Dana White Rips UFC After Shakur Stevenson Billed as Jalen Williams in Video, Shannon Sharpe Reacts
UFC president Dana White was less than thrilled by the case of mistaken identity that occurred during the broadcast of UFC 329 on Saturday night.
Decorated boxer Shakur Stevenson was misidentified as Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams midway through the event:
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe to needle Stevenson amid their ongoing war of words:
During his post-fight press conference, White said this is a sore spot for the UFC’s production.
“We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing,” he said. “When we put celebrities up, we are the worst. … We put up f–king graphics and put the wrong guy’s name on it.”
The remarks begin at the 14:08 mark of Saturday’s presser.
Williams probably isn’t immediately recognizable to a lot of fans who don’t regularly follow the NBA. He isn’t a household name in the same way Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is.
The 2024-25 All-Star doesn’t share any resemblance to Stevenson, though, and White’s frustration was magnified by the fact he just signed Stevenson to Zuffa Boxing this week.
The 29-year-old is by far the biggest fish Zuffa has landed for its boxing venture, and the partnership kicked off with Saturday’s gaffe.
In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t the biggest problem in the world. A lot of viewers may not have even been paying close attention when the broadcast showed Stevenson in the crowd.
But White made it very clear this is a lingering issue he wants to see solved.
