White Questions Hearn’s Criticism – ‘What Are You Talking About?’

The respect between Dana White and Eddie Hearn may be coming to an end, as Dana questioned Hearn’s recent criticism. 

As the UFC CEO prepares for the January 23 debut of Zuffa Boxing, the have been engaging in a war of words. White expressed surprise at Hearn’sopposition to Zuffa’s entry into the market, suggesting that the British promoter is reacting out of fear for his own business model. The primary flashpoint in this feud is the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act. This legislation—championed by TKO Group—would allow Zuffa Boxing to operate with a UFC-style structure, featuring:

• Internal Rankings: Bypassing traditional sanctioning bodies like the WBC and WBO.
• Exclusive Contracts: Signing fighters to long-term deals similar to UFC roster members.
• Proprietary Titles: Creating Zuffa-branded championship belts.

Hearn has publicly slammed the move. He recently mocked the reported pay scale of Zuffa’s early contract offers and ridiculed the choice of the UFC Apex for their debut. Despite the criticism from Hearn and Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya, White is moving full steam ahead with the January 23 debut on Paramount+. The inaugural card features the undefeated Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo as the main event. White had this to say over Hearn’s criticism.

White On Hearn

“There are some good guys in the sport of boxing. I was actually surprised Eddie Hearn, I’ve been cool with him for a long time, at his take on me getting into boxing and his reaction to it. Very negative. Very confrontational, which I found weird, because it’s not his style. Yes, 100 percent [it’s because we’re coming to boxing].

“He’s talking like a politician now. He’s like ‘I look forward to [it], we’re going to beat them, we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that.’ You’ve been here for 25 years. What are you talking about? It’s like the politician who’s running for re-election. He’s going to tell you all the things he’s going to change and do. Well, why didn’t you do that in your last term? That’s Eddie Hearn,” White said

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