Dana White Slams Eddie Hearn After Benn Deal

White says Hearn could have matched Zuffa’s offer for Conor Benn

Dana White publicly challenged Eddie Hearn after Conor Benn signed with Zuffa Boxing, saying Matchroom had the opportunity to match the offer. Speaking at the UFC Houston press conference, White dismissed Hearn’s reaction as weak.

“I think you saw this week, I am really beating up babies,” White said. “Is there a bigger p**** than Eddie Hearn? Is there a bigger p**** than Eddie Hearn? Benn is supposed to be your friend. You’re f*** crying? He made more money with Zuffa. He’s going to make more money and Hearn had the right to match it. He could’ve matched it.”

The move stung because Benn had been closely aligned with Hearn for years. Hearn guided the 29-year-old welterweight through his rise in the UK and stood by him through controversy. After the news broke, Hearn told iFL TV he was “pretty devastated” and said he learned of the decision through an email from Benn’s lawyer.

White dismissed that reaction.

“What a crock of s***,” he said. “Yeah, we’re literally beating up babies.”

He then pointed toward production and activity.

“Judge us at the end of the year for the work that we do this year,” White said. “At the end of the year, you judge what you think we’ve accomplished in one year in the sport of boxing.”

This is more than a war of words. Zuffa Boxing, led by White, Nick Khan, and Turki Alalshikh, is attempting to carve space inside a divided sport governed by separate sanctioning bodies. Signing Benn to a reported $15 million deal was a statement.

Talk is cheap in this business. Delivering fights against real contenders is what shifts ground. If Zuffa can secure meaningful matchups inside the current divided title structure, the criticism fades. If not, the old guard keeps its footing.