The UFC has done it again, with a marketing stunt that no one else can accomplish. As the date for UFC 308 etched closer, Dana White had to do something that could garner the maximum attention of the sporting world. After all, the UFC head honcho had to compete with a promo like that of Bivol vs. Beterbiev. And White brought in Ariana Grande to promote the event, all while singing a parody for the UFC.

The pop star, via SNL, promoted the UFC event like no one has ever done before. She impersonated Celine Dion as she said, “Football. It is a sport that connects who we are to who we were, proving that our powerful memories can stay with us forever. That is why last week, I, Celine Dion, made a promo for Sunday Night Football, okay? But football isn’t the only sport that connects us to our past, no? There is another sport, whose timeless emotions ignite the bittersweet memories that live inside my soul, and in the Octagon. UFC fighting. Shall we go for it?”

Grande then began to sing the laurels of the UFC. The former UFC women’s champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk appeared in the visuals as the pop star’s parody referenced the women in the sport “with the tightest French braids and the flattest face.” And then the visuals shifted to Mike Perry when the singer’s voice referenced the men with a cauliflower ear and a bent nose. Even Joe Rogan wasn’t safe from Grande’s playful jibes. She took aim at the commentary team, including Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier, voicing, “dozens of commentators, all bald and in the shiniest of shirts.”

This clever stunt ensured that the news of UFC 308 reached every single nook and corner of the sporting world. Combining humor with pop culture, White and Grande proved that the unconventional stunt was pretty effective in garnering the netizens’ attention. However, the fight fans weren’t quite happy with the video. Let’s see what the fighting community had to say.

UFC 308 promo has fight fans up in arms

As soon as the promo video began making circles on the internet, the fight fans took to the comments section of the posts and expressed their views. While this was indeed a unique take by the UFC, the fans didn’t seem to like it. Dana White was also targeted by the fans. Some of the netizens pleaded with the UFC boss to make it stop. A comment read, “Please make a STOP!!  @danawhite please fire everybody on marketing. I rather watch @powerslap.” But just like Grande attacked the bald heads of the commentary team, a fan commented, “What a f–king joke this bald oily b–ard made this sport into.” One of the fans claimed, “UFC media team is unbelievably out of touch lol. this is f–king lame.”

Meanwhile, another fan asked the MMA promotion to take the video down. The comment read, “Please UFC take delete this!!!” Another fan claimed, “We definitely did not need this.”

Some of the fans even believed that it wasn’t a smart move by the UFC. One fan wrote, “Bro seriously this is not it, not funny, just dumb!” UFC 308, featuring the fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway in the headliner fight, is an event that has the potential to greatly excite the fighting community. However, the promotion didn’t really align with the hype that the cards created. One of the fans wrote, “Actual speechless right now. Couldn’t think of a worse way to promote one of the biggest cards of the year.”

Nevertheless, some of the fans were pretty happy with the video. One fan claimed, “Ariana always knows how to bring people together.” Meanwhile, another fan commended the act, quoting, “Ariana pretending to be Celine Dion promoting the UFC. Well done.” Another fan commented, “I’m a little confused…but i don’t hate it.”

Needless to say, Grande’s SNL sketch has definitely expanded the promotion’s reach. All that needs to be done now, is to wait and watch how well the promo worked. What are your thoughts on Grande’s performance? Do you think White did the right thing by asking SNL for help? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.