Dana White had to retract and apologize after prematurely announcing a main event that wasn’t yet locked in. On this day in 2011, UFC fans watched a stacked card unfold at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, with anticipation running high as the event approached.
In the lead-up, UFC announcements sometimes aimed to feel like marquee moments, and this one was no exception. While recent main-event reveals often come via White going live on social media, UFC 324’s headline news was delivered with a touch more ceremony. The promotion even surprised audiences with the reveal of Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira 2 at UFC 326, bringing both fighters onto the stage at a press conference to break the news. These announcements might not have sparked fevered urgency, but at least they were accurate—an important distinction that hadn’t always been clear in the past.
A separate misstep occurred when Dana White publicly declared Lyoto Machida would headline UFC 140 against Phil Davis. In reality, the pairing was not feasible, and White quickly acknowledged the mistake on social media, noting that Davis was still recovering from knee surgery. The correction came less than an hour after the initial post.
Davis himself wasn’t prepared for the announcement. He told USA Today that he hadn’t even been involved in the plans and was still in the process of returning to full health and training. He echoed the sentiment of being a participant in a story that had already moved forward, describing himself as someone who felt like a character in a video game—running the field while the plays were being decided by others.
Ultimately, Jones’ victory over Machida at UFC 140 became one of the event’s most memorable moments, even as the original headline plan shifted. The episode underscores a broader lesson about premature announcements: even when plans look solid, the reality of a fight card can change, and the best-laid announcements should reflect the latest, verified information.
What do you think—do big-event reveals work better when they’re carefully confirmed, or do you think a touch of drama and surprise is essential for building momentum? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
