Dana White: UFC Producing Fury vs. Joshua, Despite Hearn

Dana White says the UFC is producing the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight fight even after promoter Eddie Hearn declared White had been shut out of the biggest boxing event of the year.

White, speaking Thursday after skipping the London press conference that launched the Fury-Joshua fight, confirmed his role goes well beyond a cameo. "Not only am I promoting the fight, we're producing the fight. UFC is going to produce the show," White said. He added a blunt rebuttal to the week's PR narrative: "I don't know how that's a PR disaster. I'm right."

The fight is set for Dec. 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium and will stream on Netflix. White missed the London presser because he had UFC Contender Series obligations in Utah the day before, not because he'd been cut out of the promotion, he said.

Why Did Eddie Hearn Say Dana White Was Out?

Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, used White's absence from the press conference to argue the UFC boss overplayed his hand publicly. "These guys, Dana, etc just played it all wrong," Hearn said Wednesday, calling the stretch "one of the greatest PR disasters in boxing." Frank Warren, who promotes Fury, and Hearn ran the actual press conference, while UFC business partner Nick Khan sat alongside Saudi backer Turki Alalshikh. White pushed back hard on the framing, pointing to Netflix's original press release that already listed him as part of the promotion and asking rhetorically whether he's not producing "the entire event."

What It Means for the Fight and the Market

A UFC production crew running the show is a bigger deal for bettors than it sounds. UFC's broadcast team is known for crisp pacing, data overlays and replay packages built for a mainstream audience, and that polish tends to extend a fight's reach beyond the hardcore boxing crowd and onto a mass Netflix audience. More casual eyeballs usually means more recreational betting volume on a marquee heavyweight fight like this one, even if the line itself is shaped by the matchup rather than who's behind the cameras. The power struggle between White and Hearn doesn't change the in-ring equation between Fury and Joshua, but it does signal the UFC's production fingerprints, and by extension its promotional muscle, will be stamped on a fight expected to draw one of the biggest crossover audiences boxing has seen in years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dana White involved in Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua?

Yes, Dana White says the UFC is producing the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua broadcast, even though Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren are the fight's promoters.

When is Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua?

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are scheduled to fight Dec. 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, streaming live on Netflix.

Why did Eddie Hearn criticize Dana White over the Fury-Joshua fight?

Eddie Hearn said Dana White mishandled the lead-up to Fury vs. Joshua after White skipped the London press conference, calling it a major PR misstep, which White disputed by pointing to UFC's production role in the event.