Michael Buffer is back in Philly and ready to rumble on the set of 'Creed II'
The ring announcer has appeared in the franchise before.
Creed II may have officially started filming in Philadelphia earlier this week, but now, with the arrival of Michael Buffer, the shoot is really ready to rumble.
Buffer, 73, announced via Twitter today that he is in Philadelphia to work on Creed II, his fourth appearance in the franchise. Raised in Roslyn in Montgomery County, Buffer today is known for his "Let's get ready to rumble!" catchphrase, which he began using as a ring announcer around 1984. Since then, he has used it to introduce high-profile boxing and wrestling matches, as well as stock car races, World Series games, and the Stanley Cup finals.
The Abington High School alum trademarked his catchphrase in 1992, and earned more than $400 million in revenue off it as of 2009, according to ABC. His half-brother, Bruce Buffer, meanwhile, is the official Octagon announcer for Ultimate Fighting Championship, and uses the catchphrase "It's time!" to begin matches.
Buffer first appeared as a fight announcer in the Rocky franchise in 1990's Rocky V, and later returned in Rocky Balboa in 2006, and Creed in 2015. In 2014, he made a cameo in the Broadway version of Rocky, taking over duties as the musical's ring announcer for a single night. An action figure based off his Rocky Balboa appearance was released in 2007.
Since appearing on the big screen in Rocky V, Buffer has also appeared in projects including Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess with the Zohan, HBO's Entourage, and Comedy Central's South Park, among others.
In 2008, Buffer had a cancerous growth removed from his tonsils, and returned to announcing after a month off, as he told Philadelphia magazine in 2009.
Now, Buffer's career has led him back to the Philadelphia area once again for Creed II. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as Rocky and Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, who was killed by Russian boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. Creed II reportedly will pit Jordan's Creed against Drago's son, who is being played by real-life Romanian boxer Florian Munteanu.
Creed II is currently scheduled for a Nov. 21 release.