Dana White used the post-fight press conference following Zuffa Boxing 07 in Bournemouth, England, on Saturday, June 6, 2026, to escalate his dispute with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, hours after a rival promoter filed suit to block the card and as the promotion confirmed further expansion. The event, Zuffa Boxing’s first on UK soil, was headlined by Chris Billam-Smith, who stopped Ryan Rozicki by seventh-round technical knockout.
White renews Hearn feud
Much of the question-and-answer session centered on Hearn, who said earlier in the week that he intended to keep UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall out of competition until the fighter’s contract was renegotiated. Aspinall is represented by Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency.
“He said he wanted [Aspinall] released, right? You release Bam Rodriguez, then. Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? Congratulations Eddie, you sound stupid again,” White said, referring to Matchroom fighter Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. On the prospect of pushing the champion back to the cage, White added, “You can’t force anybody to fight. You have to wanna fight.”
White also returned to Conor Benn’s departure from Matchroom. “Eddie Hearn is full of s***. He didn’t even pay his best friend Conor Benn,” White said. He continued, “Eddie, who apparently Benn was his best friend, he’s been crying, literally crying for weeks. He didn’t even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy. He could’ve paid his best friend and they could’ve remained best friends.”
Benn left Matchroom for Zuffa Boxing earlier this year in a reported $15 million deal. Hearn has said he loaned Benn money over the years, citing figures including £250,000 for a house and a £300,000 advance against a fight purse, a characterization Benn has disputed.
White further referenced the Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury negotiations, challenging reporters in comments captured by talkSPORT Boxing: “Do you think I would lie and look like a f***ing idiot? Call Eddie Hearn right now and ask him who negotiated AJ vs Fury.” He did not detail the nature of his stated role.
BOXXER seeks injunction
The press conference followed a legal challenge filed on the eve of the card. BOXXER, the promotional company led by Ben Shalom, is seeking urgent injunctive relief in the English courts against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports, alleging that Billam-Smith and undercard middleweight Sam Hickey remain under binding contract to BOXXER.
“BOXXER can confirm it is seeking urgent injunctive relief against Zuffa Boxing and Sky Sports concerning the promotion and proposed participation of fighters who remain subject to binding contractual obligations to BOXXER,” the company said in a statement. Zuffa Boxing does not accept the claims and proceeded with the event as scheduled, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Billam-Smith signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing in April. He has said his BOXXER contract expired at the end of 2025, while BOXXER says it held a right to match any offer made to him. BOXXER says Hickey was under a long-term contract when he announced his move in May. BOXXER and Sky Sports had a four-year broadcast agreement that expired in June 2025; Sky Sports did not renew and instead signed deals with Zuffa Boxing and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.
Expansion continues
Zuffa Boxing has confirmed further dates as the dispute plays out. Its first card in Ireland, billed as Zuffa Boxing 10, is set for August 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin. White has said the promotion plans to stage at least five UK events per year following its multi-year Sky Sports agreement, and its roster additions have continued, with junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson among recent signings, a move confirmed by Hearn rather than by the promotion.
Zuffa Boxing 07 aired on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and streamed on Paramount+ in the United States and Canada.
