A broadcast mix-up at UFC 329 gave Dana White plenty to rage about after the event in Las Vegas, and the mistake centered on a familiar NBA name.
During the July 11 broadcast, champion boxer Shakur Stevenson was shown on a graphic as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams. The commentators caught it right away and correctly identified Stevenson, but the on-screen error still set White off in a profanity-filled post-event rant.
“I just paid Shakur Stevenson a s---load of money, and for some reason we can't figure this celebrity s--- out,” White said. “They put him up as a f---ing OKC NBA player.
Are you f---ing kidding me? It's absolutely crazy.
We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing. When we put celebrities up, we are the worst.”
White said he screamed at his production team after the broadcast, and he later doubled down on that frustration when the topic came up again at the press conference.
“We'll put up f---ing graphics - and put the wrong guy's name on it. We win. We're the worst,” White said.
The error also drew a lighter response from Williams himself. Clemente Almanza of USA Today’s OKC Thunder Wire noted on social media that the Thunder guard posted, “ehhh close enough.”
The night’s main event didn’t go much better. After five years away from MMA, Conor McGregor’s comeback ended almost immediately when his bout with Max Holloway was stopped just seconds in after McGregor appeared to suffer a leg injury.
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