UFC has had its share of embarrassing blunders. One of the most notable came at UFC 306 on September 14, 2024, when Terence Crawford was mistakenly identified as Kendrick Lamar during the broadcast. Despite moving to a new broadcast partner since then, these live production errors haven’t disappeared. 

That trend continued on Saturday night at the UFC Winnipeg main event in Canada. Mike Malott stepped into the spotlight to face Gilbert Burns in the UFC Winnipeg main event, but the promotion stumbled before the fight even began. During Malott’s walkout, the broadcast graphics incorrectly listed him as being from Cleveland, Ohio, instead of Canada.

Despite the mishap, it didn’t affect Malott’s performance. The Canadian welterweight controlled the fight with sharp striking and composure against Gilbert Burns. After a competitive opening, Malott’s jab and combinations began to dictate the pace, while Burns struggled to secure takedowns. Burns had moments, landing leg kicks and a few right hands. 

But he couldn’t maintain momentum. As the fight progressed, Malott’s timing and accuracy stood out, consistently beating Burns to the punch. In the third round, Malott turned up the pressure, dropping Burns with a left hook. Despite Burns recovering, Malott knocked him down again and finished the fight with ground strikes for a decisive TKO victory in the third.

While Mallot may not even know the mistake UFC made, or decided to overlook it since he won, fans and media members didn’t. 

Fans mock UFC for the Mike Mallot mistake

Sports writer Adam Martin quickly highlighted the mistake on X. “Uh, that graphic said Mike Malott was from Cleveland, Ohio 🤣🤣🤣,” Martin posted. Interestingly, UFC may have received its information from Wikipedia, which also claims Mallot was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Another user sarcastically mocked the UFC. “I didn’t know Mike Malott was from Cleveland, Ohio,” the user commented. In reality, the 34-year-old was born in Burlington, Canada.

Someone else poked fun at the situation, pointing out the irony that the event in Canada was seemingly built around Malott’s popularity in his home country—only for the UFC to fumble that narrative. “Mike Malott, in his home country of Canada. Also Born in Cleveland Ohio 🤣🤣 wtf,” the user wrote. The promotion has yet to acknowledge the mistake.

Even the next user couldn’t help but point out UFC’s mistake. “UFC put Mike Malott as being born in CLEVELAND, OHIO during his walkout,” the user wrote. Malott himself hasn’t reacted to the mishap yet. 

Meanwhile, the UFC appears to have confused this fan. “Mike Malott is from f—king Cleveland?” the user asked. He doesn’t even train in the United States. He trains out of Ontario, Canada, with Niagara Top Team and at the Burlington Training Centre. 

That kind of mistake doesn’t go unnoticed—especially when it happens live during a main event. It raises questions about how such an error slipped through at such a high-profile moment. Whether it’s a case of complacency or just an unfortunate oversight is up for debate, but it’s certainly not a great look for the promotion. What do you think?