Bruce Buffer just had a bad day at the office. The 68-year-old longtime announcer found himself in the spotlight at UFC Seattle after a surprising blunder reminiscent of Steve Harvey’s infamous mix-up at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant.

In the heavyweight bout between Tyrell Fortune and Marcin Tybura in the prelims, Fortune started strong with an early takedown and control. While Tybura rallied with higher output and pressure in the later rounds, the 35-year-old Fortune landed a few successful takedowns in what was his UFC debut. Neither dealt decisive damage. However, their activity contrasted with selectivity. But after the fight ended, things took a rather unusual turn. Buffer announced Marcin Tybura as the winner.

“Bruce Buffer accidentally announced Marcin Tybura as the winner…,” Championship Rounds highlighted on X. “Tyrell Fortune was brought back into the cage and announced as the actual winner 😭 .”

They also shared a clip from the event showing officials guiding Fortune back into the Octagon after he had already exited. In the end, the judges had scored the bout 30–27, 29–28, and 29–28—all in Fortune’s favor. Buffer later apologized for the error before correctly announcing the winner.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the mix-up,” Buffer said. “The scoring is 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27 to the winner by unanimous decision, Tyrell Fortune.”

Beyond the officiating mix-up, the victory marked a major milestone for Fortune. The former Bellator MMA and PFL heavyweight not only made a successful UFC debut, but did so on short notice after Valter Walker withdrew following a lingering leg injury.

For Tybura, meanwhile, the result was another setback—his second straight loss following a first-round knockout defeat to Ante Delija in September last year. But when fans discovered the mishap, it didn’t take long for the calls for Buffer’s retirement to pile up.

Bruce Buffer asked to announce his retirement

In the aftermath of the confusion, one user even described the incident as the biggest robbery that never happened. The user wrote: “That was about to be the legit biggest robbery in history.” There’s no shortage of robberies in UFC, at least, according to fans. Recently, Movsar Evloev’s win over Lerone Murphy at UFC London was branded a robbery.

Another fan warned Buffer for slacking on the job. The fan posted: “Buffer really needs to double-check those cards. Tybura must’ve been like, wait, I didn’t even fight!” That’s a fair assessment, given how poorly Tybura performed. Not his best night, one could say.

Someone else suggested the incident might be a sign for Buffer to consider retirement. The user claimed, “It might be the signs of retirement for Bruce Buffer?” But this isn’t his first mistake. In March 2025, Jamall Emmers knocked out Gabriel Miranda. But Bruce Buffer mistakenly announced Miranda as the winner. Must be the reason why another echoed the sentiment in a more direct way: “Grandpa needs to retire.”

The next user felt Bruce had been on the retirement path for a while. The user commented, “Bruce needs to retire. He constantly sounds like his dentures are about to fall out.” In another instance, back in May 2024, Anthony Smith submitted Vitor Petrino via guillotine choke in the first round. Buffer began declaring ‘still undefeated, Vitor’ before quickly correcting to ‘excuse me! Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith.’

This user suggested Fortune should file a lawsuit. The user wrote, “Bro should sue him for emotional damage.” But luckily for Buffer, that’s unlikely to happen.

While Bruce Buffer’s legacy is secure, these repeated errors are fueling a debate about whether the legendary voice of the Octagon is nearing the end of his final round.