Zuffa Boxing's signing of Conor Benn was a major statement from Dana White in his ongoing rivalry with Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn. After a tense war of words in recent months, UFC CEO White managed to hit Hearn where it really hurt by taking one of Hearn's most prized assets. 

Hearn responded this past Friday with a shock link-up of his own: A commercial advisory role with the UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Although Aspinall is still contracted to the UFC, the move represents the first play from Matchroom into the MMA world, and doing so by trying to rebuild a psychologically damaged fighter in a division the UFC has struggled with in recent years.

"I actually couldn't believe how broken this guy's confidence was in Tom Aspinall," Hearn told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Monday. "Like, the first conversation that we had, he actually said to me, 'Why? Why are you interested in me? You know my reputation. [The UFC has] stitched me up. I'm just like damaged goods at the moment.' 

"I'm like, 'You're what? Are you for real? You're the UFC heavyweight champion. Damaged goods?' [Aspinall said,] 'Well, you know, they've hung me out to dry, and they've run this narrative on me,' and he was just down in the dumps. And actually, the difference between that initial conversation and seeing him at the press conference last week — [he] was a completely different man. He is absolutely buzzing, and right now he just can't wait to get back, whereas before I found a guy [who] actually didn't really want to come back."

Aspinall was poked in both eyes by Ciryl Gane in the first round of their UFC heavyweight title fight at UFC 321 this past October, causing the fight to disappointingly be cut short and ruled a no-contest.

What followed was a swarm of unjustified criticism of Aspinall, who many claimed didn't want to continue with the fight. White was among the doubters, alluding to Aspinall quitting rather than being forced to stop fighting due to a legitimate medical injury.

The comments didn't sit too well with the UFC champ, who has admitted in the aftermath that he has felt let down by his promoter. The situation was a driving force behind Aspinall's decision to widen his team through the addition of Hearn's Matchroom, in order to maximize his commercial potential outside of the UFC — and to strengthen his position in negotiations with the MMA leader.

"I'm looking at him, I'm going through his UFC contract," Hearn said. "I'm talking about the numbers that he's made over the last three, four, five fights. And I'm just sitting there, I'm like, I actually can't believe what's going on. I can't believe that you've had your eyes virtually gouged out, and you've been really, in my opinion, chastised by the organization, and a narrative has been run on you. You've had three [eye] operations and you're sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, and I can tell what kind of individual you are, and I was just like, 'I want to represent you here. Forget me vs. Dana — I want to represent you.'"

Perhaps intentionally, a focal point of Aspinall's launch press conference with Matchroom Talent Agency was centered around his UFC purses and how they dwarfed in comparison to boxers' earnings and what TKO — the parent company of the UFC and Zuffa Boxing — is paying Benn, reportedly $15 million, to face Regis Prograis next month in London.

"Obviously, it's difficult for me because I come from a world where, if a fighter was generating that much revenue into a show, they would be making five, six, seven times more than they're making in those UFC contracts," Hearn insisted. "As I said the other day, I've got guys — Tom Aspinall headlined [London's] O2 Arena and they actually broke records for the gate at the O2 Arena. It was on pay-per-view in the UK. It was on ESPN at the time in America. He's making less money than probably half the amount of money that I would pay a guy to fight for the British title at York Hall, Bethnal Green, in front of 1,200 people.

"I just can't see a world now, especially with [TKO] in boxing and they're paying — they'll be paying Conor Benn 10-15 times more than the UFC heavyweight champion. [The UFC is] going in with a rights fee of tens of millions from Paramount, a gate of $10 million or a site fee of $20 or $30 million, [and UFC fighters are] making 10 times less [than Benn].

"They're going to have big problems in that respect. And I think moving forward, that's going to be more interesting with young fighters coming into the system who might not be willing to sign up to a contract like that."

It has been Hearn's intention to try and spark a revolt among UFC fighters by attempting to show them just how little of a percentage they are making in comparison to the money generated by UFC events, particularly after the company inked a historic $7.7 billion seven-year media rights deal with Paramount this past year.

Hearn's strategy achieved some success after Zuffa announced the signing of Benn. Since that news dropped, Michael "Venom" Page, Aljamain Sterling, Israel Adesanya and Sean O'Malley, among others, have made comments questioning Benn's $15 million deal and why they aren't seeing a pay increase in their fights, despite the UFC earning substantially more in its new television deal.

