Dana White Calls $20 Million Eddie Hearn Offer a Bid for His Reaction
A rival promotion put 20 million dollars on the table for Dana White to fight Eddie Hearn, but the UFC boss isn't biting.
Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom are competing as two of the biggest rivals in the sport. Their behind-the-scenes arguments over control have grown so bitter that third-party promoters are now trying to capitalize on the bad blood.
During a recent post-fight press conference, a reporter caught the UFC CEO off guard by asking if he would consider settling his feud with Hearn inside the boxing ring for a massive, multimillion-dollar payday.
Dana White Dismisses $20 Million Eddie Hearn Offer as Publicity Stunt
Misfits Boxing co-president Kalle Sauerland pitched the fight on October 10, proposing a $20 million winner-take-all, six-round bout. The offer arrived amid the ongoing promotional feud between the 57-year-old White and the 47-year-old Hearn over the December 11 Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card in Cardiff.
When a reporter asked White about the multi-million-dollar offer at White’s Contender Series press conference, the UFC CEO dismissed the challenge as a publicity stunt.
"Lastly for me, Misfits has offered you $20 million to put on the fight between you and Eddie Hearn," the reporter said.
"I know. They put it out there," White replied. "They're like, 'we just want to get a response from him.' Sounds like they got what they were looking for."
However, it is not the first time the UFC boss has rejected the idea of fighting Hearn. Earlier this year following UFC 326, White joked that a matchup between two aging executives would look terrible.
"If two f—— bums like us were going to do that, we'd be the first prelim of the night," White said. "It would be disrespectful to every guy who's a real fighter on that card to be under us. We'd be the first prelim of the night, and that would be f—— embarrassing."
The Corporate War Behind the Hype
The corporate rivalry between the two executives is real, not just internet theater. Their tension grew as both men signed talent from each other’s sports. White took British welterweight Conor Benn from Hearn's boxing stable by signing him to Zuffa Boxing and then signed heavyweight prospect Johnny Fisher, who later headlined the company's London debut card at the Copper Box Arena.
Hearn responded by signing UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to a commercial and advisory deal under his new Matchroom Talent Agency. Moreover, their forced collaboration on the Dec. 11 Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury mega-fight has added fuel to the fire.
While Hearn's willingness to fight keeps the hypothetical matchup alive in headlines, White's refusal leaves the boxing match dead in the water. For now, the competition remains strictly corporate as both promoters prepare for the card in Wales.
