Who Are the UFC Ring Announcers? | Explained
The voice of the octagon is a very important aspect of any UFC fight and there are only a few ring announcers that the UFC employs.
In this page we will cover who the UFC ring announcers are.
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There are currently only two ring announcers for the UFC, and they are Bruce Buffer and Joe Martinez.
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer, also known as the 'Veteran Voice of the Octagon' began ring announcing for the UFC in 1996. 25+ years later and his famous catch phrase of "It's Time" is ingrained in the mind of all MMA fans as a fight is about to begin.
He also has a signature move called the 'Buffer 180' which results in him motioning across the octagon, and spinning for 180 degrees before pointing at the corner that is being introduced.
Buffer battled COVID-19 in 2021 which caused his insane 25 year streak of announcing UFC PPV events to end, as he missed his first Pay Per View.
Buffer's absence ends a streak of 25 years consecutively announcing UFC numbered PPV events: He has not missed a single pay-per-view card since 1996, though there was some confusion as to whether his streak started at UFC 11 or UFC 13.
As the UFC has exploded in popularity, and Buffer's shown unnatural longevity and consistency, his pay has reflected that as well.
Buffer's salary is said to be between $50,000 per event, and a special fight could earn him up to $100,000.
Buffer has also picked up experience announcing for HBO Boxing events, ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, and K-1 events.
Joe Martinez
For the events that Bruce Buffer does not announce, Joe A. Martinez does. When Buffer missed UFC 267, Martinez stepped in to save the day.
He currently works for the UFC and also does Invicta FC, and Cage Warrior events. Martinez has also been the main ring announcer for Golden Boy boxing for the last 10 years.
Martinez also has experience calling WEC events, Women's College World Series and has even been an in-game public announcer for MLB 06 and 07.