Dana White promised disruption with his foray into the world of boxing, and fans got it, just not in the way many expected. Zuffa Boxing officially went live with Zuffa Boxing 01 on Paramount+, marking the first event under White’s long-teased boxing venture and the UFC’s new broadcast era.

The production looked sharper, but as the fights unfolded at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, another storyline began stealing attention: commercials cutting into the live action. And for a fanbase already sensitive to streaming hiccups, that didn’t land well.

Early on, there were positives. Analyst Luke Thomas jumped on X to note a technical upgrade compared to ESPN+ with, “Ok, so this Paramount Plus ZB1 broadcast is in 1080p, no? ESPN+ was stuck in 720p, but it appears to me to be an upgrade? How is everyone’s feed? Buffering? Working great?” But then the commercials hit, and everything changed.

Zuffa Boxing 01, headlined by undefeated prospect Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo, was meant to showcase White’s vision just one day before UFC 324. The UFC head honcho has spent years calling boxing “broken,” vowing to fix it with the same model that turned the UFC into a global powerhouse.

The goal is to set up bigger fights, clear rankings, and less nonsense. So when ads started interrupting rounds on a paid streaming service, fans immediately asked the obvious question: Is this really the clean slate we were promised?

Fans are not pleased as Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing event faces issues with ad breaks cutting into fights

One fan wrote, “Just got an ad that didn’t come back until R2 was already underway.” That reaction cuts to the core issue. Missing walkouts or commentary is one thing. Missing live rounds is another. For a debut event trying to establish credibility, losing viewers during active competition undercuts the promises Dana White has been selling.

Another fan echoed the same frustration, saying, “All good. The timing of commercials is interesting. The last commercial cut into R2.” Fans weren’t furious at the idea of ads existing. They were baffled by when they appeared. In combat sports, momentum matters. Cutting away mid-fight doesn’t just disrupt viewing, it breaks immersion, something the UFC has historically mastered better than boxing broadcasts.

One of the harsher reactions came from a subscriber paying extra for Paramount’s top tier, “I paid for the top tier and I’m getting ads. I thought it was supposed to be ad free? My stream also froze for over 3 minutes. Had to leave, click a different program, then come back.” This speaks to expectations versus reality. Paramount+ sold this as a premium, low-friction experience, especially with pay-per-view removed. When ads and freezes still show up, fans don’t just blame the app. They question the entire business model.

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Not everyone hated the broadcast, though. One viewer offered a more constructive take: “Perfect quality, one thing they can maybe change is not showing the still screen at the end of rounds, they should always show the corners talking.” That’s a subtle but important critique. UFC broadcasts thrive on corner audio and between-rounds storytelling. Fans expect that access. If Zuffa Boxing wants to feel different from traditional boxing, leaning into that UFC-style transparency could be a huge win. What do you think?

Another fan landed somewhere in the middle: “feeds great, little commercial annoyance between rd 1 and 2 but that’s it on my end.” And that’s the split. For some, the issues were minor. For others, they were deal-breakers. That inconsistency is what fuels skepticism.

Zuffa Boxing 01 was never about perfection; it was about proof of concept. Still, first impressions matter especially when the promotion wants to convince fans that this model is cleaner, smarter, and more fan-first than what boxing has offered before. If Dana White truly wants to reshape boxing’s shoreline, the next adjustment won’t be in the ring; it’ll have to be in how the broadcast is presented to the fandom!