“I’ve never seen a UFC weaker,” Hearn said to Pro Boxing Fans. “I’ve never seen it more at a breaking point. I’ve never seen fighters actually looking to almost start a revolution and a fighters’ union.”
He tied that shift directly to boxing’s financial model, arguing that the comparison has become unavoidable as crossover talk and shared platforms increase visibility.
“What TKO entering the boxing space has done to them is just highlight the problem of the UFC business, and it’s done it very, very quickly,” Hearn said.
The comments reflect a growing theme in recent months, where fighter pay in mixed martial arts has been questioned more openly, particularly when large purses in boxing are discussed alongside UFC contracts.
Hearn also suggested that the move into boxing could create strain on the UFC’s existing structure, especially if resources are split across multiple ventures.
“They’re not going to be making money out of boxing for a long time, and they’re jeopardising their business,” he said. “That’s going to affect their numbers, their share price, and everything moving forward.”
While Hearn has been openly critical of new entrants into boxing, his focus here was less on competition and more on what he sees as internal pressure building within the UFC itself.
He pointed to fighters voicing frustration publicly and the idea of collective action gaining attention, something rarely discussed in the sport in the past.
“I’m really glad that it’s being highlighted,” Hearn said.
The situation remains ongoing, but the comparison between boxing purses and UFC pay structures is now being discussed more directly than before, particularly as both industries begin to overlap more frequently.
There’s a real chance this keeps coming up every time boxing and UFC cross paths, because once fighters start looking at the numbers side by side, it becomes harder to ignore.
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