UFC 329 produced another celebrity graphics blunder. CEO Dana White wasn’t laughing this time in his post-event comments.
What We Know: Shakur Stevenson, newly signed to Zuffa Boxing, appeared cageside during the UFC 329 broadcast on Paramount+. The graphic misidentified him as Thunder guard Jalen Williams instead. This isn’t the first time that the UFC has made a graphics error when showcasing the celebrity at their events. However, UFC CEO Dana White addressed the error unprompted at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
What They Said: Dana White criticizes his own production team for an error made during the UFC 329 broadcast on Paramount+: “I just paid Shakur Stevenson a sh**load of money, and for some reason we can’t figure this celebrity s**t out. They [UFC production team] put him up as a fu**ing OKC NBA player. Are you fu**ing kidding me? I mean, It’s absolutely crazy. We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing. When we put celebrities up, we are the worst. I just had this fu**ing debate in the back with my guys while I was screaming at everybody back there. They said, ‘No, soccer’s worse. Soccer shows the people, and they don’t-they don’t put up any graphics.’ Oh no, we put up fu**ing graphics and put the wrong guy’s name on it. We win. We’re the worst ever to fu**ing do it.”
What Remains Unclear: The exact cause of the graphics mis-step is unknown.
What It Means: UFC CEO Dana White is an overachiever. Little things matter just as much as the big things when you’re putting on big events. For White, he’s in the middle of a new seven year media rights agreement with Paramount which means pressure to perform. Following a historic UFC Freedom 250 event held at the White House, Connor McGregor’s return was hyped to be just as big. However, the continued issues with UFC production and identifying celebrity in house continues after much success. While you can aim for an errorless broadcast, you can tell that White is watching and observing everything with the telecasts. Even during events from cageside.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.