Fighters Only

Issue 196

December 2022

One of the unexpected success stories of the past year in MMA was the emergence of Fabiano Buskei as the UFC’s go-to Portuguese and Spanish translator, whose unique, expressive style has won him plenty of fans over the last 12 months. Simon Head caught up with him for a quickfire chat on the red carpet at the 14th Annual Fighters Only MMA Awards…

Welcome to the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. Is this your first trip to the Awards?

Yes! I was not involved with this (before), and obviously I know a lot of people now here (in MMA), and they said, ‘Why don’t you come with us? Why not see see that?

What has life been like since you got involved with the UFC?

For the last two years, I’ve been very much in it, every day. There were 13 or 14 straight weekends that I actually worked, so I live this (sport).

They asked me to go to the Apex on a Tuesday, on a Wednesday, on a Friday, and then you end up living it. All you have to do is see my algorithm. My Twitter feed is all MMA now, my Instagram feed is all MMA. Everything is MMA! So basically (it feels like) I’ve been around it for a long time now.

One of the things that I think is really engaging to the MMA fans is you don’t just translate for people, you seem to really convey the emotion of the fighters. And there are times where it almost seems like you’re getting choked up, as well. Do you get emotionally invested in the fighters that you work with?

How can you not? Right? There were moments I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be at great cards, great moments, historic wins, epic stuff. But at Contender Series… I mean, if you think about it, getting to see them from the ground up, their Contender Series win, the moment they are chosen, their first fight in the UFC, and then the second, their first win… you get to be a part of it.

And the stories that they tell. I mean, we’re talking about personalities, and we’re talking about people and their fight. Their fight starts way before the Octagon, and it goes way beyond it. So the stories that they tell, how can you not (be emotional about it)? I’m a human being, and there’s a lot of emotion. I really take that in.

You're on the big global stage with the big pay-per-views, as well. What's been the craziest atmosphere you've been a part of so far?

They've been great. I’m very fortunate. Again, this year has been amazing. From Anaheim to to now, I've been to all of the pay-per-views. Obviously, I haven't had been fortunate enough to go to a Europe card – they didn't need that much of a Latin American presence there.

But, to this day, Conor McGregor. Nothing beats that environment. Nothing beats the aura. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Like I couldn't believe the fact that just people get moved. In the arena, in the town. It was the first event that we had after everything that happened, it in arena. That town. It was the first time we’d had an event in T-Mobile in quite some time. So him and Poirier here, I got to see that and it was just crazy. And I got to see some classic Conor stuff.

We've got the Awards ceremony here, giving respect to, and celebrating, the achievements of figures across the sport of MMA. Who's been your standout performer in the sport of MMA in 2022?

Because of the proximity, the fact that we saw Alex Pereira do what he did, in the fashion that he did, and doing it in another sport. He has an aura to him. The nicest guy ever, but he looks scary as hell! And to do that… I had the pleasure of translating the corner work from Glover Teixeira, so I got to see the moment of this incredible turnaround like it was straight out of a movie. So I just thought it was a standout performance in that way.

Obviously, there have been fighters that have done wonderful things, so consistent, and just keep winning. But that was just like it was out of a movie just because at the moment. And obviously, I had the honour of translating for Charles Oliveira, and you can't go wrong with that guy.