Veteran ring announcer, Bruce Buffer, isn’t mincing words when it comes to the events of the last week. Buffer has been a key figure in the sport for the past 22 years and believes Conor McGregor disrespected MMA, its fans, and everyone involved in the sport.
TMZ reporters caught up with Buffer, who seemed only too happy to give his thoughts on the situation.
Bruce Buffer on Conor McGregor
“Never think anything like this could ever happen,” Buffer told TMZ cameras. “In my 22-plus years of being in the UFC and doing everything I can in my life to build this great brand and to support this fantastic sport … it’s like you s**t on all of us with that one move. That’s not what we’re about. Perception is reality out there.”
“I don’t understand how anybody could condone that kind of behavior, and if they do, then obviously they will be willing to do that kind of behavior.”
Sport vs Spectacle in MMA
The events of the last week serve as a microcosm of MMA’s most hotly debated issue of the last few years. Money vs sporting credibility, sport vs entertainment, MMA versus spectacle.
MMA purists wish for a return to normalcy; when excitement from the sport derived from athletic contests determining who is better. On the other hand, the eccentric actions of Conor McGregor have helped the company grow to financial levels never seen previously. How do you ask a company and an athlete to stop supporting or engaging in actions which make them both rich?
In the case of boxing, the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act was put in place to prevent opportunistic promoters from scheduling fights based on fighter popularity. This then reduces the motivation a fighter has to turn themselves into the next viral sensation as opposed to the next best challenger.
While there are those, such as Randy Couture, who lobby for such legislation to be applied to MMA, there are also those who believe something like that could be harmful to the sport as well.
