According to the boxing promoter of the matchrome Eddie Hearn, the UFC recently had a problem with regard to the lack of stars.
In recent years, the UFC has grown exponentially and has become a huge rival of boxing, with a large part of the combat sports world that prefer the UFC product.
Although the UFC has already undergone a large growth period, CEO Dana White continues to tease further growth in promotion and claims that it will be the best promotion in the world, in all sports.
The promotion will go through a huge change in the coming weeks, because their temporary employment contract with ESPN has recently ended, which means that they are currently free agents who are looking for their next huge deal, of which they are allegedly looking for the double of their last deal.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Eddie Hearn claims that the UFC is going through a problem with 'lack of stars'
Although the UFC had a huge year in 2024, a large majority of the fan base apparently tired the product, especially since the promotional events continues to accommodate the UFC Apex with an extremely limited amount of fans.
Not only that, but the most important promotion is apparently difficult to combine fighting among the best hunters, leaving divisions in question behind.
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, for example, continues to refuse to fight against Ilia Topuria in a lightweight title fight, so that that division stays in the air.
Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones continues to postpone a potential fight against Tom Aspinall, which has constantly irritated the fan base.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes that the UFC may continue a 'syringe' because of their 'lack of stars'.
“How are the UFC nowadays and MMA?” Asked Hearn on the Ariel Helwani show.
“There is nothing faecious in it, it's a real question. I have the feeling that boxing is currently just shooting up in terms of eyeballs, attention, narrative conversation, digital story and appearance, the UFC is a huge thing, but, they should fight a Jones vs Tom Aspinall -style style to really come back, but I don't know.
It is generally assumed that one of the biggest problems for the UFC is currently the lack of competition, something that Dana White has admitted that he is worried.
“Is it a lack of stars? By the way, I think this is cyclical, people are currently talking about it in British Boxing … Sometimes there is only that silence,” Hearn added.
UFC misses a huge fight due to injuries
Some things are inevitable in combat sports and injuries are one of them.
Earlier this week the news began to circulate that middleweight champion Dric Du Plessis has sustained a considerable injury that will keep him out of a potential fight against Khamzat Chimaev.
This now leaves the 185LB division in a difficult position with an interim title that has been added to the comparison.