Joe Rogan may have just bitten off the hand that feeds him. The UFC color commentator recently appeared on his JRE podcast, where he gave his candid opinion on the ongoing feud between his boss Dana White and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. Surprisingly, though, instead of backing his boss, Rogan sided with Hearn. 

“Dana is now entering… the boxing space,” Rogan said in his podcast. “I was gonna say Eddie Hearn is now entering into the MMA space because now he’s [managing] Tom Aspinall, which is very interesting. Anything that gets fighters more money, I’m for. [It means] more attention, more money, more promoters, more people competing to give [fighters] higher purses. 

It’s worth noting that White and Hearn weren’t always on bad terms. Before White entered into boxing with Zuffa, both parties were cordial with each other over interviews. However, that changed when White and Hearn started competing against each other. Still, things escalated when the UFC CEO signed Jai Opetaia and Conor Benn, who were previously signed with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. 

Hearn wasn’t going to let White sleep peacefully after poaching his fighters. So, the English promoter struck a commercial and advisory deal with Tom Aspinall. In later interviews, Hearn claimed he was approached by several other UFC fighters, signaling more announcements could be on the way. Although White himself has claimed he doesn’t have an issue with Hearn managing UFC fighters, Joe Rogan believes Hearn’s involvement could help fighter pay.

“The real problem is with MMA—there’s nothing,” Rogan added. “I mean, there’s essentially the UFC and everything else is a distant second… In terms of attention. In some places, it’s not a distant second. It’s not a distant second in terms of revenue. So the PFL was offering a million dollars for anybody who could win these tournaments. And the calibre of fighters that were winning this tournament was not the same as the UFC champions. 

Dana White explained that fighters who were not winning in the UFC often moved to PFL and ended up making millions, something he said he liked. Notably, if those fighters sign with Eddie Hearn, the boxing promoter could help them transition to other promotions where they have better opportunities to earn money, rather than remaining in one promotion and struggling financially.

Additionally, if such fighters are working with Hearn, they have the option to move to boxing altogether. Regardless, while Rogan finds the feud between Hearn and White “very interesting,” Jake Paul, on the other hand, describes it differently.

Jake Paul claims feud between Dana White and Eddie Hearn is “very entertaining”

As far as Jake Paul is concerned, the feud between Dana White and Eddie Hearn is great for the fight business. Speaking about the rivalry, Paul said he finds the situation highly entertaining and beneficial for promotion on both sides. 

“I think it’s very entertaining,” Paul said. “I just think it’s good content and good for both of their promotional abilities.”

The YouTuber-turned-boxer also suggested the feud could influence fighters’ decisions. 

“I think we’ll see more UFC fighters go and sign with Eddie Hearn, which I think is a very smart move on their part,” he added.

It’s worth noting that White has even joked about settling the dispute in the ring. And Paul backed Hearn in that hypothetical matchup, while Paul’s advisor, Nakisa Bidarian, predicted White would win. 

Interestingly, Paul and Dana White have their own beef over UFC fighter pay, and they have been taking jabs at each other for a while. 

Having said that, Hearn and White throwing hands feels like an unattainable dream. But sides are being formed. Everyone knew Jake Paul would side against White, but was Rogan’s support for Hearn surprising? And do you agree with him?