For years, UFC ruled as the poster child for combat sports—fast-paced, global, and apparently unstoppable. But according to Eddie Hearn, boxing’s leading showman and mastermind promoter, the tide has radically shifted. Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Hearn did not mince words as he criticized the current status of MMA, specifically the Dana White-led UFC, comparing it negatively to the rise of boxing under Saudi Arabia’s generous support. “MMA is a poor relative,” he stated bluntly—less a cheap shot and more a harsh reality check.
While Hearn recognizes the UFC as a powerful brand, he claims that the real product—the fights, the stars, and the spectacle—has gotten stale. In contrast, boxing is experiencing a cultural and commercial rebirth. Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh has breathed new life and tremendous finances into the sport, resulting in a schedule jam-packed with blockbuster bouts and jaw-dropping advertisements. Hearn proudly stated, “You’re just coming off the back of 65,000 people at Spurs,” and in a single weekend, fans will see Ryan Garcia in Times Square and Canelo Alvarez in Riyadh. That level of magnitude is something MMA, at least under the UFC name, currently can’t compete with, as per the boxing promoter.
The fundamental issue, as Hearn outlined, is not just economic but also philosophical. In the UFC, the brand is king. Fighters may be stars, but they are rarely permitted to outshine the octagon. That’s why Conor McGregor has become such a unique phenomenon. According to Hearn, the UFC appears to recoil when competitors like ‘The Notorious’ challenge or outperform the promotion’s own image. In boxing, however, the opposite is true. The fighter is the event. With Saudi funding, boxing can now completely embrace this, creating icons rather than merely employees.
It’s ironic, then, that Dana White is preparing for his own boxing debut, with the same Saudi ties that are fueling Hearn’s fantasy run. But Hearn doesn’t sound rattled. “Those guys won’t be able to lace my boots in boxing promotion,” he said. He understands what makes boxing so appealing again: big personalities, epic build-up, and nights that seem like history in the making. “Boxing’s on fire right now,” he stated, and whether Dana White likes it or not, that fire appears to be spreading quickly, according to Hearn, while MMA, at least for the time being, remains in its shadow. But if you think the boxing promoter was done, you’re dead wrong. To make matters worse for MMA fans, he then compared the UFC with the WWE.
Eddie Hearn draws a comparison between the UFC and WWE
If Eddie Hearn’s takedown of MMA concluded with labeling it a “poor relative” of boxing, his following comparison was sharper. Picking up where he left off, the British promoter shifted from applauding boxing’s promotional prowess to openly criticizing the UFC’s star-making machine. According to Hearn, while the UFC is fine with being the face of the event, boxing thrives by allowing its competitors to be the stars. In an unexpected twist, he said that WWE, with its scripted drama, frequently outperforms the UFC in this regard.
Hearn’s biggest issue is the UFC’s refusal to advance individuals beyond the promotion. While boxing promoters such as Matchroom and Top Rank leverage their brands to promote athletes, the UFC appears to be doing the reverse. “If you said to me, ‘Name me six UFC superstars,’ I couldn’t do it,” he told Ariel Helwani. “I could give you the ones that seem to keep losing quite a bit and then just come back.” To him, the UFC’s glory days—Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and others—were anomalies in a promotion that avoids creating stars who can outshine its own logo.
In contrast, Hearn saw boxing as an unscripted version of WWE, where athletes are free to embrace their true personalities, flaws and all, and promoters are entrusted with turning those raw characteristics into marketable narratives. “They [the boxers] are characters… it’s like WWE without a script, boxing sometimes,” Hearn said. It’s a stark contrast to the UFC’s conventional presentation, and in Hearn’s opinion, a major reason why boxing is once again lighting up arenas, airwaves, and timelines while MMA, despite its reputation for chaos, is stuck playing it safe. What do you think? Do you agree with what he said? Let us know in the comments.
The post “MMA Is a Poor Relative”: Eddie Hearn Rips Into Dana White’s UFC as Saudi Royal’s Backing Gives Boxing a New Ray of Sunshine appeared first on EssentiallySports.
