Anthony Smith reacts to Bruce Buffer’s UFC 301 flub: “I just hope he’s not beating himself up too bad”

Anthony Smith has given his reaction to a viral mistake made by longtime UFC announcer Bruce Buffer.

Smith was in action on the UFC 301 main card. He took on Victor Petrino in a light heavyweight battle. “Lionheart” showed the MMA world that he still has some juice left in the tank, scoring a first-round submission finish via guillotine choke. It was a nice bounce back win for Smith, who suffered a third-round TKO loss to Khalil Rountree back in late 2023.

After Smith’s win over Petrino, Bruce Buffer accidentally announced Petrino as the winner before correcting himself, which led to confusion and laughter from “Lionheart.”

https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1786960176936837537

RELATED: UFC 301 RESULTS: ANTHONY SMITH STOPS VITOR PETRINO IN ROUND 1 (VIDEO)

Anthony Smith Sticks Up For Bruce Buffer Following Error

Following UFC 301, Anthony Smith spoke to media members and he said he hopes the decorated Octagon announcer isn’t taken his flub to heart (h/t MMAMania.com).

“I feel really bad for Buffer,” Smith said. “I know how serious and how much he loves his job and how professional he is. He is really hard on himself…. Me and Bruce are friends, like we work together a lot. So, he takes his job so serious. He takes it to the heart; he puts his heart and soul into this job.

“I feel bad because he’s probably bummed out about it,” Smith concluded. “I hope I get to talk to him after. I’m good with it — people make mistakes. It’s no big deal. I just hope he’s not beating himself up too bad.”

Some online haven’t been as forgiving as Smith has, even calling into question Buffer on announcing duties despite his body of work since 1996. It comes with the territory when you make a mistake in the public eye and it’s easy to judge someone from the sidelines.