Bruce Buffer Announces Athletics Lineups In Las Vegas

Bruce Buffer made a guest appearance for the Athletics' first home series in Las Vegas, handling the starting lineup introductions as the franchise settled into its new city.

The Athletics won 7-5 over the Milwaukee Brewers, with Buffer's unmistakable delivery adding a touch of the unusual to an occasion that was already historic for the franchise.

It is not the first time Buffer has taken his voice outside the Octagon for a marquee sporting moment. Ahead of Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas in 2024, he announced the arrivals of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl Media Day — a moment that landed well enough to confirm there is an appetite for his presence beyond MMA.

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Buffer will be back in more familiar surroundings on Sunday, taking the mic at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn for what Dana White has predicted will be a Super Bowl-sized audience.

The card features Ilia Topuria defending against Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification main event and Alex Pereira meeting Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt in the co-main — two fights that will require every bit of the buildup Buffer has spent three decades perfecting.

The Athletics cameo was a good story for a franchise looking to make its mark in a new market. Las Vegas has absorbed a hockey team, a football team, and now a baseball team in relatively short order, and the city has welcomed each of them.

Buffer has been the voice of the Octagon for nearly the entirety of the UFC's existence as a mainstream entity. The baseball introduction was a detour. Sunday is where he belongs.