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Dana White Dismisses Backlash Over UFC’s AI Promos as Viral Creator Piles On

White cast AI as inevitable, with UFC keeping production in-house.

Overview

  • Dana White, pressed at Saturday’s Seattle post-fight news conference, told critics of AI-made promos to “shut the f— up and watch the fights.”
  • He said Paramount+ does not direct production and that artwork, music and promo builds happen inside the UFC, though networks sometimes cut their own spots.
  • Fans had flagged AI visuals for weeks after the 2026 switch to Paramount+, with a Seattle promo during UFC 326 mocked for an off-looking logo and mismatched fighter imagery.
  • Critics argue the AI pieces look cheap, replace paid work for designers and editors, and lack transparency about the data and methods used to generate them.
  • On Monday, YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL posted a video ripping White over AI use and fighter pay that topped 1.5 million views within a day, keeping the dispute in the spotlight.