Following UFC Fight Night 271 in Seattle, during the post-fight press conference, UFC President and CEO Dana White was asked about the negative fan reaction to promotional materials that appeared to be AI-generated. His answer was brief, unfiltered, and dismissive of the growing backlash.
“Give me a f— break. AI is coming, and if we're using AI, who gives a sh—?” he told the reporters, directing his anger at the complaints from fans.
UFC President Dana White has always been blunt, and the rest of his response to fan criticism regarding the promotion's use of artificial intelligence was no exception.
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He followed up his comment, saying, “People are upset, and we should use artists? How about this: Shut the f— up and watch the fights."
Watch the full press conference here (via MMA Junkie on YouTube):
The controversy stemmed from a promotional spot aired during the UFC Seattle broadcast, and fans quickly took to social media to criticize the ad, noting that the artwork for the main card looked like it was created using AI tools.
Clarifying Production Responsibilities
In his response, White took care to clarify where responsibility for the promotional content lies. He emphasized that the UFC's broadcast partner, Paramount, was not directing the company's creative choices.
“It has nothing to do with Paramount,” White explained. “Paramount’s not telling us how to run our production. We run the production.”
He added that while Paramount does create some promotional spots independently, the majority of the UFC's content is handled internally.
“Every time we change, we go from Fox to ESPN, and then we go to Paramount, people are like ‘Ah, ESPN’s doing this and Fox is doing that and Paramount—,’ they’re not doing anything,” White said. “Everything from the artwork to production to music, everything is done internally and always has been at UFC.”
Vocal Fans React to Dana’s Words
Critics on social media were quick to fire back at Dana White’s treatment of fan dissent (responses to a clip of the press conference shared by Championship Rounds on X):
“‘Shut up with your valid criticism and consume our slop.’”
“Shut the f— UP and pay more to fighters, you bald, pink-headed motherf—. a disgrace to UFC.”
“This is supposed to be the guy that’s all about the production, kinda lazy promotion from Dana white and the UFC if you ask me.”
“Someone should genuinely throw rotten eggs at him at the next event.”
“The same guy who smacks his wife in the face in public? Yeah, that tracks.”
“You can tell Dana White genuinely thinks he deserves to live.”
“This guy doesn’t give a f— about the fans or the fighter, and people still defend him.”
“We will be pirating the fights from now on, then. If you won’t commission artists for something as simple as fight promos, then we won’t pay you to watch your fights. Baldy.”
“Dana White is a f—in spineless cheapskate who wants to cut corners in order to pay his fighters less and fuel his coke addiction.”
“Craziest thing is half the audience will lap this up.”
Many critics argued that a multi-billion-dollar organization like the UFC could afford to hire human artists rather than relying on what some called "AI slop."
Others were quick to call out White’s dismissive attitude toward their genuine criticism of AI-generated art. And many more were quick to add insults in their criticism of the UFC boss, pointing out his physical appearance, perceived unfair business practices, and personal life controversies.
The Growing AI Debate
White’s comments come amid a broader industry shift toward AI-generated content. The UFC, along with its TKO Group Holdings sibling WWE, has begun integrating AI into its creative processes, which is a wider trend across entertainment moving away from traditional design work.
White did not deny the use of AI, but also did not necessarily admit its role in the promotion’s production pipeline. His attitude, however, reflected his bottom-line approach to the technological shift, dismissing artistic concerns in favor of the product of the UFC itself: the fights.
The backlash over AI use is only the latest criticism facing the promotion during its transition to the Paramount+ era.
Speaking from my personal observations, I have noticed this year has had some technical issues, production inconsistencies, and advertisements playing during fighter walkouts.
White’s closing message, however, left little room for ambiguity. “If you don’t like it, don’t buy it,” he added, further emphasizing that fan complaints do not dictate the company’s direction.
