Paddy Pimblett has been watching the Dana White and Eddie Hearn feud unfold with amusement, and he has some pointed observations about what it says about both men.
Pimblett was in attendance at Hearn's Matchroom Boxing event in Liverpool to support close friend Molly McCann and found himself in the middle of the latest chapter of a promotional rivalry that has seen the two executives trade insults publicly, float the idea of fighting each other, and take shots at each other's businesses across multiple platforms.
His verdict on the behavior was delivered without much diplomacy.
"It's hilarious, but you know, first and foremost Dana's an MMA promoter. First and foremost, Eddie's a boxing promoter. They're having a little bit of a mad spat at the minute. Without being disrespectful to either of them, it's very teenage girlish, but they'll get over it. They're both going to end up being sweet, so we crack on for now," Pimblett told iFL TV.
When asked which way he would lean if the fight somehow materialized, Pimblett acknowledged the obvious size and reach advantage Hearn would hold while making his loyalty clear. "I've seen it all, it's f---ing madness, isn't it? I don't know. It's not going to happen. Dana's not going to box Eddie, I think it's a bit of a mad situation. Eddie's got the reach on him, but Dana's my boss, I'm backing Dana. Dana's going to spark him out. At the same time, it's not going to happen."
The sharpest part of Pimblett's commentary came when he turned his attention to what the fight would actually pay out compared to what either man pays the athletes on their rosters.
"The funniest thing is if they fought each other, they'd get paid well more than what the fighters getting paid," Pimblett said. "Thirty mil each, no boxers getting that under Eddie Hearn and no UFC fighter's getting that under Dana. They'd earn more dough than the fighters fighting, you know what I mean? That's the funniest thing about it. And they've got nothing on any fighter they've got, but you know, that's just the way the world works."
White was at UFC Winnipeg on Saturday and addressed Hearn's ongoing fight tease by calling him "a f---ing bum" who "says a lot of dumb shit," while also describing himself as "old." Hearn had claimed at the Liverpool event that their bout would do over a million pay-per-view buys.
The feud has its roots in real business competition. White signed Hearn's Matchroom Boxing fighter Conor Benn for Zuffa Boxing, and Hearn responded by securing a management deal with UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall through Matchroom Talent Agency.
