Conor Benn has brought his decade-long partnership with Eddie Hearn to an abrupt end by signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing venture.
The British welterweight, who built his entire professional career under Hearn’s Matchroom banner, delivered the news through his solicitor Lee Emptage rather than speaking directly with his long-time promoter.
Friday night’s announcement sent shockwaves through the sport, with Benn becoming a marquee acquisition for the UFC founder’s emerging boxing operation.
The pair have not communicated directly since the email arrived, leaving Hearn blindsided by a fighter he had supported through considerable adversity.
Eddie Hearn once loaned Conor Benn £500,000 during 2022
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Benn’s switch positions him as a centrepiece of Zuffa’s strategy to attract elite talent and stage major events.
Hearn revealed he had provided Benn with a substantial loan of approximately £500,000 during 2022, when the fighter’s career appeared finished following a positive test for the fertility drug clomiphene.
The failed test emerged just before Benn’s scheduled bout with Chris Eubank Jr, forcing the contest to be scrapped at the last moment.
Hearn advanced Benn a portion of his expected fight earnings, which was repaid without interest two years later.
Throughout the protracted legal proceedings, Hearn publicly defended his fighter until the National Anti-Doping Panel concluded in November 2024 that UK Anti-Doping had not satisfactorily proven any doping violation.
Conor Benn has joined Dana White’s newly established Zuffa Boxing venture | GETTY
“It is very disappointing considering everything I have done for him. Maybe I misjudged his character,” Hearn said.
Speaking to iFL TV, he added: “I just think the way it was done was very very wrong.”
Despite the acrimonious split, Benn expressed gratitude towards Hearn and Matchroom on social media “for everything they’ve done” and indicated he hoped future collaboration might still be possible.
However, the 28-year-old made clear that White’s outfit had presented terms he could not turn down.
“I’m filled with excitement and hunger for what’s ahead with Zuffa Boxing,” Benn stated. “I want the legacy fights, the biggest nights, the biggest stages. I fear no man at any weight, and I’m ready to give the fans the fights they’ve been calling for.”
The agreement is reportedly a single-bout contract worth eight figures, meaning Benn would become a free agent again following his promotional debut with the organisation.
White described his new signing as “an absolute beast and a superstar” who “shows up every time and destroys people.”
Eddie Hearn has expressed profound disappointment following Conor Benn’s unexpected decision to leave Matchroom Boxing for Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing venture | GETTY
A potential showdown with American star Ryan Garcia represents one of the most tantalising prospects arising from Benn’s move, with the British fighter having long sought such a contest.
Garcia’s promotional status remains clouded by a dispute with Golden Boy Promotions, with the fighter claiming his contract expires on Sunday while Oscar De La Hoya insists several bouts remain on the deal.
Should Garcia’s situation resolve, speculation has mounted that a transatlantic clash could become one of Zuffa’s inaugural headline attractions.
Conor Benn had been one of Eddie Hearn’s prized jewels and stuck by him during his troubles before the boxer left for Dana White’s new label
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DANAWHITEBenn is expected to attend Garcia’s upcoming fight against Mario Barrios, potentially setting the stage for a promotional confrontation.
Zuffa is understood to be planning multiple London shows throughout 2026, with Benn having previously suggested the pair could fill a stadium.
