How did the UFC’s $7.7 billion Paramount+ era kick off? With a technical issue and Bruce Buffer getting fighter bios backwards for the very first fight of the night! You simply could not make this up!

As the camera panned to Ty Miller, who was in the blue corner, Buffer introduced him as Adam Fugitt, who was 6’1″ with a 10-5 record, fighting from Eugene, Oregon. And when the red corner’s Adam Fugitt came on screen, Buffer read out Miller’s bio: 6’2″ tall, 6-0 undefeated, fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The error stared everyone in the face because the broadcast had each fighter’s details on screen, making Buffer’s mix-up evident. On the broadcast, a confused Joe Rogan followed up the introductions with what everyone was thinking: “What just happened?” And that was not all.

The whole event kicked off with Megan Olivi speaking into a microphone that was either not turned on or not working at all! Considering the mammoth size of the investment going into UFC productions starting tonight, such a silly error was always going to be the butt of jokes. But Buffer’s mishap took all the attention away from Olivi. MMA writer Adam Martin was quick to call attention to the issues. 

“The UFC on Paramount era starts with Megan Olivi mic not working #UFC324.” He later added, “Omg, Bruce Buffer got the fighters mixed up, oh noooo #UFC324.” He mixed up the fighter introductions for one of the early bouts, announcing the fighters in the wrong order, specifically switching between Fugitt and Miller.

Journalist Marcel Dorff also joined in on the mockery, poking fun at the moment. “Megan Olivi: 🗣❌ Jon Anik: ‘Okay Megan, thank you very much.’” The mishaps quickly caught the public’s attention, and fans didn’t hesitate to share their reactions online.

Despite the mishap in the first fight to kick off the new era, undefeated Ty Miller, just 25 years old, secured a first-round standing TKO. At 4:21 of the opening round, a right hook followed by a knee earned the Contender Series signee his 7th career win against the 37-year-old Fugitt.

Though technical difficulties have marred the opening of the promotion’s first event of 2026, which took place six weeks after the final card of 2025, things seem to be back on track now. The night will end with Justin Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett at the T-Mobile Arena, with the interim lightweight title on the line. 

The undercard is stacked as well, featuring names like Sean O’Malley, Rose Namajunas, and Jean Silva, among others. Yet long before the action reached the Octagon, fans had to give their two cents on these mishaps.

UFC 324 opening mistakes have fans calling the new era ‘cursed’

One user found yet another issue with the broadcast. The user pointed out, “How bout the camera on the wrong person during introductions hahah.” While this one wasn’t drastic enough, the UFC-ESPN era had its own issues. Remember, they mistook Terence Crawford for Kendrick Lamar. 

Another user took aim at Bruce Buffer. The user wrote, “And Bruce not announcing the right names.” But Buffer has made mistakes in the past as well. At UFC 301, he announced the wrong winner after Anthony Smith submitted Vitor Petrino, initially declaring Petrino the victor before quickly correcting himself.

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A third saw these issues as a bad omen. The user wrote, “What a cursed start to the new era. Let’s see if the fights that are scheduled can make up for it.” Surely, the likes of Justin Gaethje, Jean Silva, and Sean O’Malley can certainly make everyone forget about the small issues. 

Someone else found Jon Anik to be a redeeming factor. “Gotta love Jon,” the user wrote. As a play-by-play commentator and a TV presenter, Anik is trained to deal with all sorts of live issues. 

The next user found the Olivi mishap with the mic funny. The user claimed, “Hahah, we didn’t hear a word she said.” Thankfully, the issues were solved soon afterwards. 

Meanwhile, this user was waiting for something else. “I’m just waiting to see what the walkout situation is like. Brendan Fitz said ads are gonna be playing over walkouts, and only certain ones will be shown. Thought that was gonna get fixed moving from espn,” the user wrote. 

That said, the UFC appears to have stumbled badly with its shaky start to 2026. But are these merely minor hiccups, magnified by the spotlight of the partnership’s debut? On a normal night, would they have even drawn notice?