Hearn suggested the pay gap is no longer being tacitly accepted.
“The fighters now, they don’t have that,” he said.
There are already signs of movement. Jake Paul is building an MMA event outside of the UFC structure, while Zuffa’s move to boxing has brought the two sports closer together. The boundaries remain, but they are becoming less fixed as both sides test how far their influence can extend.
Hearn sees the situation as an opening rather than a risk. He believes Zuffa’s expansion into boxing has worked against them and created cracks in their own structure.
“This move has completely (messed) them up in most of their business,” Hearn said.
He suggested that these conditions give boxing promoters a chance to challenge MMA’s position more effectively than before.
“I could walk into MMA and probably take it to them right now,” Hearn said, making it clear that he was describing the moment rather than laying out any immediate plan.
Hearn looks for a gradual change in momentum. If discontent among fighters continues and new platforms begin to challenge the UFC’s position, that pressure will likely spread beyond MMA itself. In his opinion, it builds up over time rather than arriving all at once.
Boxing can benefit by staying where it is. As conditions shift elsewhere, the sport can take advantage of new openings without forcing a direct clash between the two.
