Bruce Buffer is synonymous with the UFC as he is not only one of the most well-known names in the combat sport world, but also highly respected by a number of fighters.
However, he isn’t afraid to have a scuffle with a fighter should they lay their hands on him as evidenced by a recent episode of UFC Fightlore.
Buffer along with UFC president Dana White recounted the story where he brawled with Hall of Famer Frank Trigg in an elevator back in the day in a scuffle that began over a compliment for White’s watch.
Trigg was asking White for a pay raise only to be interrupted by Buffer whose attention was caught by the UFC head honcho’s watch. That led to Trigg raising his hand on the announcer.
“We had an Ultimate Fighter TV show and we were staying at the Hard Rock hotel and we had just got done doing the show,” Buffer reflected. “I went up to Mike Goldberg’s room and Frank was in there and we are friends. We decided we were going to go out, have a little dinner and go to a club and when we get to the elevator, there is Dana White and his security man. Frank walks in. … Okay, I love watches and Dana had this really cool watchband on and I go, ‘Dana, what a cool watch.’ All of a sudden, I get a wrist hand shot to my neck. I turn around: ‘Frank you hit me, why the f*ck did you hit me?’”
“He said the wrong thing to me. He said, ‘well, what are you going to do about it?’ I just reacted and went ‘pop, pop.’ I punched him twice. … Frank came back at me, hit me harder and I had to hit him back harder. And it was on. 10 floors — what does that take, 15, 20, 25 seconds? All 10 floors, just kept going and going until the point that he threw a knee up and kneed one of my friends which I started to feel! Dana was against the elevator, I don’t remember seeing him, I was too busy focusing on what was going on and the adrenaline was pumping, And that was when the doors started to open and I just throw my arms in the air and I said, ‘Frank, we’re done! We’re done!’ I looked down and there was blood up and down my shirt and my thumb is peeled back and you can see the bone in my thumb.”
White Was Watching Buffer And Trigg Throw Down
White added his reflection of the story as he was just watching the scuffle unfold from the corner of the elevator.
“Frank Trigg, at the time, was a ranked fighter,” White said. “Karate chopped him [Buffer] in the throat, and Trigg said, ‘don’t f*cking talk while I’m talking.’ And I was like, ‘oh sh*t’. Buffer blasted him and it was on. They started throwing punches at each other and I was like ‘holy sh*t!’
“I stepped back into the corner of the elevator and I just f*cking watched and let it go. … They stopped fighting as soon as the elevator doors open at the lobby! Buffer’s hand was sliced open from Frank Trigg’s watch. … Those two shook hands, apologized to each other and Buffer went to the hospital to go get stitches.”
Buffer would go on to state that he and Trigg would make up later on and have a drink. More than anything, though, Buffer was pleased to prove a point to White who went on to tell everybody about what happened in the elevator.
“I guess one of the things I really kind of liked about it is that Dana saw he doesn’t have a wimp announcing his fights in the Octagon!”
Buffer — who plans on continuing to announce for the foreseeable future — is already regarded by many in the combat sport world as a legend and stories like these will only further solidify that.
You can watch the video below:
