Eddie Hearn speaks about John Ryder and what he will bring to the Munguia v Ryder main event during a press conference for Golden Boy boxing event in Phoenix on Jan. 25, 2024.

mma

Eddie Hearn Torches UFC’s Promotion Model, Says Fighters Are Trapped Under the Brand

Eddie Hearn sees fundamental flaws in how Dana White runs his show!

Eddie Hearn speaks about John Ryder and what he will bring to the Munguia v Ryder main event during a press conference for Golden Boy boxing event in Phoenix on Jan. 25, 2024.

Fighting has always been about personalities as much as punches. Muhammad Ali knew it. Mike Tyson lived it. There was a time when Conor McGregor strutted into the octagon and changed everything. When Ronda Rousey changed the women’s MMA game.Those were the days. They made people care about fighting again and even people who didn’t enjoy fighting knew who they were.

Fast forward to 2025, and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn thinks UFC has lost its sparkle. The Matchroom Boxing boss recently sat down with Ariel Helwani and didn’t hold back his thoughts on UFC’s current star problem. Hearn, who has built boxing stars like Anthony Joshua and Canelo Alvarez, sees fundamental flaws in how Dana White runs his show.

Also Read: Ben Shalom provides updates on Chris Eubank Jr.’s Rumored Broken Jaw Injury

The Brand vs. The Fighter

According to Hearn, UFC lacks that special something that makes casual fans tune in. He believes that the UFC does not let the fighters spread their wings and resonate with the fans on a deeper level.

“If you said to me, ‘Name me six UFC superstars’, I couldn’t do it. I could give you the ones that seem to keep losing quite a bit, and then just come back. But again, was that just a period with Khabib and Conor and a lot of those guys? So [it’s cyclical]…For me, in boxing, yes, Matchroom Boxing is a brand. Top Rank is a brand. But the brand is the fighters, and they have their own individual brands, and you want that to resonate with your fanbase.”

"If you said to me, name me 6 UFC superstars… I couldn't do it. The problem is with UFC, I feel like they always want the brand to be bigger than that of the fighter."

Eddie Hearn on the current state of UFC. pic.twitter.com/WroMBstm5w
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 29, 2025

But Hearn doesn’t believe that the fighters are the problem. He feels that the heart of the problem lies in how UFC builds its business.

“The problem is, with UFC, I always feel like they always want the brand, their brand to be bigger than that of the fighter.”

This approach stands in stark contrast to boxing’s model. Boxing promotions build around individual fighters rather than the promotion itself. Hearn believes that when fighters develop their own unique brands, fans connect more deeply. People don’t just watch the UFC. They watch specific fighters they care about. At least, that’s how it should work.

Dana White might dismiss Hearn’s comments as those of a competitor. But maybe, just maybe, the boxing promoter has identified UFC’s achilles heel. As Hearn put it: “It’s [Boxing] like WWE without a script.” Fleshing out the individual fighters in boxing has created a lot of traction. This, in perspective may be something for the UFC brass to ponder upon.

(Image Credit: Patrick Breen/The Republic – Imagn Images)

Dana White

Eddie Hearn

UFC

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!