UFC Freedom 250 was meant to be all about the fights, with the White House South Lawn setting the tone for a chaotic night in Washington, D.C. But before the event could find its footing, MMA fans had already found something else to talk about, and it had nothing to do with the action inside the cage. Instead, the spotlight was stolen by veteran commentator Joe Rogan, who accidentally slipped up on air right during the opening fight on the night.

Kicking off the main card was a highly anticipated featherweight fight between former two-time title challenger Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia. After bouncing back from a difficult first round, the 31-year-old brutally slept Garcia in the second round. But just as the fighter began celebrating his spectacular knockout, the UFC commentator fumbled real big on the microphone.

“What a comeback by Diego Garcia,” Joe Rogan said live on the broadcast.

By accidentally splicing the first name of the victor with the last name of the unconscious loser, the JRE host created a totally new fighter, putting fans on social media in absolute pieces. To be fair, the blunder provided a funny contrast to the high-stakes drama that unfolded within the cage.

Diego Lopes walked into the historic outdoor venue hungry for a statement win to recover from his second championship loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 325. Standing in his way was Garcia, who marched into Washington, D.C., riding an impressive seven-fight winning streak, most recently capped off by a first-round main event stoppage of David Onama.

And for the first five minutes, he definitely looked like a major problem. Garcia dominated the centre of the cage, completely negating Diego Lopes’ offence with movement, stiff strikes, and a barrage of low kicks to cruise to what seemed like an easy 10-9 round. Early in Round 2, Garcia’s jab continued to snap Lopes’ head back, but the situation changed when the 31-year-old decided to stand his ground.

Biting down on his mouthpiece, Lopes blitzed forward with an overhand right and a stunning left hook that clearly rocked Garcia. Instead of retreating, ‘Mean machine’ tried a risky trade in the pocket, resulting in a second powerful left hook from Lopes that sent him crashing to the canvas, followed by some brutal ground strikes.

“If you come to the middle of the cage for a fight with me, sorry guys, I’ll knock everyone out,” Lopes stated during his post-fight interview, showing exactly why he is a promotional favourite.

Lopes, who weighed in twice during fight week to act as the official championship backup for the headliner, Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, even offered to return to the Octagon later in the evening if the event required a short-notice replacement. However, more than this bold claim, what had fans on social media buzzing was still Joe Rogan’s commentary.

Fight fans can’t stop mocking Joe Rogan for Diego Lopes blooper

As soon as Diego Lopes clinched the highlight-reel finish, fans debated whether the broadcast booth was falling apart faster than the fighters. And it seems that not everyone was convinced that Joe Rogan was really locked in tonight.

“Joe Rogan needs another bump. He’s all over the place on commentary. Diego Garcia 😭,” a fan wrote. Another second guessed, “Did Joe Rogan call Diego Lopes ‘Diego Garcia’?”

More weighed in with some harsh words about general broadcast fatigue following a succession of high-profile blunders that plagued the early portion of the historic card. With Bruce Buffer reportedly announcing Lopes as a UFC champion earlier in the evening, Rogan’s slip-up only added fuel to the fire.

A user tweeted, “UFC commentator/announcer screw-ups so far: Bruce Buffer announces Diego Lopes as a UFC champion, Joe Rogan calls Lopes ‘Diego Garcia’ after his win.” Another added, “Joe Rogan dropping a ‘Diego Garcia’ instead of ‘Diego Lopes or Steve Garcia,’ his brain must still be in podcast mode.”

To be fair to Joe Rogan,  outright name mix-ups aren’t exactly a regular thing for him, even if he does make the occasional commentary slip-up. Like one major blunder came back at UFC 316, when he referred to Kayla Harrison as a two-time Olympic gold medalist in wrestling during the live broadcast.

The problem? ‘Doug’ earned all of her Olympic gold medals in judo, and that’s arguably the biggest and most documented part of her entire combat sports background. And as expected, fans back then also made sure that the JRE host was trolled relentlessly for it.

However, this time, some could easily ignore the commentary mess and completely lose themselves in Lopes’ terrifying power. After all, several fans felt his tactical patience spoke for itself after what looked like him intentionally letting his face get beat.

“That there was some high level fight IQ to let your face get beat in just to find the KO and capitalize,” one fan wrote. Another confidently declared, “Diego Lopes with patience. He was hesitating all round 2. Now we know why. DONT THROW HANDS WITH DIEGO BABY!!!”

Others simply enjoyed seeing Lopes’ incredible durability pay off in such emphatic fashion on a massive stage. “Diego said ‘ok mf let’s fight’ 🤣,” one fan joked. Another added, “I was wondering when he was gunna start letting those hands fly.”

Whether the 31-year-old was just being patient or fully trusting his power, Diego Lopes proved once again why nobody can take him lightly in this division. The Brazilian looked like a man on a mission from start to finish, and if this fight is any indication, his quest for UFC gold is far from over.