Has UFC lost its motivation to put on the best shows for the fans? There’s no doubt that viewers still tune in to watch Dana White‘s promotion deliver great fights—an important reason why they continue to be financially successful. However, the same cannot be said about its quality. Recently, the chorus of fans and former UFC fighters criticizing the quality of the UFC cards has only grown. Highlighting the same, White’s rival, Eddie Hearn, argues that the promotion’s dip in quality is all too evident. According to him, the same is the case even with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

“It’s lazy, to be honest with you,” Eddie Hearn told Andrew Whitelaw during an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. “Like I think, you know, they’re a big kind of, I mean, a great company, hugely profitable, but a big kind of factory, if you like. I think it’s the best way to describe it. So it’s like we plug a sport in and we do it our way and that is, everybody wears the same outfits, everybody wears the same kits, you wear our gloves, you’re fighting in our studio, you know, it’s almost like you’re not the star, you’re not the brand. Zuffa is the brand, right? And you conform to our brand guidelines, and that’s bulls—t.

“That takes away all the individuality from the sport. You imagine saying to Ben Whittaker, ‘You’ve got to wear Zuffa Boxing shorts and come out to this song.’ He’ll be like, ‘Nah, what?’ Like, that’s the whole thing, you know the ring walks, the dramatization of the sport, and the personalities is what makes people engaged… They’re just doing it differently. Like I said, it’s like a factory of fights. They got WWE, they got UFC, and they got Zuffa.”

When it comes to the UFC, there’s no doubt Dana White and Co put real effort into building stacked cards. But with over 40 events a year, some inevitably feel diluted. For instance, fans labeled last year’s UFC 318 card, where Dustin Poirier retired in front of his home crowd, as more of a Fight Night-level show, especially with five unranked fighters on the main card. On the other hand, Apex cards often lack starpower, and even UFC fighter Renato Moicano has criticized those events for having little to no atmosphere. All of this is what the Matchroom Boxing head honcho is alluding to.

“But I just don’t think they really get it. I think they’re lazy. I think they’ve become lazy with regards to the UFC, you know,” Hearn added. “I think it’s really taken a nosedive in terms of its quality and its storytelling. And I think that’s the key, you know, engage the audience. And I just don’t think the audience are engaged right now.” 

So, despite the business booming, at least for the UFC, there are recurring quality concerns. Beyond matchmaking, the promotion has also faced criticism for failing to lean into customized walkouts or deeper storytelling. Eddie Hearn, in another interview, even called the UFC a “poor relative” to boxing, pointing to a lack of narrative and storylines in MMA.

Hearn’s recent comments about Zuffa were a direct response to criticism from British boxer Ben Whittaker, who, in an earlier EssentiallySports exclusive, had criticized the SELA-backed promotion. He suggested Zuffa could give many fighters a platform to rise, but also described Zuffa Boxing as overly corporate, lacking individuality, all too evident in boxing.

Amid this growing criticism of Dana White’s promotion, a former UFC star has also taken aim at the company’s event promos, which he sees as a diluted product.

Darren Till blasts Dana White over lack of compelling promos

Beyond the fights themselves, promos have always played a crucial role in making fans care about the bouts. Even years later, the Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo UFC 194 promo is still considered a benchmark. But former middleweight Darren Till believes that era of high-impact storytelling is all but gone, and he’s clearly not happy about it.

“Where’s all the promos gone?” Till said in an interview with Ariel Helwani. “The Holly Holm vs Ronda Rousey one, with the classical music behind it. We watched Ronda grow in judo, lose in the Olympics. We watched Holly Holm. Where’s the Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier promo where they’re fighting demons?

“Where have they gone? When I’m running on the treadmill and need motivation, I watch that and then play my own promos. Where’s the Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor promo gone? Where’s it all gone? And [White] is sat there going, ‘Who gives a s—?’ But we give a s—. … AI’s a load of s—.”

Well, the criticism around the UFC promos has only intensified recently, with fans noticing the UFC experimenting with AI-generated promotional content. The backlash peaked around UFC Seattle and UFC 327, when the promotion presented an AI-driven White House-themed promo that drew widespread criticism for lacking authenticity.

While the UFC’s business model is undeniably successful, the growing chorus of criticism from influential figures like Hearn and former stars like Moicano and Till suggests a disconnect between the product and the narrative that once made it feel essential. Whether Dana White chooses to address this growing sentiment or dismiss it as noise could define the promotion’s next era.