Mixed Martial Arts remains one of the most dangerous sports out there – and that applies to the staff of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as much as it does the athletes.
Bruce Buffer’s first-ever UFC event came all the way back in February 1996 and since then, the veteran ‘voice of the octagon’ has announced countless iconic world title fights.
However, some fight introductions land better than others; with the legendary UFC announcer having once suffered a painful injury right in the middle of proclaiming the welterweight GOAT.
Bruce Buffer once injured himself during UFC title fight introductions
In April 2011, the UFC returned to Toronto, Canada, for a PPV card headlined by homegrown hero Georges St. Pierre against American submission ace, Jake Shields.
With over 55,000 fans in attendance, UFC 129 was widely considered to be one of the biggest shows that the promotion had put on – and all the way up until that main event, things were going swimmingly for Bruce Buffer.
“I get into the octagon that night, treat the show as normal, go through the main event, did the turns, and I’m going to Georges St. Pierre’s corner to do my announcement,” explained Buffer during an episode of FightLore.
“I go ‘George Rush’ – and George always lunges out when I say that, and I always bunny-hop backwards like a foot and a half, or so… And my knee explodes.
“I feel that crack noise and I got the biggest Pierre introduction ever out because it was an introduction of pain – Georges ‘Rush’ St. PIEEERRRE!!”
UFC cameras only caught a glimpse of Buffer hopping out of the octagon on one leg, with the iconic announcer revealing that he’d completely “severed my ACL” with the bounce.
Speaking via The MMA Fan Show in 2023, Buffer added that part of the reason why his knee exploded at UFC 129 was because he’d twisted his ankle only a few nights before the PPV.
The veteran voice of the octagon laughed at what would’ve been a rather strange scene for anybody watching him cageside, just as Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields went toe-to-toe for welterweight gold.
“I get a bag of ice, roll up my pant leg and I’ve got ice on my knee – I’m watching two great warriors go at it and the announcer’s got an icepack on his knee? What’s wrong with that picture.”
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UFC fighter denies injuring himself during Bruce Buffer’s introduction
If you thought that Bruce Buffer injuring himself during UFC fight announcements was rough; how about a fighter possibly damaging themselves during their own introduction?
That unfortunate circumstance was seemingly experienced firsthand by popular heavyweight Chris Barnett right before his UFC 308 bout against Kennedy Nzechukwu.
After dancing his way to the octagon, Barnett’s movement slowed to a snail’s pace only a few seconds into the opening round, with the broadcast booth initially theorizing that Nzechukwu’s low kicks had caused some serious damage.
However, upon showing the replay of the introductions, the commentary team speculated that the injury may have occurred after Barnett jumped into the air to match Buffer’s pre-fight excitement.
Barnett later denied the claim that he’d injured himself from the jump, stating that the whole story was ‘Fake News’ and that he’d hurt himself by hyperextending his knee with a spinning hook kick.
‘Beastboy’ has not fought since that TKO loss.