Those fighters, however, are only the ones who have spoken out loud. Hearn believes there are many more UFC fighters who are just as disappointed learning about Benn's deal with Zuffa, and they, too, could be looking to bolster their business team in the coming months.

"Dana White sat on a press conference last night and he says, 'You know, Conor Benn making all this money, it's great for UFC fighters,'" Hearn said. "Like, how? I mean, basically every UFC fighter is looking at that going, 'This just doesn't make sense.' And you can't just hide behind the fact of, 'Oh, Turki [Alalshikh]'s paying that bill, so it's not really [the same].' No, it's the same companies. I'm enjoying sitting back, looking at all the press conferences and just being baffled by what I'm hearing.

"We've had — I think actually today was one more — we've had a dozen fighters approach us from the UFC asking to speak to us, have representation, could we just educate them a little bit about the space, what's going on. 'We need some help.' We're not going to sign all those guys, but we will be signing a handful more of UFC fighters, no doubt about it, because it's an interesting space for us.

"Probably for the first time in my career, and this was very much the case with the Tom Aspinall stuff, I'm going to work in some silence. Because I need to get this right, and it's going to be very, very interesting what's about to unfold over the next couple of months. ... But right now I look at the landscape, going, 'This is crazy, what I'm seeing.' It's almost like a revolution, and it's going to be really interesting."

There are some in the industry who believe Hearn's war of words with White serves as a natural precursor to an MMA venture for Matchroom. Although Hearn did not rule out such a move in the future for his British sports empire, he did confirm that it was not in their immediate plans.

"But we know that if we had the same model [in MMA as we do in boxing], we would be paying fighters 80% of the pot and not 20% of the pot," Hearn said. "But you know, [becoming an MMA promoter is] not on the horizon. I'm not sitting here saying we're going into MMA and we're going to give all the fights. We'll learn and we'll understand, and perhaps in the future you will see us in that space. But in answer to your question, if the same revenue was in the pot [in Matchroom MMA events as it is UFC shows], we would be paying close to 10 times more."

Hearn has become a focal point of White’s most recent interviews and press conferences, even earning a starring role at this past Sunday's Zuffa Boxing 4 post-fight press conference, which saw White insist that Hearn is not a rival of his, even downplaying his significance in combat sports as just another "manager."

"Things couldn't be going better for me at the moment with him," Hearn responded. "He just basically can't keep my name out of his mouth. I mean, I'll be honest, boxing's not for him, right? It's the worst business in the world. And I didn't expect him to implode this early. I almost sit there — I mean, that was one clip, but there's been four or five clips that I've seen. He literally hasn't stopped talking about me. 

"He's called me a p**** five or six times. He's called me out for a fight. A fight, right? And then he says that I'm not competition. I'll be honest with you — I agree with him, because in boxing right now, as I've said before, he cannot lace my boots. He's sitting there and spinning a narrative like he's created these unbelievable blockbuster shows in stadiums. He ain't out [of] the garage yet. Literally four shows in and absolute bang-average content."

Kieran Cleeves - PA Images via Getty Images

White's first four boxing events have taken place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas with limited crowds and unspectacular lineups, although White correctly points out that the majority of U.S. boxing promoters — Top Rank, Golden Boy, Premier Boxing Champions — have no major television deal and have promoted one or zero shows thus far in 2026, compared to his four events.

White and Hearn had a cordial relationship over the years, but in recent months, after White formally entered the boxing space, their relationship has turned on its head. As Hearn alluded to, the two promoters have even shown interest in an unlikely boxing match, which, although difficult to imagine materializing, would be a first-rate entertainment product.

"To say that we aren't a competitor of his is just the most bizarre statement, because we're coming off sellout shows in the UK, sellout shows in America, big world championship fights," Hearn said. "He's literally — I mean, the best way that I could describe what Zuffa is doing at the moment is, if we were in the COVID era right now, I would actually say they're doing OK, because that's what it is.

"And they come out and they [say we've] got no vision? You literally can't even be bothered to leave your office, where you've got 200 people watching, supposedly a world championship fight that, by the way, wasn't actually a world championship fight. And of the four cards that I've seen — nothing. Talk about how I haven't done anything or impressed them. What have we seen? 

"Like, honestly, if you listen to it, it is literally like every show they've done is a stadium sellout with pound-for-pound stars in unification fights, and it's just set the sport alight. They have done nothing at all. And all I've seen is Dana coming out, losing his rag, blood pressure going through the roof, calling me this, calling me that, but not actually doing anything."

