The bitter promotional war between Dana White and Eddie Hearn has officially hijacked the spotlight from the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua mega-fight. While the boxers have taken a back seat, the two promoters have been trading ego shots since day one, turning behind-the-scenes contract negotiations into a personal battle for control.
This corporate feud took a wild new turn after White fired back at the Matchroom boss. The UFC CEO insists he is co-promoting the card and revealed that the UFC will produce the entire live broadcast, just a day after Hearn branded White’s handling of his role one of the greatest PR disasters boxing has ever seen.
Dana White Unloads on Eddie Hearn’s PR Battle
Fury and Joshua are set to meet at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, live on Netflix. However, White skipped Wednesday’s press conference at the Olympia in London. In his place, Zuffa Boxing partner Nick Khan sat directly beside Saudi backer Turki Alalshikh. Hearn showed White’s absence as absolute proof that the UFC boss has no real promotional power.
White addressed the dispute Thursday at the UFC 332 press conference in Salt Lake City. He said a Contender Series card the previous day kept him from London, then argued his involvement goes beyond promotion.
“Not only am I promoting the fight, we’re producing the fight,” White said. “UFC is going to produce the show. I don’t know how that’s a PR disaster.”
Dana White provides an update on his involvement with Fury vs. AJ: “Not am I promoting the fight, we’re producing the fight too. UFC is producing the show.” 👀🥊 #UFC332 | Saturday | Stream TNT Sports on HBO Max https://t.co/5IdgcENAWm pic.twitter.com/eBu42Ml9cU
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 1, 2026
White got personal in an interview with MMA Fighting the same day. “Am I not producing the entire f****ing event?” he said. “I think that’s the difference between me and Eddie is Eddie’s trying to win some PR battle. Eddie likes to see himself in interviews. He likes to talk a lot and talking will get you in f****ng trouble.”
Why Dana White Has the Netflix Advantage
The fight was first announced with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing involved, alongside Turki Alalshikh. However, Hearn has repeatedly asserted that Anthony Joshua’s contract legally bars White, Zuffa Boxing and TKO from promoting the fight without Matchroom’s approval.
Alalshikh wants White involved because they are close partners. Still, Hearn insists the promotional battle is over. Outlets like LowKick MMA noted that neither White nor Zuffa Boxing was officially named among the promotional partners on stage at the London launch.
However, Zuffa Boxing has a proven track record with Tyson Fury on Netflix. The company co-promoted Fury’s April 11 win over Arslanbek Makhmudov with Frank Warren and Gold Star Promotions. That card was a massive hit. Netflix reported a huge 5 million average minutes audience in the UK alone.
Handling production gives White a real job on Fight Night. It does not matter who stands on stage at the press conferences. Viewers will notice the show’s presentation and pacing, not a seat dispute in London. White’s exact duties during the buildup are still unclear.
Right now, both Hearn’s contract claims and White’s production claims stand side by side. No joint statement has been made to settle the matter.
