Paddy Pimblett dismisses Dana White vs. Eddie Hearn fight talk as 'the stupidest thing I've ever heard'

UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett has poured cold water on the prospect of Dana White and Eddie Hearn ever fighting each other, dismissing the ongoing feud between the two promoters as an embarrassing sideshow to the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card on December 11.

“As if Dana White’s going to have a fight with Eddie Hearn,” Pimblett told All Out Fighting. “It’s like the daftest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s just very childish, isn’t it? But they’re going to keep going back and forth, so we need to get used to it.”

The war of words between White and Hearn has intensified in the build-up to the long-awaited heavyweight clash, with White claiming a significant promotional role in the event while Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn insists White will be largely peripheral on fight night. It was Hearn who first floated the idea of the two settling their differences in the ring — a suggestion Pimblett finds absurd, even if he concedes Hearn might have the edge.

“I think he would, personally, yeah,” Pimblett said when asked whether Hearn could beat White. “I think he would, but people say all this and that, but they’re never going to fight, so it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Beyond the promotional noise, Pimblett offered a clear prediction for the main event itself, backing Joshua over a Fury he believes has been diminished by prolonged inactivity. Fury has retired twice in the past five years and posted uneven performances in recent outings against Mariusz Wach and Arslanbek Makhmudov.

“If you would have asked me a few years ago, 10 years ago, I think I would have said Tyson Fury,” Pimblett said. “But now, I think Anthony Joshua beats him. I think Fury hasn’t looked great in the last couple where he’s took, like, five years out. You can’t just take five years out in a fighting sport and think you’re going to come back just as good. So, personally, now I think Anthony Joshua beats him.”

With two months still to go before fight night, Pimblett acknowledged the White-Hearn back-and-forth is unlikely to quieten down — even if he wishes it would.