Fabiano Buskei: The Internet’s Favorite Translator

From exuding positivity and good energy in everyday situations to delivering meme-able reactions each time another compatriot busts out much-improved English, rendering his presence in the Octagon unnecessary, Buskei is charming and magnetic; the type of person others are immediately drawn to, or would be if he wasn’t so outgoing as to approach you and seek out those connections first.

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The guy you see in the Octagon or backstage on Dana White’s Contender Series each week is the same guy you’ll meet if you approach him in the hotel lobby during fight week or seek out a photo at the venue — he’s engaging, genuine, and quick-witted, and he truly wants to make time for every single person he can.

“I’m very grateful because no one has ever come to me and said, ‘You suck!’” He said with a smile when asked about fan interactions and being shouted out by post-event stragglers while leaving a venue when the smoke from the latest event has finally cleared. “I know it comes from a good place; people are very complimentary, they’re very pleasant, and I couldn’t be happier for people that take the time from their experience to give a compliment.

“Positivity is lacking sometimes, so the fact that people take the time to say nice things (is amazing).”

A die-hard football fan that officially speaks 3.75 languages — Brazilian Portuguese, English, and Spanish fully, with Italian accounting for the three-quarter score — all of this came about by happenstance for the former Disney cast member.

Having relocated to Las Vegas prior to the pandemic, the UFC was looking for translators based in the city once COVID forced events to the UFC APEX. Knowing his previous translation experience and overall abilities, a friend reached out to gauge his interest.

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Soon after, the guy in the black shirt with the smooth delivery started turning up on UFC broadcasts.

Ten months later, he finally made his first trip into the Octagon.

“I went the entire rest of the night,” said Buskei, making a face and throwing up his hands in a manner that conveys the improbable nature of how his first live event and inside the Octagon appearance played out. “I was nervous, and I didn’t have time to break it in. They didn’t have time for Carlos, Luigi loses, and I’m sitting there taking it all in. I’m watching all these fights, and they’re really good, and then I go up (after Figueiredo-Moreno) and that was my first time in the Octagon to work an event.”

Moreno had earned the victory to claim the flyweight title, but as is customary in championship bouts, the vanquished fighter would be afforded time on the mic, as well, so Buskei made his way into the UFC cage and stood politely waiting for the official decision to be read aloud.

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“Here I am and there are only two people next to me: Joe Rogan and Dana White, holding the belt. I went with the combination of Barry Sanders’ ‘act like you’ve been there before’ when you get in the end zone, and just puff up your chest and look like you belong.

“Everybody just kind of smiles and says, ‘Hey!’ and I looked at Dana and said, ‘The first Mexican-born champion, finally’ and he said, ‘I know, right?’”

“That day, I was trying to get my bearings in the Octagon. It was the first time in a place where it got loud, and I’ve admitted to this, but I missed the callout because Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t one of the loudest speakers in the world,” offered Buskei, whose work has stood out from the outset because of his ability to convey emotion, energy, feeling with his words, rather than simply delivering what each athlete is saying. “There was a moment where I was able to translate something scripture-like and I was able to adapt that, contextually, which was pretty cool.

“But with the call-out, we have Joe Rogan and Deiveson, and I’m not hearing anything because I don’t have (an earpiece) and sound is tricky,” he continued, explaining the situation. “You may hear it in the stands, but we don’t hear it in the Octagon because the sound is blasting towards you. Deiveson speaks not very loudly and Joe puts the microphone (in front of his mouth) and it covers his face to me, so I’m trying to read lips at this point.

“In the moment, he called out (Moreno) — ‘… maybe we should fight each other a third time, just to see,’” he said, paraphrasing the former champion, who has since relocated to bantamweight. “I couldn’t hear anything, I didn’t see it, and so there is no call-out, and the Internet (did what the Internet does).”

Despite that missed moment, Buskei has thrived in his role and been fortunate to give voice to some special moments for numerous athletes over the years, including a wealth of Contender Series graduates and former lightweight kingpin Charles Oliveira.

Asked to reflect on his overall journey — from Curitiba to Penn State to Orlando to Las Vegas — the talkative and engaging Brazilian is rendered quiet and still for a moment.

"I would have not believed it,” he said. “Everybody has a journey and one of the reasons I’m so grateful is because I did translations for little-to-no money (before this), just to try to prove myself, just to be there, just to say, ‘Yeah, I can help.’

“And now I look back and think, ‘It was worth it; it set you up for this.’ This is the culmination of many things. I would have never known that the things I did would lead me to this.”