Dana White Blasts UFC 329 Crew After Shakur Stevenson Is Misidentified on Air

Q: Was the UFC's celebrity mix-up an embarrassing blunder or a clever viral marketing stunt?

It was an embarrassing blunder, not a credible viral marketing stunt. The strongest evidence is Dana White’s reaction. He publicly erupted after the UFC 329 broadcast mislabeled newly signed boxer Shakur Stevenson as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams, saying he had just paid Stevenson “a sh*tload of money” and calling his team “the absolute worst” at celebrity identification. That is not how a promoter typically sells a planned stunt involving a prized signing. The context also points to a genuine production error. Commentators reportedly laughed at the on-screen mistake and correctly identified Stevenson in real time, suggesting the problem was in the graphics workflow, not a coordinated bit. White also referenced a similar past error, when Terence Crawford was mislabeled as Kendrick Lamar, reinforcing that this is part of a pattern of sloppiness rather than a deliberate campaign. A stunt would also have made little strategic sense. Stevenson is Zuffa Boxing’s marquee acquisition, coming off a major win over Teófimo López and a record deal. Misidentifying him during a major UFC event undercuts the company’s effort to present him as a serious crossover star. While the mistake did generate online attention, the attention was largely ridicule aimed at the production team. The most defensible reading is that the mix-up was a costly and highly visible broadcast mistake that went viral, not a clever piece of marketing.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jul 12

White said he was "screaming at everybody" backstage after UFC 329’s broadcast labeled newly signed boxer Shakur Stevenson as Oklahoma City Thunder player Jalen Williams.
The outburst centered on Stevenson’s recent multi-fight Zuffa Boxing deal, with White saying the UFC had paid him heavily and still failed to identify him correctly on screen.
White called the UFC production team "the worst ever" at celebrity graphics, arguing the problem is recurring rather than a one-off mistake.
He pointed to an earlier Las Vegas Sphere event where boxer Terence Crawford was identified as rapper Kendrick Lamar, underscoring a broader production weakness.