"You'd never ever be worse than Bruce Buffer" - Max Holloway details confrontation with UFC announcer over botched-up intro
Max Holloway has revisited a confrontation he had with Bruce Buffer back in the day. Holloway, a veteran UFC fighter, revealed that Buffer had botched up his fighter introduction before one of his MMA bouts in the UFC.
In a recent appearance on the Full Size Run podcast, Max Holloway suggested that the fighter intro botch on Buffer's part transpired heading into Holloway's UFC debut matchup. 'Blessed' made his UFC debut in a featherweight bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 on February 4, 2012.
While Max Holloway would go on to lose via first-round submission, it was what happened before the fight that was a topic of discussion on the podcast episode. One of the hosts, Brendan Dunne, commenced the episode by introducing the other participants, including Waianae, Hawaii native Holloway.
Brendan Dunne proceeded to mistakenly say that Holloway is a "Waimea native," thereby mispronouncing Waianae. After mispronouncing Waianae, Dunne was corrected by Holloway.
The MMA star went on to jokingly indicate that Dunne's botched-up intro wasn't as bad as Buffer's intro at UFC 143. 'Blessed' said:
"You'd never ever be worse than Bruce Buffer." When asked what Buffer said, Holloway simply stated, "Wainate."
The former UFC featherweight champion explained that he confronted Bruce Buffer after the event. Apparently, Buffer -- who self-admittedly doesn't rehearse -- apologized to Holloway after being confronted.
'Blessed' noted:
"Brother, I don't know what -- And it was my first UFC event. And then I confronted him after. And he's like, 'I'm so sorry. I go to Hawaii all the time. I don't know what came over me when I said Wainate.'"
Furthermore, one of the podcast hosts jestingly asked whether Holloway choked Buffer out for the mistake. 'Blessed' lightheartedly responded by saying:
"I should have."
Watch Holloway discuss the topic at 1:25 in the video below:
What's next for Max Holloway and Bruce Buffer?
Max Holloway's most recent fight saw him defeat surging featherweight star Arnold Allen via unanimous decision in April 2023. The 31-year-old former UFC featherweight kingpin is scheduled to compete in a highly-anticipated showdown against fellow featherweight mainstay 'The Korean Zombie' aka Chan Sung Jung.
Their matchup will headline the upcoming UFC Fight Night event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, on August 26, 2023.
Max Holloway will fight Chan Sung Jung at #UFCSingapore on August 26th. #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 #MainEvent https://t.co/Yh27PfDkRr
Bruce Buffer, for his part, first served as a UFC announcer in 1996 and eventually became one of the most recognizable on-screen personalities in the MMA organization.
Now 66 years old, the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon" doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-born judoka and former kickboxer is widely revered for his love for fitness and martial arts. He continues to work as an announcer for most major UFC events.