Dana White lights up UFC production staff for misidentifying boxing star Shakur Stevenson as an NBA player
UFC President Dana White expected Shakur Stevenson to receive a hero’s welcome at UFC 329.
Instead, the UFC failed to even get the sport right by promoting him as an NBA player. This setback set the stage for one of White’s most memorable post-fight shouts in recent memory.
“I tell you all the time, my production team is amazing. We just did the White House … and being there live and watching it on television was the greatest thing in the world,” White told reporters.
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“I just paid Shakur Stevenson a lot of money and for some reason we can’t figure this celebrity thing out.”
Shakur Stevenson speaks at the press conference ahead of his WBC and WBO junior lightweight championship fight with Robson Conceição at the Prudential Center on September 21, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. (Top Rank Inc. via Mikey Williams/Getty Images)
“They made him out to be a fucking OKC NBA player. Are you kidding me? That’s absolutely crazy,” White continued. “We’re the absolute worst doing the celebrity thing. We’re the worst when it comes to featuring celebrities.”
So what made White angry?
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Conor McGregor was making his highly anticipated return to the Octagon and the Las Vegas crowd was predictably star-studded.
During a routine broadcast sweep of cageside VIPs, the camera latched onto Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated four-division boxing champion.
The only problem? It was announced that this person was Jalen Williams from Oklahoma City Thunder.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams enters the paint during the first quarter of Game Two of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center on May 20, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Ahh. Under normal circumstances, this is something you would laugh at. But for White it was an expensive embarrassment.
White spent big money to bring Stevenson to Zuffa Boxing. UFC 329 was supposed to celebrate the signing. Instead, the broadcast turned him into a member of the Thunder.
White later revealed that he had a backstage screaming match with his crew, who apparently tried to defend his gaffe. football broadcasts are worse because they don’t use graphics at all.
“Oh no,” White replied. “We put up fucking charts and we put the wrong guy’s name on them. We win. We’re the worst to do it.”
While White was ready to hand out the pink slips, the athletes involved took the mistake in stride.
Stevenson hopped on social media and jokingly tweeted, “Yes Dana #FireThey–“
Meanwhile, the real Jalen Williams caught wind of his surprise appearance at UFC 329 and shared a screenshot of the broadcast to his Instagram Stories with the caption, “Ehhh close enough.”
This also wasn’t the UFC’s first famous chart disaster. Fans will remember the time the UFC 306 production team famously tagged world champion boxer Terence Crawford as “Kendrick Lamar.”
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The UFC may put on the most spectacular live spectacles in combat sports, but until it hires a pop culture fact-checker for the production truck, no celebrity sitting cageside can be safe from a sudden change of identity.
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