It didn’t take long for one of the UFC’s more prominent fighters, a striker no less, to voice a complaint over Zuffa Boxing’s $15 million acquisition of welterweight non-titlist Conor Benn.
Zuffa’s signing sent shockwaves through the boxing world, largely because of how synonymous he’d been to Matchroom’s operations, Eddie Hearn’s unwavering advocacy during Benn’s fall from grace having tested positive for the banned substance clomifene, and that Benn was arguably being handed the baton to run stadium fights as Hearn’s more established ticket-sellers Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor fall into the twilight of their respective careers.
It also came a time in which there was clear hostility between Zuffa Boxing front-man White, and old guard promoter Hearn, with no shortage of venomous trash talk between the promotional rivals.
But all is fair in love, war, and boxing.
And so Zuffa seemingly capitalized on something Hearn admitted was his mistake to own, and captured Conor on a reported one-fight deal worth eight figures — and that’s not sat right with the former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, a fighter whom the UFC helped develop considering he’s a Dana White’s Contender Series graduate.
“I don’t even know who Conor Benn is — supposedly a big name in boxing,” he said. “Crazy, bro.”
“I’m not f****** making $15 million a fight.”
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, an MMA legend, said similar: “Is $15 million worth having Conor Benn? It’s the first time I’ve heard of him. From what everybody tells me, he is a very good boxer.
“But is Khamzat Chimaev making $15 million? Is Ilia Topuria making $15 million? Is Merab [Dvalishvili] making $15 million? We don’t know because those numbers are always hidden, but I truly believe it’s a flex from Dana White.”
Even White reacted to the signing with typical bombast.
Hearn, you see, had already given an emotional address. To iFL, he said: “I felt everything we gave him — loyalty, support — would be enough to talk him through, [and] get close to a number, but there wasn’t interest. Very surprising, painful, but another moment in life you live and learn from.
“It feels like a wasted few years … but on we go.”
But Hearn’s comments were mocked by the UFC boss. “Stop crying,” White told the Matchroom chairman.
“I think you saw this week — I really am beating up babies,” White said. “Is there a bigger p**** than Eddie Hearn?”