'It's the best poker hand I've played': How Bruce Buffer forced his way into the UFC (with a little help from TV's 'Friends')

Yahoo

18-02-2025

Bruce Buffer is known as the "Voice of the Octagon" for a reason. Twenty-nine years ago, at UFC 8, Buffer made his debut as the promotion's in-cage announcer, setting the stage for an iconic run that's led Buffer to be included in 2025's UFC Hall of Fame class. At this point, Buffer is synonymous with the sounds of a big UFC title fight, however it took some convincing to land him the spot that became his calling.
As Buffer recalled on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," before he got his chance on the microphone, he helped his legendary brother Michael Buffer — of "Let's get ready to rumble!" fame, who he managed — occupy the spot first.
"I went to UFC 6 in Casper, Wyoming, and I had my brother announce the first one, and that was the debut of Tank Abbott. And I knew that was my world the moment I saw it," Buffer said. "I had my brother announce three of the UFCs, then I had to pull him because the WCW wrestling he was involved with got so big.
"We only had a three-fight contract. During that time, at UFC 6, we were having dinner with Robert Meyrowitz, the owner of SEG, and they said, 'Michael, when you go out in the Octagon, you need to say, 'If it's not in the Octagon, it's not real.' Right? I knew that as soon as he said that, I was going to get a call from the people that I was dealing with at WCW wrestling on a Monday. Which they did. They called me on Monday, they said, 'What are you doing having Michael do this crap,' in so many words.
"I said, 'Look, I have a contract [for Michael]. He's allowed to do it. He's got a three-fight deal [with UFC]. I want him to finish the deal,'" he continued. "Michael could not have continued [after that] anyway, he was so busy doing everything else I had him in. And then I thought, this is my world — let me work my way into this. It took me a year and a half to convince the UFC to let me become the announcer."
Similar to the role he served with his brother, Buffer was more of a behind-the-scenes string-puller than on-camera talent at the time. Former UFC heavyweight Scott Ferrozzo, in particular, was one of the fighters he managed. So Buffer tried to combine his two goals when negotiating with Meyrowitz.
Ultimately, it was nothing more than a ruse — one Buffer readily admits decades later.
"I sent [Ferrozzo's] tape off to Meyrowitz, and Meyrowitz said, 'Yeah, let's get him in,'" Buffer said. "So I went down [to the event] as his manager, but I didn't want to manage fighters.
"I did this as a ploy on my part, because after stopping in New York and asking for the job, and calling him up saying, 'You need me, I have the media contacts you don't have, I'll help you build this brand. I'm a brand builder. I'll do everything I can outside of being the announcer, but I need to grow with you as the announcer to make that happen.' It just all fell on deaf ears."
While tagging along with Ferrozzo in Puerto Rico for the big man's debut at UFC 8, Buffer finally had his wish granted when he pleaded to announce just the event's prelims as an on-the-spot tryout of sorts. Buffer didn't get the chance to follow up by announcing at UFC 9, but he got the call for UFC 10, then landed a lucky cameo on the hit show "Friends" playing himself on an episode centered around the UFC.
Had it not been for one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, Buffer's famous catchphrase — "It's time!" — may have never woven itself into the fabric of the UFC.
"They call me and said, 'Listen, we're doing a show called 'Friends,' and we're doing the 'Ultimate Fighting Champion' is the title of the episode,'" Buffer said. "They have a voiceover, but they wanted the real announcer, so Warner Brothers sent a runner down to my house to get audio and tape. And they hired me to co-star as myself on 'Friends.' I thought, 'OK, this is it.'
"I saw Robert Meyrowitz on the set, I said, 'Listen, we've got to meet at lunch. I've got to talk to you.' I met with him and I hit him right in the face with it. This was the last time I was going to ask. I said, 'Robert, I'm co-starring as myself in the biggest comedy on TV, which is the biggest publicity you've ever had for the UFC. I'm going to ask you one more time — I feel like a girl waiting to be asked to the prom and nobody is asking me to the prom. Let me be the Octagon announcer, to grow with you and help you build this brand with whatever I can bring to the table. I don't want anything for that. I just want to be the announcer with you at the show.'
"It's the best poker hand I've played," Buffer added, "That's where we made the deal, and from that point on, I continue to announce the UFC."
After almost three decades of hyping up fans across the globe before the many of the biggest fights in the history of the sport, Buffer's passion hasn't wavered. As he heads into the UFC Hall of Fame, he's happy to celebrate the incredible journey — and he doesn't plan to call it a career anytime soon.
"I just take great pride in it, and I maintain that passion," Buffer said. "And quite frankly, I'm 67 now, and I've been doing this for 29 years. Mentally, physically, I keep myself in shape, ready to go. I plan on doing this as long as I can, as long as I can do it in the way I like to do it. If I have to walk out and stand center stage and stay still and just go like this, that's not going to do it for me. I gotta announce the way I want to announce, otherwise it's time for me to say goodbye and somebody else can step in and do the thing.'