"What f*cking year is this?" - Fans baffled as 'Big Ben' Roethlisberger graphic repeatedly takes over UFC 304 big screen 

The UFC 304 broadcast repeatedly featured a 'Big Ben' Roethlisberger graphic which confused some fans. The pay-per-view showcase recurringly projected an image of the former football quarterback's Pittsburgh Steelers graphic.

Roethlisberger, who played for the Steelers for 18 seasons, stirred controversy after his name was mentioned during adult film actress Stormy Daniels' testimony at former United States president Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York earlier this year. While there's no context or background behind the repeated appearance, it was enough for fight fans to communicate their curiosity over the situation.

Check out the graphic below:

One fan couldn't help but highlight the perceived absurdity of the situation:

"The UFC just showed a 'Big Ben' 3rd down miscue with Ben Roethlisberger no less than 3 times in 1 minute during the broadcast just now???????? What fu*king year is this?????? Where am I?

Meanwhile, others couldn't resist ridiculing the broadcast glitch:

"Bro wtf is going on with this broadcast lmfao"

"I thought it was just my stream and jumped on here to check and was relieved to see everyone talking about it."

"Worst streaming service of all time. I was so confused at first, but then I realized it’s espn+ anything is possible & they continue to have technical difficulties."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Fans react to 'Big Ben' Roethlisberger graphic taking over UFC 304 broadcast [Images courtesy: @SpinninBackfist on X]

The two-time Super Bowl champion is renowned for holding the fourth-highest career winning percentage (.710) as a starter in the regular season among quarterbacks. He grabbed headlines when he was named in Trump's hush-money trial.

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Fans criticize ESPN for audio quality issues during UFC 304 broadcast

Seems like the UFC 304 broadcast had several audio issues. The pay-per-view showcase went down on July 27 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

Several fans took to X to point out the audio issues with the broadcast. They wrote:

"ESPN I want my money back on UFC 304. This is horrible quality of broadcasting for $79.99. Audio cutting out. Glitching. Shutting off. @danawhite... I hope you find a new company to partner with soon because this woke-as* company is trash."

"ESPN audio has now left the UFC 304 card. Absolute disaster in the production trailer right now."

It's worth noting that the UFC's broadcast deal with ESPN will expire in 2025. According to the organization's CEO Dana White, the promotion is already garnering interest from fellow bidders and could end up working with multiple platforms, similar to what major leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA) do.