UFC 329 was expected to be remembered for Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon. Instead, the event also produced two unusual moments away from the fighting, prompting very different reactions from UFC chief Dana White.

The event took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, with McGregor facing Max Holloway for the first time since their original meeting in 2013. The official UFC results show that the main event lasted only 69 seconds, while Paddy Pimblett recorded an equally rapid victory in the co-main event.

Before Pimblett entered the cage, WNBA player Sophie Cunningham made an unexpected appearance carrying the first-round sign. Later in the evening, however, a far less deliberate broadcast moment left White furious.

Cunningham’s cameo arranged in eight minutes

Cunningham, who plays for the Indiana Fever, was attending her first UFC event when she asked whether she could walk around the Octagon with a round card.

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According to Damon Martin’s report for MMA Fighting, the arrangement was made only moments before the co-main event between Pimblett and Benoît Saint Denis.

“[We hired her] about eight minutes before she did it,” White said at the post-fight press conference.

Cunningham appeared in an all-black outfit and carried the “Round 1” sign around the cage before joining the UFC’s regular Octagon Girls at ringside. There was no opportunity for a second appearance during the fight, as Pimblett secured a submission victory after only 52 seconds.

White explained that Cunningham had approached him after arriving at the arena and said she wanted to take part. He approved the idea immediately, describing the basketball player as someone with whom the UFC had developed a positive relationship.

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The cameo continued after the main event, when Cunningham returned to the Octagon and posed for a photograph with Holloway.

Broadcast mistake infuriates White

White’s mood was very different when he was asked about a significant error during the live broadcast.

Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated boxer who recently signed a promotional agreement with White’s Zuffa Boxing, was shown sitting in the crowd. However, the on-screen graphic identified him as Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Quoted by MMA Fighting in its report on the broadcast error, White admitted that the UFC has repeatedly struggled when displaying celebrity graphics.

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“We are the absolute worst to ever do the celebrity thing,” he said.

White appeared particularly frustrated because Stevenson had joined Zuffa Boxing only days before the event. Rather than using his appearance to promote one of the company’s most important new signings, the broadcast presented him as a completely different athlete.

The mistake also revived memories of a similar incident at the UFC’s event at the Sphere in 2024, when boxer Terence Crawford was incorrectly identified as rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Stevenson signing made error more awkward

Stevenson’s move to Zuffa Boxing represented a significant addition to the promotion’s developing roster.

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As described by Sports Illustrated following the announcement, White confirmed the agreement during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Stevenson joined the company as an unbeaten world champion and one of the leading technical boxers of his generation.

His presence at UFC 329 was therefore intended to draw attention to the relationship between the UFC and its expanding boxing operation.

Instead, the incorrect graphic became one of the evening’s most widely discussed broadcast moments. White said he had confronted members of the production team backstage and rejected the suggestion that other sports regularly made comparable mistakes.

The UFC has built a reputation for ambitious live productions, including the recent Freedom 250 event staged on the South Lawn of the White House. For White, that made the inability to identify one of his own company’s new fighters even more difficult to accept.

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McGregor’s return ends almost immediately

The evening’s biggest disappointment still came inside the Octagon.

According to The Associated Press’ report from Las Vegas, McGregor attempted a flying left roundhouse kick immediately after the fight began but landed awkwardly on his right knee. He tried to continue, although it soon became clear that he could not move properly.

Holloway repeatedly urged referee Mike Beltran to stop the contest, and the fight was eventually called after 1 minute and 9 seconds. Holloway was officially awarded a TKO victory.

White said the initial suspicion was that McGregor had damaged his anterior cruciate ligament, although a definitive diagnosis had not been confirmed at the time of his post-fight comments.

The stoppage meant McGregor’s first UFC appearance in more than five years ended almost as soon as it had begun. His previous fight had also concluded through injury when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

UFC 329 consequently delivered a night of sharp contrasts. Cunningham’s spontaneous cameo provided a light-hearted crossover between basketball and mixed martial arts, while the Stevenson error exposed an embarrassing weakness in the UFC’s broadcast operation.

For White, one moment was harmless entertainment. The other was an avoidable mistake involving a fighter the company had just invested heavily in.