The UFC is once again under fire for using AI-generated promotional content ahead of Conor McGregor’s July 11 fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329. Fans and fighters continue to criticize the promotion’s creative direction.
The UFC announced a new McGregor vs. Holloway promotion for this week’s UFC 329, and the reaction was as expected. Fans called this an AI slop again.
UFC’s use of AI expands further ahead of UFC 329
This is nothing new at this point. The UFC’s AI-generated promotional content has been criticized since the spring, when the first promo for Freedom 250 no longer featured AI narration and imagery.
Nothing stopped the criticism. Instead, the UFC has leaned more into AI gimmicks.
With Conor McGregor’s return fight just five days away, the latest batch of promos just repeats the same complaints, hoping SoundCloud commenters think the sport’s biggest star deserves better than anything an algorithm can come up with.
The problem is not new
The first major wave of backlash came when the UFC released its Freedom 250 promotional package in April. Dana White admitted on Katie Miller’s podcast that the entire promotion was generated by AI. “The whole promotion is AI,” Dana said. “My voice isn’t even my real voice.”
Fans weren’t thrilled. UFC lightweight Renato Moicano called this “brain rot.” Darren Till openly promoted the decline in creative quality. The criticism was loud and came from all directions.
Dana White’s reaction at the press conference was blunt. “Who gives as ***?” said Danna. “You bastards just shut up and watch the fight.”
UFC executive producer Craig Borsari took a more measured approach, telling Bloody Elbow, “Our view of AI is not as a replacement for content creation, but rather as a way to amplify it.”
UFC 329 poster gets even worse.
When the official poster for UFC 329 went up in June, McGregor didn’t look like himself. Fans noticed right away. The poster had a standard face-off layout, but McGregor’s features were clearly distorted in a way that suggested he was being manipulated by an AI.
“International Fight Week sees the return of the sport’s biggest stars, and we get AI sloppy versions of the two fighters facing off against each other in a generic setting,” journalist Connor Burks wrote for X. The tweet went viral, attracting thousands of fans.
For promotions that have built their brands on cinematic production quality and movie-level promotions, the move to AI-generated content feels like a step backwards. The UFC once set the standard for promoting the sport. Embedded series, countdown shows, and prime time specials.
Those were the gold standard. Now, the biggest comeback in MMA history is being promoted with synthetic voices and algorithmically generated visuals.
Dana White doesn’t care
Dana White doesn’t really care if she doesn’t like the promotion of AI. He is convinced that they are the future of fight promotion, and opposition from fans probably won’t do much to change that direction. For Borsari, this is an evolution, one that allows the UFC to take advantage of the data it has collected over the years.
For old-school fans who grew up watching Jon Anik’s narration and real footage with real emotion, this just doesn’t feel the same.
What’s interesting here is the irony. Conor McGregor talks about being buried in fame and reconnecting with his true self. The whole story of his return is about authenticity. But the UFC is promoting it with AI-generated content that doesn’t look like it was created by humans.
McGregor’s return fight against Holloway on July 11 is one of the most anticipated fights in recent memory. He will be returning for a rematch after 13 years after being away from the cage for five years. The story speaks for itself.
When asked if promotional materials should be generated by AI, the UFC is clear.
“Who gives as ***?” said Danna.
