The 2026 FIFA World Cup ended in dramatic fashion as Spain defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Ferran Torres emerged as the hero with a 106th-minute winner, handing Spain its second World Cup title and first since its historic triumph in 2010.
The tournament also marked the end of an era, with football icons Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar all making what are expected to be their final World Cup appearances. While the tournament delivered plenty of memorable moments on the pitch, UFC CEO Dana White was left fuming over what he believed was the event’s television production.
White made it clear that he had no issue with the quality of the football or the players involved. Instead, his frustration was directed at Fox Sports, which he labeled the worst he had ever seen. The criticism is particularly notable because White had only recently branded the UFC’s own production team the worst in sports following UFC 329.
Dana White just CRASHED OUT at the UFC broadcast team after they confused Shakur Stevenson for an NBA player 😭
“I just paid Shakur Stevenson a sh*tload of money, and for some reason we can’t figure this celebrity sh*t out.
They put him up as a f*cking OKC NBA player. Are you… https://t.co/6veQFw5EkW pic.twitter.com/gTcPdj6o8n
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2026
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During the pay-per-view broadcast, the promotion mistakenly identified newly signed Zuffa Boxing star Shakur Stevenson as Oklahoma City Thunder forward and 2025 NBA champion Jalen Williams. Just nine days later, though, White changed his tune.
After watching the World Cup final, he claimed Fox Sports had somehow outdone the UFC’s own production blunder with its celebrity shots and on-screen graphics. The final itself also drew criticism from many fans, who found the match underwhelming, while the pre-match ceremony and the tournament’s first-ever halftime show received a mixed response from viewers at home.
Following the match, White unleashed a vintage-style rant reminiscent of the days when he publicly criticized figures such as Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya, Kimbo Slice, and Nate Diaz. He posted a video saying, “You know what’s crazy? I actually tee’d up the guys who are doing the production, the guys responsible for the production of the World Cup for you guys to hit a grand slam home run.”
He added, “Even though everybody in my team was arguing with me, saying you are the worst, I said ‘no, we are the worst, they didn’t fuck it up as bad as we did’. So what do you guys do? You triple down today and just go ‘fuck you, Dana White, you’re not beating us!”
White concluded, “We are the worst production team in the history of sports to ever show celebrities. I bow down, congratulations to the producers of the World Cup. You guys win, you guys fucked up that flyover too! I’m not going to nitpick, I’m just giving you credit where credit is due. You guys absolutely suck, we are the second worst.”
🚨😅 Dana White goes off on FIFA production team over celebrity name mistake:
“I actually teed up the guys who were responsible for the production of the World Cup for you guys to hit a home run. Everyone on my team was saying you guys were the worst. I said, ‘No, we’re the… pic.twitter.com/gVu0PXOK9N
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 19, 2026
Although White never explicitly mentioned Fox Sports during his rant, many fans took it as a swipe at the broadcaster, with some even linking it back to the UFC’s split from the network in 2018. The timing also made the rant hard to ignore, coming just over a week after the company’s own production blunder at UFC 329.
What’s more, the promotion has come under fire multiple times in recent months for getting fighters’ names wrong and for using AI-generated visuals in promotional packages for UFC Freedom 250. Despite those criticisms, White largely brushed them aside, making his latest rant about another broadcaster’s production feel more than a little ironic.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
