Bruce Buffer Takes Home $100,000 for Every UFC Event He Announces
While the UFC ultimately boils down to two people fighting each other inside the octagon, it also offers a lot of other jobs. For example, ring girls are at every event, and they actually get paid a good amount of money. Another job, albeit one that very few people get to do, is the ring announcer. Bruce Buffer is the veteran announcer of the UFC, and he gets paid better than many fighters.
What does Bruce Buffer actually do?
While his job as an announcer may seem simple, it’s actually not as simple as it appears. As USA Today mentioned, part of his job is to also make audiences, both in the arena and at home, energized before the fight. That’s because ring announcers like Buffer are also hype men. Their goal isn’t just to announce things, but also to get you hyped up for the event.
That’s how Buffer came up with his catchphrase, “It’s time!” This catchphrase is what he says right before the main event starts, and it’s what tells audiences that there’s a show in store for them.
But, along the way, Buffer, like other ring announcers, also have to do actual announcing. He’s responsible for introducing the fighters as well as reading the results of the fight. And, he has to do this for every fight on the card, so it’s a long night of work for him.
How long has Bruce Buffer been doing this?
He’s known as the ‘veteran voice of the octagon’ for a reason, and that’s because he’s been doing it for a long time. USA Today said that he’s been announcing fights for the UFC since 1996, a year before Joe Rogan got his job as a commentator for the UFC. Due to how long he’s been working with the UFC, his face, voice, and style have become a part of the UFC’s brand image.
Sometimes, he travels across the world to announce for the UFC’s events, but not always. Other times, other announcers, such as Joe Martinez, will get the gig if Buffer can’t make it to the event.
That said, for most big events, the UFC pretty much always uses Buffer for the role. As a result of this long term and fruitful relationship, Buffer gets paid a lot.
How well does this job pay?
As Celebrity Net Worth wrote, Bruce Buffer gets paid $100,000 per UFC event, and he takes part in many events a year. His income, therefore, largely depends on how many events he works every year.
But, there’s more. He also gets to keep the introduction cards that tell him what to say after every fight, and sometimes, he’ll auction them off. That said, the proceeds of those auctions usually go to charity, according to Bleacher Report.
In any case, after working for the UFC for more than 20 years, as well as getting other gigs outside of the UFC, Buffer now has a net worth of $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
This gives him a net worth that’s equal to what Jon Jones, one of the UFC’s greatest champions, have. In fact, with a salary of $100,000 an event, he even gets paid more than many UFC fighters.
For example, at UFC 241, of the 24 fighters who fought at the event, 16 fighters were paid less than $100,000. While many fighters get paid more than $100,000 a fight, Buffer is clearly one of the most valuable people at the UFC. The UFC will probably keep working with Buffer for a long time, so his success will likely continue for a while, too.
