Whoever ran the UFC 306 production broadcast from The Sphere couldn’t tell apart talents well. Nor is there any difference between pro boxing champ Terence Crawford and Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. While the mixup has instigated widespread banters and gimmicks, UFC CEO Dana White adds to the fun. He adds the allure of looking similar to — well, Joe Rogan!
Terence Crawford appeared in a crowd shot at the UFC 306 broadcast. The accompanying graphic referred to him as Kendrick Lamar, thus drawing widespread mickeys on social media. ‘Bud’ didn’t take it personally. Speaking to TMZ Sports, he said he got a good chuckle and even thought it was playing into it for laughs. Dana White, who knows a thing or two about mixed identities, had stuff to air.
Shoutout to my girl @badgalriri she said she don’t appreciate yall calling me @kendricklamar. Y’all better show some respect for the #P4P KING‼️
Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford wrote on IG (@tbudcrawford)
In the caption where Rihanna appears with Crawford, the UFC Bossman commented: “@tbudcrawford I hear you champ – Joe Rogan.” This is a wholesome callback to when Sage Steele, sat him down for her The Sage Steele Show podcast. The former anchor made the flub of mistaking him for Joe Rogan. However, the 55-year Connecticut head honcho took it lightly.
Dana White quips as MMA alter-ego ‘Joe Rogan’ (Source: IMAGO/Instagram)Joe Rogan even hilariously reused the snippet for his Austin stand-up comedy show. It wasn’t just Dana White using his cross-promo brilliance to gag at the matter. In the comments, even UFC Women’s strawweight Angela ‘Overkill‘ Hill quipped about similarities with Neil Magny; minus the afro. This also added to the lighthearted corner that exists in combat sports.
Terence Crawford in need of a Plan B opponent for next match
One other thing happened during the UFC 306 Pay-per-view. Terence Crawford almost got into a scrap. While a Kendrick Lamar mixup, and Dana White weighing in is on light notes, this is not. Crawford is in serious need of a plan because ‘Bud’ is less than buddy-bud with Canelo Alvarez. If Plan A to ‘C’ for Alvarez falls through, he has some thinking to do.
Terence Crawford; Canelo Alvarez (Source: X/independent.co.uk)Other than a super fight with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, ‘Bud’ is lax on opponents and only wants ‘Saul’ Alvarez. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) competed at the 154lbs limit recently and even won the WBA and interim WBO super welterweight titles. After his laid-back patient performance with Israil Madrimov to become a four-weight champ, fans are not veering for a Canelo fight. Also, he is out of challenges.
That becomes all the more apparent with his extracurricular appearances at TKO-company outings. Most would agree that Crawford’s approach to hedging a fight with superstar Canelo was wrong. The Nebraskan has focused on skipping the line, jumping ahead of 168 contenders for a scrap.
He is already bloated. A lack of ambition to go up to 168 has kept Alvarez’s attention at bay. If His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and the Suadi GEA are yet interested, Terence Crawford needs some changes.
168 legacy billings like David Benavidez, Christian Mbilli, and David Morrell open up the conversation. Then ‘Bud’ can exert pressure on the unified super middleweight champ. Otherwise, endless media rounds will get him nowhere; he might as well pass himself as Lamar. At this point that would get him more attention.