The IBF announced Friday that it has withdrawn sanction for Jai Opetaia's voluntary defense of his cruiserweight title against Brandon Glanton on Sunday in the Zuffa Boxing 4 headliner.

After weeks of uncertainty, the sanctioning body approved the voluntary defense after being assured by Opetaia's team that the fight would not be a unification and that any belt awarded by Zuffa pertaining to the contest would be "characterized as a trophy or token of recognition."

However, at the final press conference for Opetaia vs. Glanton on Friday, it was announced that the Zuffa world cruiserweight title will still be on the line in Sunday's bout at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. As a result, the IBF has withdrawn its sanction.

According to IBF Rule 5.E.2:

For the purpose of unification of titles, the preeminent Champions of the World Boxing Association (“WBA”), the World Boxing Council (“WBC”), and the World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) may be designated as “elite contenders” and may be permitted to fight for the unified title.

Zuffa Boxing is not a recognized sanctioning body. The IBF works with the traditional WBA, WBC and WBO boxing sanctioning bodies for unification bouts and may, at its own discretion, refuse to sanction their title for any bout that has another title on the line.

"The IBF reserves the right to sanction title bouts alongside other sanctioning bodies that comply with the same mandated regulations followed by the organization," the IBF said in a statement provided to Uncrowned. 

With the IBF withdrawing sanction, Opetaia will be stripped of his cruiserweight title if he goes ahead with Sunday's Paramount+ headliner against Glanton, which serves as his Zuffa Boxing debut.

According to IBF Rule 5.H.:

An Unsanctioned Contest is a fight which the IBF has not formally approved for sanction or where sanction has been formally withdrawn. If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout.

Opetaia has repeatedly insisted that his goal in boxing is to pick up the four traditional belts and become the undisputed champion at cruiserweight. Thus, it came as a shock when the Australian signed with Zuffa, because Zuffa said it would not recognize boxing's four sanctioning bodies.

Uncrowned understands that the IBF has had no direct contact with any representatives from Zuffa Boxing. Opetaia's team, including his manager Matt Clark and co-promoter Mick Francis, worked to try and get the IBF title on the line for the bout vs. Glanton so Opetaia's dreams of undisputed would remain alive, although now they look to be a long way away.

Most Valuable Promotions, the company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021, announced a multi-year broadcast agreement with ESPN in the United States Friday.

Alongside the media rights deal, MVP confirmed the launch of an official women's boxing league, MVPW, which boasts 43 fighters. ESPN will be the home of MVPW events through 2028. 

Said Paul and Bidarian:

"Since inception MVP has strategically focused on creating an umbrella brand as the global home for women’s boxing, with the best fighters in the world, that engages existing boxing fans and attracts untapped fan demographics that embrace women’s sport, and today, we proudly enter a new era."

"Over the past five years, we have invested heavily in female athletes, delivered historic and record-breaking events, and proven that these athletes belong on the biggest stages in the sport. Partnering with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, to launch MVPW across its platforms is a historic milestone, and aligning with the world’s most iconic venue, Madison Square Garden, as we introduce the brand in the U.S. reinforces the scale and ambition behind what we are building.

The first of these events, MVPW-01, takes place on April 5 in London, England and is headlined by a Caroline Dubios vs. Terri Harper lightweight unification bout. That event also airs on Sky Sports in the UK, which is understood to be another longterm media rights partner MVP is expected to confirm. 

MVPW will debut in the United States on April 17 with MVPW-02, which is headlined by the unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner taking on Bo Mi Re Shin at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theatre. The third event in the league will see Stephanie Han defend her WBA lightweight title in a rematch against Holly Holm on May 30 in El Paso, Texas. 

It is a major deal for MVP and women's boxing. At a time when major U.S. promoters — namely Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions — are without TV deals, and Dana White's Zuffa Boxing is making an aggressive play into the sport, MVP has solidified its position as the home of women's boxing and owns deals with the biggest networks in the US and the UK to showcase its events.

When it was announced this past Friday that Oleksandr Usyk will defend his WBC heavyweight title against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt's Pyramids of Giza, the news came as a shock to many. Although Verhoeven was heavily linked to a Feb. 14 bout with Anthony Joshua, the shift to fighting boxing's pound-for-pound No. 1 in Verhoeven's second pro boxing match was unexpected.

Verhoeven detailed to Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Tuesday his journey from leaving GLORY Kickboxing this past November to landing a surprise fight with the unified heavyweight champ.

