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.'”

‘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.’

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. 

Troy Jackson, who previously served as a state legislator, is now poised as a leading contender to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Maine. This development comes after a number of his rivals exited the competition over the weekend, potentially setting the stage for him to succeed Graham Platner.

The dynamics of the political race underwent a swift alteration as party meetings took place statewide. These gatherings were instrumental in selecting delegates for an upcoming nominating convention on July 25, where the Democratic opponent for Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins will be finalized for the November election.

Throughout the weekend, Jackson’s campaign proudly announced that it had secured a commitment from hundreds of delegates who pledged their support for him at the convention. Notably, this included all of the delegates they aimed for in Maine’s largest county, Cumberland.

Jackson’s burgeoning influence became apparent as several contenders bowed out of the race.

Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Secretary of State, stepped aside on Sunday morning, stressing the importance of Democrats rallying together without delay to challenge Collins effectively.

Nirav Shah, former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dropped out and endorsed Jackson in the early evening. He was quickly followed by Dan Kleban, the co-founder of Maine Beer Company, and Jordan Wood, both of whom also endorsed Jackson.

With all of his most formidable opponents out, Jackson looked tough to beat at next weekend’s convention.

The Democrats have been scrambling to pick a new candidate after Platner, who won the Democratic primary, then withdrew from the race this month. Platner had electrified some progressives, but his campaign collapsed after several women complained about his behavior, including one former girlfriend who accused him of sexual assault. Platner denied the allegation.

Our Revolution, a progressive organization founded by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that had originally backed Platner, threw its support behind Jackson.

Jackson, 58, was a logger before he became a politician. He was elected to the state legislature in 2002 and ultimately became the president of Maine’s senate. He left office in 2024 due to term limits.

Jackson unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with Platner’s backing, but wasn’t successful.

On Sunday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) revealed that its fleet of F-16s had to step in to intercept several aircraft infringing on temporary flight restrictions above New Jersey’s airspace.

According to NORAD, their F-16 fighter jets intervened as multiple general aviation planes breached restricted airspace around New Jersey locales, specifically over Bedminster and East Rutherford.

On Sunday, over a dozen general aviation crafts were reported to have penetrated restricted zones, of which NORAD had to intercept three directly.

During two of these interceptions, NORAD jets deployed flares to catch the errant pilots’ attention, creating displays likely visible from the ground.

NORAD said the flares were deployed “with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.”

All general aviation aircraft were safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft, NORAD said.

“Should NORAD aircraft intercept a general aviation aircraft, the pilot should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies,” NORAD said.

NORAD urged pilots to check temporary flight restrictions before entering an airspace.

“Pilots: check your Notice to Airmen (NOTAMS) and FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions,” NORAD said.

INDIANAPOLIS — Breanna Stewart emerged with a heavy heart Saturday night, stepping into the press room more than 40 minutes after the Liberty endured what many are calling their most disappointing defeat of the season.

She appeared weary—not just from logging 32 minutes on the court during the team’s fourth straight loss, but weary of reiterating the squad’s persistent challenges.

Despite her evident exhaustion and potential frustration, Stewart’s responses were marked by composure and insight.

In every sense, she exemplifies professionalism.

Her words were a blend of thoughtfulness, introspection, and, when necessary, a touch of sternness.

She was the first to say she could’ve been better after leading the team with 26 points and eight rebounds.

“I’m looking at myself, you know what I mean? There’s a lot that I didn’t do well today between the turnovers or the missed free throws or things like that,” Stewart said following the 108-88 loss. “So in order for us to be our best, I need to be better.”

Stewart accepted responsibility.

But she isn’t the only one who needs to improve.

Sabrina Ionescu finally shook off the rust and has been better of late.

But she took only two shot attempts in the entire second half and nine total Saturday.

She needs to be even more aggressive.

She’s averaging her fewest attempts from downtown since her sophomore season and a career-low in rebounds.

Jonquel Jones, a six-time All-Star this season, is attempting a career-high 4.7 attempts from 3 per game but her 5.1 field-goal attempts per game inside the arc are her fewest since her Sixth Player of the Year campaign in 2018.

Also, at times, she lets her emotions impact her focus when the whistle or lack thereof gets to her.

Marine Johannes started Saturday red-hot, shooting 4-for-5 from deep in the first quarter.

But she needs to reel in her flair and make simple passes rather than the flashy ones.

She gets into the occasional foul trouble, too.

Pauline Astier has been solid.

But she doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt from officials as a rookie.

She needs to make smarter decisions on defense.

The Liberty’s bench was touted as the deepest in the league.

Yet it has been outscored by opponents’ reserves 128-67 this month.

It should be able to provide more of a lift when the starters rest.

Coach Chris DeMarco knew the pressure that would be on his shoulders in Year 1.

There were bound to be natural growing pains with his new staff and new system.

But the Liberty’s rotation remains unsettled.

He played the two developmental players over Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Rebekah Gardner on Saturday when the team desperately needed a defensive spark.

He explained that he’s still experimenting, which isn’t unheard of at this stage.

