A graphic mix-up at UFC 329 sent Dana White into a profanity-laced fury Saturday night in Las Vegas, after the broadcast labeled champion boxer Shakur Stevenson as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams.
White tore into his production team during the post-event press conference, calling out the mistake after the on-screen graphic got Stevenson wrong even though the commentators identified him correctly in real time.
"I just paid Shakur Stevenson a s---load of money, and for some reason we can't figure this celebrity s--- out," White said in a rant after the event.
"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 yelled at the production crew after the broadcast, and the error sparked a debate over whether UFC broadcasts are better or worse than soccer when it comes to identifying celebrities in attendance.
"We'll put up f---ing graphics - and put the wrong guy's name on it. We win. We're the worst," White said during the post-event press conference.
The reaction from Williams, at least publicly, was a lot calmer. Clemente Almanza, of USA Today's OKC Thunder Wire, noted on social media that the Thunder star responded to the blunder with a simple: "ehhh close enough."
The broadcast mistake was one of the night’s oddest moments, but UFC 329 also delivered a disappointment in the cage. Conor McGregor’s comeback after five years away from MMA ended almost immediately, as his fight with Max Holloway was stopped just seconds in after McGregor appeared to suffer a leg injury.
In Other News...
Spurs Patience Around Wembanyama Suddenly Looks Smarter Than Ever
The Spurs spent last offseason resisting the urge to shortcut Victor Wembanyamas rise, choosing development and patience over a splashy veteran addition. Even with the franchise linked to big names such as Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio stayed on its own timeline and kept building around its young core rather than forcing a win-now move.
Now that approach looks even more deliberate. Durants market has cooled enough to make him a far less realistic target than he once seemed, and the same logic that kept the Spurs from chasing him then still applies now: the front office has been willing to wait for the right fit instead of paying a premium for a name. For a team built around Wembanyama, that kind of restraint suddenly feels less cautious and more like the clearest path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Fans Have Every Reason To Hate This Wembanyama Cap Debate
The latest salary-cap debate has put Victor Wembanyama in the middle of a familiar NBA tug-of-war, with NBPA executive director David Kelly arguing the current system asks too much of stars who are willing to take less to help their teams. Kevin Love added to that frustration by describing the second apron as a hard cap on roster building, a view that resonates in San Antonio because the Spurs are trying to construct a contender around a young franchise centerpiece while working within the leagues tightening financial rules.
Adam Silver, meanwhile, is standing by the structure, saying the cap is meant to keep competition and balance intact and that these questions will be part of the next collective bargaining talks. For Spurs fans, the uneasy part is obvious: the league keeps talking about parity and restraint just as the teams own path to a title-caliber roster depends on exactly the kind of flexibility those rules are squeezing, which is why this argument around Wembanyama is unlikely to fade anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama's Extension Could Put The Spurs Core In A Brutal Spot
Victor Wembanyamas next extension is already shaping up to be the kind of contract that changes the math for everyone around him. For the Spurs, that is less a celebration of one stars rise than a reminder of how quickly a promising young core can run into the hard edges of the NBAs current cap system, especially once Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper get close to their own big-money decisions.
The challenge is not just paying elite talent, it is fitting multiple elite deals onto the same books without squeezing the roster into an impossible corner. Wembanyama is the exception, not the template, and the leagues next round of labor talks could matter a lot for how much breathing room San Antonio has when Castle and Harper reach that point, with De'Aaron Fox also part of the long-term financial picture. [Read more 🡒]