"I just wanted to do big stuff that hasn't been done before," Verhoeven said of his mindset after leaving GLORY. "So either make a crazy crossover to the UFC or a big crossover fight in boxing or whatever — I just wanted to see all options. So that's where the decision came from. I think we did it all within GLORY."

Verhoeven said he discussed a major boxing match for the first time when he was at one of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury fights in Saudi Arabia in 2024 with world-renowned actor Jason Statham.

"My good friend Jason Statham was [at Usyk vs. Fury]," Verhoeven said. "So we were talking and he said, 'Oh yeah, man, [boxing] is the place to be. This is where you got to be.' He said, 'Let's do it.' So I think he slowly introduced me there.

"It was about a year later, the [Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight this past September] was coming up, and I saw Jason was there, so I texted [him], 'Yo bro, you at the fight? Have fun.' He said he was crazy excited and couldn't wait for it. So I said, 'Yo, we talked about it. We should do something [in boxing].' He said, 'Yep, I'm going to bring it up.'"

Statham proposed the idea of a major boxing match involving Verhoeven to Saudi Arabian fight financier Turki Alalshikh, who was receptive to the idea and said there would be further communication with Verhoeven's team.

"They said, 'When you come in, you're a champion, so you have to face somebody with a name. And you have to promise us you're not going to disappoint. You're not going to be out in one round,'" Verhoeven recalled. "I said, 'What do you mean? I've been boxing for the last 15 years on the highest level. I got this.'"

Verhoeven was asked by Alalshikh's team who he wanted to face in his first boxing match in 12 years — he knocked out Janos Finfera (then 0-5) in 2014 — and he informed them he'd be open to fighting anybody. With former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua needing a comeback fight of sorts after more than a year out of the ring, surgery, and just a Jake Paul bout to his name since, Joshua was the name put forward.

Joshua vs. Verhoeven, however, did not take place due to the unfortunate events that occurred outside of the ring late last year.

"I finished [shooting a] movie at the beginning of December," Verhoeven said. "Went straight into camp and worked out through the whole of December. I had already planned a training camp in Spain for the whole month of January because the fight [with Joshua] was going to be February 14. Then the accident happened."

Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in December that devastatingly took the lives of two of his closest friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. The crash left "AJ" with physical and emotional injuries that ruled out a fight for him in 2026's first quarter.

Verhoeven, however, continued to train and stay ready, in the hopes of eventually landing a big name.

"We got on the phone and heard the fight might happen, but 'AJ' needs some time to recover physically and mentally. Probably somewhere in March, we would hear more about it," Verhoeven said. "OK, no worries. Totally understand and totally respect the situation. I was still in Spain. We came to the gym and my boxing trainer, Peter Fury [the uncle of Tyson Fury], said, 'Hey, I was thinking — what about fighting Oleksandr Usyk?'"

Verhoeven was a fan of Fury's suggestion and proposed the idea to Alalshikh's team as an undisputed boxing champion vs. undisputed kickboxing champion type matchup. 

"They said one thing: 'I love it. Let's do it.'"

Alalshikh's team managed to finalize the bout for May 23, and to add more intrigue to the contest, it landed at the Pyramids of Giza, which is the only remaining of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Verhoeven will enter the fight with Usyk as a sizable underdog, but he cautioned fans against ruling out his chances, explaining that he has been training in boxing with Peter Fury for 15 years and was even a sparring partner for Tyson Fury when Tyson used his uncle as a coach more than a decade ago.

Verhoeven told Uncrowned that he also had discussions with the UFC and had received an offer to fight Derrick Lewis on the first Paramount+ card, UFC 324. Verhoeven ultimately decided against it because the financial elements of the offer to face Joshua — and then Usyk — were substantially better.

The inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title will be on the line when Jai Opetaia clashes with Brandon Glanton on Sunday night at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. 

However, whether Opetaia's IBF world championship is up for grabs at Zuffa Boxing 4 — and whether he will remain the IBF cruiserweight titleholder come Monday morning — is yet to be determined. 

A spokesperson for the IBF told Uncrowned: 

"The IBF is still deliberating on the entirety of the situation regarding Jai Opetaia’s bout vs. Brandon Glanton. We are not making a public statement at this time."

Zuffa Boxing — the entity formed by Saudi Arabian fight financier Turki Alalshikh, UFC CEO Dana White and WWE president Nick Khan — inked Opetaia to a promotional deal in January. The move came as a surprise because Zuffa does not recognize boxing's four sanctioning bodies, namely the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF. 

