feature-image
feature-image

UFC President Dana White announced he will hold weekly fights to bring back normalcy into the world. His decision has been lauded by sports fans who have been starved of action. However, one person is not on board with White’s ambitious plans.  

Watch What’s Trending Now!

“This is stubbornness” – Eddie Hearn slams Dana White

The match room boxing head has been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Hearn has suspended a whole number of bouts across the United States and Britain and brands UFC’s decision to hold events as unbelievable. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Hearn said to Express Sport, “I’d like to think that in boxing, there’s no one more ‘roll your sleeves up and get on with it’ than me. He added that even he wouldn’t consider holding an event right now, “I’m not even thinking about options, not even on the radar.”

article-image

Imago

Hearn brands the move by the UFC as stubborn. However, he admits that it is one of the things that makes Dana white successful. The promoter went for broadcaster ESPN too. 

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’m quite surprised ESPN is going ahead with this, obviously they want ratings and money. But with Sky Sports and DAZN, I would not be allowed to stage events right now. It’s bad taste to be quite honest.”

Hearn admits he admires White for “cracking on” as he knows the feeling of being able to do something after being doubted and written off.  Simultaneously he also says, “come on don’t be mad.” 

UFC 249 Will go ahead as per schedule

The UFC 249 main event sees Tony Ferguson fight Justin Gaethje. It will be for the Interim Lightweight Championship. This fight was set at short notice as Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is stranded in Russia. 

In addition to this, there will be eleven other fights. Rose Namajumas will take on Jessica Andrade in a Women’s Strawweight fight. Dana White assured ESPN, “we’re going to do everything above and beyond to make sure everybody is safe.”

 White hopes other sports take his example and go ahead in holding regular sports. A BoxingScene article says Regis Porgrais who was to face Maurice Hooker at a show next week was calling for Hearn to follow White’s footsteps. Unfortunately, boxing will not be joining them as Hearn does not mind sitting out during the pandemic. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Reubyn Coutinho

1,040 Articles

Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

Know more

ADVERTISEMENT