Watch the moment Bruce Buffer declares WRONG winner of fight at UFC 301, with veteran announcer making rare embarrassing mistake
- Bruce Buffer said Vitor Petrino remained undefeated at the announcement
- But he had just been defeated by Anthony Smith in the first round
- Smith saw the funny side and Buffer was able to quickly correct himself
Bruce Buffer’s mistakes can be counted on one hand, but he made a shocking blunder at UFC 301.
The veteran octagon announcer, who almost never misses an event, is usually verbatim perfect, but had an unusual brain fade in the cage on Saturday night.
Anthony Smith had just defeated Vitor Petrino in the first round of their fight in Rio de Janeiro, handing the Brazilian his first ever defeat.
But Buffer bellowed into the microphone: “The referee stopped this match two minutes into the very first round. Vitor declares the winner by submission, due to a guillotine choke and still undefeated. Excuse me! Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith.’
When he heard Buffer say his opponent’s name, Smith turned around with a look of utter confusion on his face.
Anthony Smith turned around, stunned by Bruce Buffer’s announcement at UFC 301
Buffer has been the announcer for the UFC since its inception and is a popular figure
Smith ultimately won the fight in the first round due to this submission to Petrino
Then he realized the innocent mistake and thought it was hilarious, laughing with Daniel Cormier.
No doubt Buffer will hear a lot about it in jest, but at least the right announcement was made in the end.
Buffer is part of the furniture at the UFC and is an important part of creating atmosphere in the arena leading up to his famous “It’s time” call.
Perhaps it was jet lag that got to him, given the long journey to Brazil, but the perfectionist will no doubt be irritated by his mistake.