Louisiana, getting ready for the main event with Kevin Randleman who was one of the most exciting fighters in the world back then. The sport was suffering back then because it wasn’t on cable - only on DirecTV, our attendance was down. So everybody was doing everything they could to keep the sport alive. We had an exciting main event with Randleman. We were getting ready for it when I got word that Kevin Randleman had slipped on a pole laying on the ground - like a banana peel - and knocked himself out. Had to cancel the main event. Totally anti-climatic.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “The south of France.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty, class, chivalry.”
Favorite Fighters To Watch: “Oscar De La Hoya. Tito Ortiz - I’ve known him since he started in the sport. I like how he’s matured and gotten better and better each fight. I like how he devotes himself. When it comes time to fight, nothing else matters to him but getting ready, and his family. Right now he’s in Big Bear getting ready for Randy Couture. He’s going to be there for 11 weeks of total dedication. Frank Shamrock - inside and outside the Octagon, one of the most amazing athletes and fighters I’ve ever seen. And one of the most intelligent men. Randy Couture - just the absolute most supreme role model that exists today in MMA. Both in and out of the Octagon. Of course, me being 46 makes me root for the older guy. When it comes to his fight with Tito, it’s just going to be, May the best man win that night.”
Favorite Fights: “Gatti-Ward III. Ortiz-Shamrock. Aaron Riley-Robbie Lawler - literally one of the most amazing fights I’ve ever seen. Randy Couture-Rizzo I. Round three of Sudo-Ludwig fight. Just awesome. And again, as a footnote, I could go on and on and on”
Website: www.bufferzone.net.
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