But the team’s overall performance on both ends of the floor has dropped off after an impressive eight-game winning streak.

Perhaps the Liberty have overcommitted to their zone defense.

General manager Jonathan Kolb is not absolved from criticism either.

He made the decision to fire Sandy Brondello, the Liberty’s winningest head coach only a year after she delivered the franchise’s first title.

He led the coaching search that brought DeMarco to New York.

Kolb also built this roster, and the booming on-paper potential hasn’t translated to the court.

Injuries have been a factor, though the team’s recent downturn has shown deficiencies within the team’s depth as the Aug. 2 trade deadline nears.

“It’s a team game, and it’s a team effort,” DeMarco said. “And everybody, including myself, need to look at themselves and figure out how we’re going to improve. And when we do that, and we’re connected and we’re playing together, the wins will follow.”

A tragic flash flood in southern Utah has claimed the lives of a fire captain, his wife, and their three sons. The family was caught in the sudden deluge while hiking through the canyons.

Spencer Long, a Provo Fire Captain, was exploring the picturesque Sunglow campground near Bicknell with his wife Katrina and their sons, Reid, Thayne, and Gage. What began as a scenic adventure turned deadly when unexpected heavy rains triggered a flood, as reported by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

The ordeal came to light when deputies were called to the scene after the body of a young man was discovered in the flood wash that evening.

The search continued through Friday and Saturday, eventually leading to the recovery of the remaining family members’ bodies.

In the wake of this heart-wrenching event, the Provo Firefighters Union shared on Instagram that their wildland rapid extraction module team had been redirected from battling the Babylon wildfire in Blanding to aid in the search and recovery efforts for their colleague and his family.

The Provo Fire and Rescue later confirmed Captain Long and his family had died.

‘We are absolutely devastated by the death of Capt. Spencer Long and his family,’ the agency posted on Facebook Saturday. ‘Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.’ 

Community members responded to the post with their memories of the family.

‘I remember in high school when I was an intern with Provo Fire, we stopped to grab some food and my debit card was declining,’ Tanner Atwater wrote. 

‘Spencer was with us working the box that day, and he stepped in and bought my lunch. It was only like $7 maybe $10 at most, so not a lot of money or anything big, I insisted on paying him back but he was adamant for me not to worry about it, it was on the house,’ he recounted. ‘I’ll always cherish that memory.’ 

Brad Adams also wrote that ‘words cannot describe the great sadness this brings to all that knew Spencer, his wife and children. 

‘He was a fine young man and I loved working with him at Provo,’ Adams commented. ‘May God bless his family as they go through this hard time.’

Tributes also poured in for Katrina, a former councilmember in Mona City who co-founded Summit Medical Spa.

‘Katrina dedicated countless hours of service to our community, and her kindness, leadership and commitment made a lasting impact on so many lives,’ city officials said in a statement. ‘We will forever be grateful for all that Katrina and her family have done to support and strengthen our community.’

‘Our thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with her family, especially her daughter Lydia, and all who knew and loved them during this difficult time,’ the city officials continued, adding: ‘Katrina’s legacy of service and compassion will not be forgotten.’

Summit Medical Spa also released a statement, saying ‘there are simply no words to express the depth of this loss.

‘Katrina was so much more than a co-founder – she was the heart of Summit Medical Spa. She led with kindness, grace and unwavering compassion, making every employee, client and friend feel valued, supported and truly supported.

‘She had a remarkable gift for bringing people together and creating a place where everyone felt like a family.’

The spa went on to call the matriarch ‘an exceptional leader, an inspiring businesswoman and an extraordinary person whose generosity and love for others touched countless lives.

‘Her legacy is woven into everything Summit stands for and her impact will continue to be felt for years to come.

‘Our hearts are with all of their loved ones as we grieve the unimaginable loss of Katrina, her husband and their three beautiful boys,’ the spa said.

‘We ask that you keep their family, friends and everyone whose lives they touched in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.’

‘As we mourn this devastating loss, we also celebrate the kindness, love and light that Katrina shared so freely with the world. We are forever grateful for the privilege of knowing her, learning from her and being part of the dream she helped build.

‘The Long family will forever remain in our hearts and their legacy will live on through the lives they touched and the community they helped create.

‘Forever loved. Forever remembered.’ 

The spa further asked the community to step up to help support the couple’s surviving daughter, Lydia, who was not with them on the hike.

‘In an instant, their daughter Lydia lost the people she loved most and is now facing an unimaginable future without them,’ an online fundraiser to help support her reads. 

‘Spencer and Katrina were loving, devoted parents whose greatest joy was their family. They touched the lives of so many with their kindness, generosity and unwavering love.

‘Today, we have the opportunity to honor them by surrounding Lydia with the same love and support they so freely gave to others.

‘No amount of money can take away Lydia’s pain or replace the family she has lost,’ the fundraiser notes. ‘But together, we can help ease some of the burdens she now cares and remind her that she is not alone.

‘Every donation, no matter the amount, is a meaningful expression of love and support.’

As of Sunday night, the community had raised nearly $160,000 to help Lydia.