{"id":45971,"date":"2025-04-30T06:45:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T05:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=45971"},"modified":"2025-04-30T06:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T05:45:15","slug":"eddie-hearn-torches-ufcs-promotion-model-says-fighters-are-trapped-under-the-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/eddie-hearn-torches-ufcs-promotion-model-says-fighters-are-trapped-under-the-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"Eddie Hearn Torches UFC\u2019s Promotion Model, Says Fighters Are Trapped Under the Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> game.Those were the days. They made people care about fighting again and even people who didn’t enjoy fighting knew who they were.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

Also Read: Ben Shalom provides updates on Chris Eubank Jr.’s Rumored Broken Jaw Injury<\/a><\/p>

The Brand vs. The Fighter<\/h2>

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.<\/p>

“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.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

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\"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<\/a><\/p>— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 29, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>