There’s no need to worry about when Bruce Buffer is going to retire.
The 69-year-old has been the in-ring announcer for UFC since 1996 and became full-time the following year, and as the company’s popularity has grown, so has his superstardom.
He’s been in the ring for thousands of fights at hundreds of major events all over the globe, but there are no signs of stopping.
“That seems to be a question I get a lot these days,” Buffer said when recently asked by how much longer he plans on working.
“I still got it. Unless everybody wants me to leave—and I understand — but I plan on being here. I told everybody I’m looking forward to UFC 400. That doesn’t mean I’m going to retire [then]. I can’t stand still. I physically and mentally put every ounce of energy I can into every night at work.”
For those counting at home, with one major UFC event monthly, that would take place in the summer of 2031. But before that, his next duty is UFC 344 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night with what is a stacked card in front of “hardcore fight fans.”
But that role is not without double-dipping in Bud Light’s new campaign as a steak waiter amid the release of the beer brand’s “Fight Night Feast,” which features official UFC gloves, two tomahawk steaks, a Paramount+ subscription to watch the fights and, of course, Bud Light.
“It sounds like a perfect night,” Buffer said.
“I’ve always loved being self-deprecating, as they say. I love humor, and I love poking fun at myself. When Bud Light came to me, showed me the storyboards and we talked about it, I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be fun. I could definitely get into this one.’ I have no problem being funny and doing whatever it takes,” Buffer said of his acting skills in the new ad.
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That was a different world for Buffer, but he’ll be in his normal surroundings on Saturday night, and many more Saturday nights afterward.
“I plan on doing this for at least another 10 years,” Buffer said.
But despite being his normal, longtime gig, he certainly doesn’t treat it as such.
“Every night is my very first night. I have to prove to myself, the fans, the powers that be, Dana White, you, and the fighters that I deserve this job,” Buffer said. “I want to go home knowing I deserve it. When I come out tomorrow night, Saturday night, that’s my first night. I don’t live on my laurels.
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“I’m 69 now, but I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I train and want to keep going. I work around the greatest athletes in the world. They keep me going.”