Dana White and Eddie Hearn maintained mutual respect for years. But that goodwill is quickly evaporating as the two find themselves on opposite sides of a brewing promotional war. With White’s Zuffa Boxing officially stepping into the sport, backing the Muhammad Ali Rival Act, and locking in a broadcast deal with Paramount, Hearn isn’t about to sit quietly and watch the UFC CEO try to reshape a landscape he’s been part of for decades.

The tension has already spilled into interviews, with both men trading sharp jabs. Hearn insists he’s not willing to “roll over and let you tickle my belly,” while White has called Hearn “a [expletive] lunatic.” There’s no doubt the rivalry has turned personal, and neither man plans to give ground. In the midst of this escalating feud, Dana White appeared on Triggernometry, where he argued that Hearn and promoters like him have failed the sport of boxing.

Dana White claims Eddie Hearn is like a career politician

Speaking to White, the host brought up the ongoing war between him and Eddie Hearn—a feud White claims has “been kind of one way. I’m trying to make it two-way.” When asked what’s fueling the tension, White said he personally likes Hearn, but feels Hearn and others like him promise a big game yet consistently fail to deliver. “These guys remind me of career politicians that have just been there and done their thing,” White said.

“And then they’re running again, telling you all the great things that they’re going to do that they haven’t done the last 25, 30 years,” he added. White claimed that if Hearn and others were actually capable of doing what they promised, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enter boxing at all. He then analyzed his own competitive landscape as the UFC CEO, stating he doesn’t view other promoters in MMA or boxing as rivals.

“I don’t even look at any of those people as competition anymore,” White said during the interview. “My competition is baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. When I look at our brand, I want our brand and our sport to be the biggest in all of sports.” White admitted this might make him sound like a crazy person, but he reminded that the UFC didn’t have a built-in audience when it started. He concluded with a message for Hearn. 

“He doesn’t like the fact that I’m getting into this, and I don’t blame him. And we’ll see in a couple of years, we’ll see how this plays out.” Considering what White said about Hearn, it’s hard to ignore the hypocrisy in his claims. For years, he promised to deliver Tom Aspinall vs. Jon Jones, but Jones ended up retiring. Now, with Jones wanting to return for the White House card next year, it remains to be seen whether White can finally make Aspinall vs. Jones happen. 

Forget about Jones for a second, though. He is the biggest star and may even deserve some privileges in some people’s eyes. But within the UFC, the so-called ‘Dana White privilege’ often overshadows fighters who have earned their title shots. How is White any different from the promoters he is complaining about? Regardless of his own shortcomings, though, Hearn is far from the only enemy White has made in boxing.

Oscar De La Hoya rips into Dana White and TKO after betting scandal

Oscar De La Hoya didn’t waste the moment to unload on Dana White and TKO after the recent betting scandal shook the UFC. Following suspicious wagering patterns surrounding the Isaac Dulgarian vs. Yadier Del Valle fight at UFC Vegas 110, the UFC contacted the FBI, prompting a wave of speculation about possible fight-fixing. 

De La Hoya, a longtime rival of White, reveled in the chaos, saying on Instagram, “News came out this week that I cannot ignore, and one of my enemies is in boiling hot s—t… that stinky, smelly, hot lava, cow dung fire, out-of-my-a— type of s—t.” He went even further, blasting TKO’s push to reshape boxing regulations. 

“I’ve been trying to tell you guys, these TKO guys are scumbags!” he said. “They’re trying to change the Muhammad Ali Act to f—k boxers over… And now you have the FBI crawling up your a—? Good f—king luck.”

Having said that, Dana White’s entry into boxing has definitely ruffled some feathers. However, White would be unlikely to revolutionize the sport. Rather, like any other business, he will be looking to make TKO more money while paying their fighters less. Is that a bad thing?