UFC President Dana White has unleashed a blistering critique of Fox’s World Cup final broadcast, using social media to voice his unfiltered frustration mere hours after the conclusion of the event.
On Sunday afternoon, Spain clinched a narrow 1-0 victory over Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, with a decisive 106th-minute goal from Ferran Torres at MetLife Stadium.
Many viewers found the match itself to lack excitement, and the surrounding spectacle—which included an elaborate closing ceremony and a novel halftime show—was met with unfavorable reviews from the home audience.
Disillusioned fans took to social media to vent their disapproval of the broadcast, and Dana White joined the chorus, sharing his critical insights online.
Taking to his Instagram Story in the wake of Sunday’s final, he said: ‘You know what’s crazy, I actually teed up the guys who were doing the production for the World Cup for you guys to hit a grand slam home run.
“Despite my team insisting that you were the worst, I defended us by saying, ‘No, we’re worse. They didn’t mess it up as badly as we did,'” White remarked. “But today, you triple down on that stance, basically saying, ‘Forget about Dana White. Our production team remains the worst in history when it comes to showcasing celebrities in sports.'”
UFC chief Dana White ripped into Fox’s production of the World Cup final on Sunday
‘I bow down. Congratulations to the producers of the World Cup. You guys f***ed up that flyover too. I’m not going to nit-pick, I’m just giving you credit where credit is due. You guys absolutely f***ing suck. We are the second worst.’
One notable blunder was when Fox commentators mistakenly identified Matt Damon as Brad Pitt when cameras panned to a VIP suite at MetLife Stadium.
Though White did not explicitly call out Fox in his rant, fans pieced together the dig and linked it back to the UFC’s split from the broadcaster back in 2018.
White’s comments came one week after he ripped into the UFC’s production at UFC 329 – following on-screen mix-up when showcasing the celebrities in attendance.
Last Saturday, during the live broadcast of the event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the camera panned to boxing star Shakur Stevenson cageside.
However, instead of correctly identifying the four-division world champion, the graphic labeled him as Jalen Williams, a forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking at the press conference after the event, he said: ‘I just paid Shakur Stevenson a s***load of money, and for some reason, we can’t figure this celebrity s*** out. They put him up as an ‘OKC’ NBA player. Are you f***ing kidding me?
‘We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing,’ White added at the time.
‘I just had this debate with my guys while I was screaming at everybody back there, and they said, ‘No, soccer’s worse. Soccer shows the people, and they don’t put up any graphics.’
Other fans questioned the World Cup’s halftime show at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon
Spain clinched their second World Cup title after beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time
While fellow critics of Fox’s production were few and far between on Sunday, World Cup fans did brand FIFA’s controversial first-ever World Cup halftime show starring Madonna and Justin Bieber as a ‘disaster’.
The futuristic segment began with Madonna, 67, singing her 2000 hit Music, accompanied by giddy Brazilian World Cup legends Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho.
The toned music legend was dressed head-to-toe in Saint Laurent, wowing in a pink satin teddy jacket and corset, mini shorts and lace-up boots, paired with stockings as she embraced the soccer icons, before they drove her out into the stadium.
The unlikely trio then posed up on the grass and smiled at the crowds.
Bieber, 32, made a starkly different impact on the crowd as he stepped out with nothing but a guitar to sing a World Cup themed version of his song, Everything Hallelujah.
The singer was bizarrely subbed onto the pitch by Jason Sudeikis, playing his manager alter-ego Ted Lasso.