On September 13, UFC Noche in Texas and Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford in Las Vegas will collide on the same date. Two shows, and one man pulling the strings. But when Zuffa Boxing recently posted a video of the boxing royalty’s face-off, the spotlight quickly shifted away from UFC Noche

Instead of focusing on the MMA card, fans couldn’t stop buzzing about the boxing spectacle, and firing off a few jabs at Dana White himself! On a recent post on Instagram, the Zuffa Boxing page shared, “FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS WEEK , @Canelo & @TBudCrawford start fight week off face-to-face”

The video showed Alvarez and Crawford squaring off in front of a fountain, with Dana White and Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh standing nearby. The imagery looked to be a deliberate set-up, boxing royalty framed against grandeur, with White positioned as the bridge between sports. Yet instead of boosting both events, the post only underscored what many are already feeling: UFC Noche has been relegated to a supporting act.

After all, the road to UFC Noche wasn’t smooth. Originally slated for Arena Guadalajara, construction delays forced the UFC and Dana White to relocate the card to Texas. That move, along with shifting UFC 320 to October, left the Mexican Independence weekend slot wide open for Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford.

Whether intentional or opportunistic, the reshuffle revealed the hierarchy: boxing’s mega-event came first, and UFC Noche had to adapt. As per veteran MMA journalist, Luke Thomas, “My guess is they want to use it as a commercial to get MMA fans to watch Canelo vs. Crawford. That’s my expectation…, so I understand the timing of this. I think about it rationally, right? If you’re a Mexican boxing fan or an American boxing fan, you don’t need UFC to be promoted to you. You’re ready to go.”

But the fandom’s response to Zuffa Boxing’s post suggested that the message came at the expense of UFC Noche,. And Dana White? Well, he was left open to ridicule as we now shift our focus over to what the netizens had to say!

Fans take aim at Dana White as Terence Crawford and Turki Alalshikh get caught in the crossfire

One fan wrote, “Let’s go Kendrick Lamar.” The jab references last year’s viral mix-up where Terence Crawford was mislabeled as rapper Kendrick Lamar when the camera focused on him sitting in the audience during the UFC 306 broadcast. ‘Bud’ leaned into the joke at the time, even tagging Lamar in a social post with his diss track [‘ playing in the background. But the fans clearly haven’t forgotten the gaffe!

Another added, “What the hell is Belal doing there?” It was a shot at Turki Alalshikh, who stood beside Dana White during the faceoff. Fans compared him to UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad, poking fun at the resemblance. With Alalshikh playing a pivotal role in Saudi-backed events, the comment was less about confusion and more about roasting combat sports’ newest power broker.

One viewer took it a step further as they wrote, “Canelo, Kendrick Lamar, Joe Rogan, and Belal.” The comment bundled together past blunders, from Crawford being mistaken for Kendrick Lamar to Dana White once being confused for Joe Rogan in a viral interview, and of course, Belal Muhammad and Turki Alalshikh!

Someone else chimed in with, “Dana always got that I’m about to get paid grimace on his face lol.” The remark highlights White’s reputation as a businessman first, promoter second. Standing at the faceoff, his smirk didn’t escape notice. Fans saw it as confirmation that his real focus this weekend lies with the millions at stake in boxing, not UFC Noche. What do you think?

Finally, one critic summed it up bluntly with, “Dana done abandoned UFC cause all they do is wrestle.” While exaggerated, it reflects a growing sentiment among some fans that White is chasing spectacle in boxing. Whether fair or not, the jab captured the tension of a weekend where the Octagon plays second fiddle to the ring.

Whether UFC Noche serves as a celebration of Mexican MMA or simply the opening act for Canelo vs. Crawford remains up for debate. But the trolling makes one thing clear: in the eyes of many, Dana White’s empire is leaning heavily toward the boxing ring this weekend!