Opetaia, however, has insisted that his goal is still to pick up the belts and become undisputed champion under Zuffa. The Australian has since admitted he isn't sure how this will happen due to Zuffa's policies. 

Uncrowned spoke to Zuffa-signed heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba just days after his TKO win over Charles Martin in February on Zuffa Boxing 3, and Ajagba too was unclear on whether he could fight for sanctioning body titles. After being pressed, Ajagba admitted that it was ultimately Zuffa's decision. 

"It depends on who [Zuffa] work with," Ajagba told Uncrowned. "Zuffa is trying to grow their own belt. I don't know about the [sanctioning bodies]. I want those belts, but at the same time, I've signed with Zuffa. It's Zuffa's decision to make for those belts."

It is thought that the IBF and Zuffa have yet to reach an agreement on whether Opetaia's title can be on the line and how it would be displayed and supervised during fight week and on fight night. Zuffa — and its parent company TKO — is reluctant to cooperate with sanctioning bodies, with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman recently detailing to Uncrowned his unpleasant experience during the TKO-promoted Terence Crawford vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez bout.

According to IBF Rule 5.H., Opetaia will be stripped of his cruiserweight championship if he fights Glanton at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit and the bout is not sanctioned for the IBF championship. 

"If a Champion participates in an unsanctioned contest within his prescribed weight limit, the title will be declared vacant whether the Champion wins or loses the bout."

Just 10 days after Ryan Garcia's win over Mario Barrios, Golden Boy Promotions has secured another significant victory — except this time, in the courtroom against one of its own star fighters, Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Judge Cristina D. Silva granted Golden Boy's motion for interim injunctive relief against Ortiz and to compel arbitration on Monday. Furthermore, the Nevada judge denied Golden Boy's motion to dismiss Ortiz Jr.'s claim, instead staying the action pending arbitration. This follows a Feb. 20 hearing where the sides appeared before Judge Silva to argue whether the case should head to arbitration and whether Ortiz Jr. should be allowed to proceed with his career in the interim.

The ruling arrives just hours after Ortiz filed an emergency motion with the court requesting confirmation that the 14-day temporary restraining order granted by Judge Silva had expired. Silva confirmed that the TRO had expired, but Ortiz is not free to negotiate and sign a Jaron "Boots" Ennis fight and/or a promotional contract because of a fresh injunction granted by the court.

Said Silva in her ruling obtained by Uncrowned:

"Further, because I find that this action is arbitrable, injunctive relief is necessary to preserve the status quo. Thus, I also grant Golden Boy’s request for interim injunctive relief to allow for meaningful arbitration, so I hereby order that Ortiz may not negotiate or contract with third parties for future fights before the arbitrator addresses the parties’ dispute set forth in this action."

Ortiz signed a three-year agreement with Golden Boy in May 2024. Under the contract, Ortiz has the right to terminate the deal if Golden Boy’s “distribution relationship” with DAZN ends. Ortiz would not be allowed to terminate the deal if Golden Boy had already agreed on all material terms of a new exclusive distribution deal and was merely negotiating the long-form agreement. The contract required Ortiz to exercise any termination right within 30 days of learning of the triggering event.

Golden Boy’s formal contract with DAZN expired on Dec. 31, after which Ortiz exercised what he contends was his contractual right to terminate the agreement on Jan. 8. Golden Boy disputes that Ortiz is a free agent, arguing that despite the expiration of the DAZN contract, it maintained an active distribution relationship with the broadcaster and had agreed upon material terms for a new broadcast deal. The promoter has also pointed to a Golden Boy event that aired on DAZN in January and one that is scheduled to stream in March as evidence that its distribution relationship had not truly ended.

Ortiz filed suit against Golden Boy on Jan. 16, seeking declaratory relief confirming that his promotional agreement had been validly terminated. It is now up to an arbitrator to interpret the disputed contractual language — namely, the definition of a "distribution relationship" — and to determine whether Ortiz lawfully terminated the agreement.

Ortiz and Golden Boy are required to file a joint notice with the court on Sept. 2, 2026, or within five days after an arbitrator has reached a decision in their dispute, whichever comes first.

Should Ortiz be successful in the arbitration, he will be a free agent and able to negotiate and sign for an Ennis bout. If Golden Boy prevails, Ortiz is contractually bound to the company until at least August 2027.

Either way, it appears highly unlikely that we see Ortiz and Ennis share the ring next — unless Ortiz and Golden Boy resolve matters in a timely fashion, which is highly unlikely.