Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn announced plans to transition from a boxing promoter into MMA, citing a “boring” lack of star power in the UFC as his primary motivation.
Hearn’s comments follow after Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing successfully poached Hearn’s Conor Benn with a $15 million single-fight offer in February, while Hearn responded by signing UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall to a “commercial and advisory” role. While Aspinall remains under UFC contract for his fights, Hearn now controls his brand and sponsorships. Hearn claims he has been contacted by “roughly a dozen” top-tier UFC fighters since the Aspinall signing, as a move to MMA could follow.
“It’s something we’re looking at, but I want to get it right. I don’t understand the sport enough yet. With the signing of Tom Aspinall, I’m able to understand the fighters, look at the contracts. I can go to a broadcast [partner] now and sign a $10 million MMA deal, but I want to get it right, I want it to be a success, and done in the right way.
“There’s a real chance that [Matchroom] could be signing, by the summer, 5-6 of the biggest names in the UFC. The biggest problem that the UFC has is that they’re not driving the profiles, personalities, and storylines of these fighters. I’m not saying that Jake Paul’s card is the best of the best, but all of the people on the card are massive names, with big personalities that you know!
“And then you have Conor McGregor sitting there, the biggest star in the sport, sitting there…if Conor Benn’s getting $15 million, then what’s the Mac getting?” Hearn continued. “I say $100 million! These are the personalities that are dying in the UFC,” Hearn said